Post by Enterprise Ireland

Local Enterprise Offices across Ireland offers access to several streams of RD&I funding to make smart ideas a reality. Leading these is the Local Enterprise Office and Enterprise Ireland RD&I fund, which offers small businesses grants of up to 45pc of a project’s costs (or up to 60pc for collaborative projects). Clare-based sports equipment maker Torpey®, for example, used this RD&I funding to help it devise the Kláw performance glove for hurlers, which incorporates advanced materials and ergonomic features to protect players’ hands without compromising their dexterity. It's adaptable design could mean potential new export sales to other bat-and-ball sports players worldwide. Other funding streams target companies and projects at different stages of development, including Innovation Vouchers and Intellectual Property grants. The Government of Ireland has set the target of enabling 360+ first-time exporting companies every year to 2030. Funding RD&I is critical to this goal as innovation is a core driver of export growth. Read more from Teri Smith, Department Manager of the LEO Centre of Excellence at Enterprise Ireland and Forrest Eleanor, Senior Executive at LEO Operations and Client Excellence, in the Irish Independent https://shorturl.at/wW8zq