Press release
Minister Troy encourages businesses in North-West to Grow Digital
From Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Published on
Last updated on
Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Robert Troy, is encouraging businesses in Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo to embrace digital technologies to stay competitive, resilient and productive as part of the national Grow Digital campaign.
The €85 million Digital Transition Fund is now in place to help companies use digital technologies like AI, cloud computing and big data to improve their products, processes, supply chains and services.
To support Irish businesses to start or further their digital transformation, the Grow Digital workshop series is taking place across the regions over July and into the autumn and will feature Digital Transition Clinics to assist businesses as they navigate the process of digitalisation. The North-West workshop is run in conjunction with the Western Development Commission and the North-West Regional Enterprise Plan.
Speaking ahead of the North West Grow Digital Workshop in Sligo, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Robert Troy, said:
"The goal of Grow Digital is to help drive a step-change in the level of digital uptake by enterprises right across the country. Growing our businesses’ use of digital technologies will help us to build the resilience of our enterprise base and as we work to future-proof our economy in the years ahead. We are at a point now where every business should be looking at how they could benefit from the implementation of digital technologies.
"These workshops will give enterprises across the regions an important opportunity to hear from other regional businesses that have already progressed their own digitalisation and how it has benefitted them. It is my hope that this will help to drive home the message of the potential offered by these technologies. We’ve launched these workshops alongside the new Digital Transition Fund, which is in place to help businesses at all stages of their digital journey. I strongly encourage all businesses whether they have yet to embrace digitalisation or are further along their digital journey to find out more of the supports available to them and avail of the financial and advisory supports if applicable."
A key focus for the workshop is to support businesses in identifying the next steps which they can take as they look towards adopting new digital technologies. These clinics will be run by representatives from the network of Local Enterprise Offices, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland.
The workshops include case studies from regional businesses that have advanced their own digital transition including Cora Systems (Leitrim), Tantek4D (Sligo) and Secora (Donegal), and an outline of the funding available under the new Digital Transition Fund.
Ruairí Ó hAilín, Manager Operational Excellence and Digital with Enterprise Ireland, said:
"The Grow Digital series of workshops will give practical advice to companies at every stage of the digital journey. Our experience over the COVID-19 pandemic clearly demonstrated the value of digitalisation in terms of optimising business processes, maintaining client relationships and establishing new sales opportunities by delivering services online. It is important that this momentum behind digital adoption is maintained and built upon.
"Enterprise Ireland, on behalf of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, is administering the new Digital Transition Fund. Under the Fund a range of grants to assist with planning and implementing a digital transition are available to eligible companies. I would encourage every company to examine the options that are available to them under the fund and to attend the series of ‘Grow Digital’ workshops."
Tomás Ó Síocháin, CEO, Western Development Commission said:
"Enabling sustainable innovation and growth, digital technology is central to competitive enterprise and resilient communities in the North-West region, sustaining our people, our place and our future."
Séamus Hughes (Director, Zeus), Chair, North-West Regional Enterprise Plan Steering Committee said:
"This national fund further facilitates the delivery of the ambitions as set out in the North-West Regional Enterprise Plan 2024 for business activation and growth in the North-West."
Padraic McElwee, Chair of the network of Local Enterprise Offices said:
"As the Local Enterprise Offices are the first stop shop for start-ups and small businesses in Ireland, these workshops provide an excellent opportunity for micro-enterprises to further enhance their digital capabilities. The pace of change in digital adoption is accelerating and the Local Enterprise Office will continue to ensure that small businesses have access to vital supports to help them adapt and embrace the benefits that digital transformation offers."
The Grow Digital workshop series will be rolled out across the country over the summer and autumn. The next Grow Digital Workshops will be held on 27th July in Kildare. The first workshop was held in Athlone on 27 June.
The Digital Transition Fund has been allocated funding of €85 million during the period to 2026 as part of Ireland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan. €10 million will be available in 2022. It will be administered by Enterprise Ireland.
The Fund will be used to help companies use digital technology like AI, cloud computing and big data to improve their products, processes, supply chains and services. The funding will help companies at all stages of their digital journey – from going online to facilitating exporting and to using digital technologies to reach new markets and improve their productivity and competitiveness.
A new online website is also being developed which will allow companies assess what their needs are and point towards their next steps to improve their offering through digital technology.
The National Digital Strategy, “Harnessing Digital – the Digital Ireland Framework” was launched in February 2022. The Strategy is a high-level framework that sets out a pathway to drive and enable the digital transition across the economy and society, to maximise the productivity of our enterprise base, as well as the well-being of our citizens and the efficiency of our public services.
The National Digital Strategy aligns with EU priorities under the Digital Decade to 2030, with clear targets to drive the transformation of our economy and society across four dimensions: Digitalisation of Business, Digital Infrastructure, Skills and Digital Public Services.
It sets out specific targets for the Digitalisation of Business, including:
Please note, under the eligibility criteria of the Digital Transition Fund, selected projects must comply with the ‘Do no significant harm’ Technical Guidance (2021/C58/01).
Specifically: