Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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63. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. 60 of 29 June 2023, for an update on the implementation of the West Regional Enterprise Plan to 2024; for a status update on the development of the BIA Innovator Campus; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44205/23]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that my Department has secured up to €145 million in funding supported by the European Regional Development Fund for a new regional enterprise scheme. This new Smart Regions Enterprise Innovation Scheme (SREIS)will assist in delivering on the objectives set out in the nine Regional Enterprise Plans and support projects aligned to those Plans.

As part of Budget 2024 package this week I announced the first call for €35 million under the new Scheme. The overall objective of the Scheme is to drive job creation and enterprise development. It will provide an opportunity for regional stakeholders to unlock potential from the bottom up through collaboration and will have a major impact in all regions of the country.

The SREIS is now open for applications on Enterprise Ireland’s website and this first call will close on 31 March 2024. I expect that there will be up to four calls under this fund over the coming years.

I look forward to seeing innovative enterprise focused projects from all regions of the country applying for this funding.