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Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Robert Troy, today launched the Midlands Regional Enterprise Plan (REP) to 2024 at the Irish Manufacturing Research, (IMR) Mullingar.
The Midlands REP, covering counties Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath, is one of 9 new enterprise plans throughout the country which will be funded by up to €180 million. This funding will drive the implementation of the Plans which will develop and implement collaborative and innovation enterprise projects in the regions and support sustainable jobs.
The REPs have been developed using a ‘bottom up’ approach by people who have a real stake in their community. This model makes the Plan unique and responsive to the opportunities and needs of the region, with a focus on regional collaboration.
Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Robert Troy, outlined the importance of the Plan, saying:
"I am delighted to launch the Midlands Regional Enterprise Plan to 2024 in Mullingar. This Plan represents the coming together of public and private sectors across Laois, Longford, Offaly, and Westmeath to address the challenges unique to our region, and identify and put in place measures to seize the opportunities for the Midlands now and going forward.
"I want to congratulate Anne Cusack, Chair of the Midlands Steering Committee, Sarah Morgan, Midlands Programme Manager, and all the Steering Committee members for their work to develop this new plan for the region. I have had the pleasure of working with Anne and the Committee over the past year on this and am delighted to see the final product.
"I have been determined to ensure that funding will be available to underpin the ambitions of the Regional Enterprise Plans and I am very pleased that we have secured up to €180 million in funding over the coming years. This is necessary for the development of collaborative regional projects of scale that will drive delivery of the objectives developed in this Midlands Plan, and I encourage all to look at how best this funding can be used to support regional job creation and enterprise development into the future."
Delivering balanced regional growth is a stated objective within the Programme for Government and in the Economic Recovery Plan 2021. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment contributes to the regional agenda in a number of ways, including through the enterprise agencies, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland; the Local Enterprise Offices and through national enterprise policy.
Chair of the Midlands Regional Steering Committee, Anne Cusack said:
"I am delighted that Minister Troy is here with us today to launch the Midlands Regional Enterprise Plan for 2024. The Minister has been a great support throughout the development of this Plan.
"I would like to thank the Steering Committee members across Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath for their full commitment to the region and to the development of the plan which is the result of thorough consultation with our stakeholders. Our plan for the Region is focused on the transition to low-carbon, whilst capitalising on the region’s strengths through smart specialisation as well as positioning the Midlands as a great place to live, work, study, visit and invest.
"I look forward to working closely with the Minister and our Committee members as we move to implementation stage."
Nine new REPs to 2024 have been developed throughout 2021 by Regional Steering Committees. Each Regional Committee is chaired by a senior figure from the private sector and include the Enterprise Agencies, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, Local Enterprise Offices, Local Authorities, Regional Assemblies, higher and further education bodies and others. The plans also complement Our Rural Future, the whole-of-government framework to develop rural Ireland in the coming years.
Because of their regional nature, the Plans bring a focus and collaborative effort to address specific regional ecosystem gaps and act on the strengths and opportunities unique to each region, adding value to and complementing the ongoing work of the individual enterprise agencies and development bodies in the region.
The Midlands Regional Enterprise Plan to 2024 includes the following Strategic Objectives:
1. Climate Action - Transition to a zero-carbon economy.
2. Capitalising on strengths of the Midlands through Smart Specialisation and Digitalisation.
3. Positioning the Midlands as the destination of choice to live, work, visit, invest and learn.
| Region | County |
| Midlands | Offaly |
| Laois | |
| Westmeath | |
| Longford | |
| North-East | Louth |
| Cavan | |
| Monaghan | |
| North-West | Donegal |
| Sligo | |
| Leitrim | |
| Mid-East | Kildare |
| Meath | |
| Wicklow | |
| West | Galway |
| Mayo | |
| Roscommon | |
| Mid-West | Clare |
| Limerick | |
| Tipperary | |
| South-East | Carlow |
| Kilkenny | |
| Waterford | |
| Wexford | |
| South-West | Cork |
| Kerry | |
| Dublin | Dublin |
| Project | REDF funding | RETS funding | Project description |
| Irish Manufacturing Research | €2,165,280 | €581,600 | This project aims to develop and commercialise next generation manufacturing technologies, through a collaborative industrial engagement business model |
| Mountmellick Development Association CLG | €218,200 | n/a | Facility providing open plan hot desks, office pods, meeting, teleconferencing rooms and state of the art commercial kitchen |
| Offaly Innovation & Design Centre CLG | €458,240 | n/a | A creative suite to provide a unique central location and space to access big data through the iLOFAR telescope at Birr Castle |
| Portlaoise Innovation Centre DAC | €2,050,560 | n/a | Incubation hub to develop a Low Carbon Centre of Excellence, to attract and develop companies with a low carbon focus |
| Premier Lakelands Food Hub | €1,358,000 | n/a | Development of a state-of-the-art food hub and incubation space for micro scale food producers |
| Total | €6,250,289 | €581,600 | TOTAL FUNDING: €6,831,880 |
| Project | REDF funding | RETS funding | Project description |
| Leitrim County Enterprise Fund | €1,284,000 | n/a | 3 Digital innovation Hubs including centre in Edgeworthstown |