3rd March 2022 |
Reports, Schemes
The Mid-East Regional Enterprise Plan to 2024 was launched by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment in Wicklow on 3 March 2022.
The new plan includes projects and initiatives across Kildare, Meath and Wicklow. Stakeholder consultation sessions attracted over 50 attendees from across industry, public sector and higher education sectors from within the region. The committee has been particularly mindful of focusing their energy and resources on developing projects in sectors that will make the greatest immediate impact to the region.
Five key strategic objectives were agreed, with focused and time bound actions developed for each.
The five strategic objectives
1 | Agri-food | The ambition is to further develop the industry through the construction of three interconnected food hubs across the region. This will further support the development of an ecosystem framework that joins leading-edge companies and entrepreneurs leveraging cooperation with each other and uniting with public sector drivers for food, innovation, regional development and education at national and regional level. |
2 | Screen Content Creation | This objective will provide specialised, customised and sector-specific business supports that drive start-ups, growth and internationalisation of Irish content creation businesses at a custom-built Content Creation Enterprise Hub at Wicklow County Campus. It will support the positioning of Ireland’s East Coast region as a leader in content creation and production by facilitating content creation entrepreneurs to identify and exploit new businesses models for the creation and commercialisation of content. |
3 | Equine | This objective will see the establishment of the National Equine Innovation Centre on the Irish National Stud with a key focus on supporting a growing equine business community across the region. The centre will offer a single access source of equine technical and entrepreneurial innovation for the industry. |
4 | Low-carbon economy | In line with the key objectives of Ireland’s National Energy and Climate Plan 2021-2030 to mobilise clusters regionally and sectorally to become centres of excellence for the adoption of low carbon technologies, the Mid-East will support projects and initiatives associated with Just Transition, offshore wind energy and the circular economy to meet the key targets. |
5 | Positive enterprise ecoystem | This objective will ensure that the region is well placed to deliver supports that allow companies to become even more innovative and resilient. There will also be a focus on providing greater connectivity across the expanding network of co-working and innovation hubs in the region and a regional hub strategy that informs future investment. |
Education, training and skills initiatives will be delivered to support each of the objectives, with an overall goal to continue building regional capacity by leveraging regional strengths and opportunities.
Owen Brennan chairs the new plan for the Mid-East, with support from program manager Conor Sweeney.
Topics:
Regional Enterprise Plans