By Business & Finance 
Up to €3m is being made available for investment with accelerator managers to increase the number of accelerators in the regions outside of Dublin.
The Accelerator Development Scheme is the first competitive initiative to be launched under the €40m competitive regional jobs fund announced by the Government.
It is also hoped that a further €3m will be leveraged with additional private sector investment.
The funding has been provided by the Department of Jobs, through Enterprise Ireland.
Enterprise Ireland is inviting expressions of interests from domestic and international stakeholders with the capital and the relevant expertise.
Enterprise Ireland is interested in funds that will support entrepreneurship outside of Dublin in key strategic sectors including: food, agritech, ICT, cleantech, life sciences, financial services, internationally traded services, and manufacturing.
Julie Sinnamon, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, commented: “The National Policy Statement on Entrepreneurship noted that a key challenge is to develop the regional spread of start-up activity by enhancing the start-up environment outside Dublin. This scheme has been specifically designed to form a core part of Enterprise Ireland’s strategic objective of supporting the creation of a greater number of successful start-ups across the country.”
Making the announcement Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton TD said: “Today’s announcement is the first competitive call for expressions of interest under the Accelerator Development Scheme which aims ultimately to create more accelerator spaces where start-ups can locate their businesses and access supports around the country. I encourage business-people and other stakeholders in every region to get involved in this initiative.”
