Ms Emeir O'Connell:

I am from Wicklow town and I am the manager of the enterprise centre there. I manage a centre of just over 70,000 sq. ft. I also managed a tourist attraction that just closed yesterday. I am a busy lady. I am managing two discrete businesses. In conjunction with that, I have a board and we currently have full planning permission for a site we own to develop a 20,000 sq. ft building that will meet the needs of the green and blue industry and develop the next generation of visionary entrepreneurs in that space.

To achieve that goal, my board is looking for a chunk of money. I am pursuing the €10 million stream from Enterprise Ireland. Due to lots of things that were discussed here, including hyperinflation, costs and so on, that €10 million will not cut it. However, we have a unique opportunity, a strategic site that is uniquely proposed for the Codling wind park development that is planned 20 km off the coast of Wicklow. In a way, I have heard the messaging from Enterprise Ireland and the community enterprise centre about the need to be commercial, stand on one's own two feet and be independent and I have worked in my role to be that centre. We are in a good position.

My exposure to the smart regions scheme is new. If I were to say anything, the lack of precision around communication is a little challenging and can cause constraints in moving things on. I am leanly resourced, beyond lean, and it takes time to understand the requirements of the application form. It is a chunky document. It is not easily filled out. It is costly. There is a lack of precision in communication and it takes time to achieve clarity. I am trying to meet the needs. I want the money.