Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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69. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the mechanism his Department is using to measure the success of grants offered to SMEs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33035/25]

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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My Department measures the impact of grant supports to SMEs through a combination of quantitative performance metrics and qualitative outcomes which are aligned with programme for government goals.

Programmes delivered by the enterprise agencies are evaluated by my Department, and individual projects at company level that are supported by the agencies undergo evaluations to ensure that value for money objectives are met.

Enterprise Ireland's new strategy for 2025 - 2029 outlines an ambition to support Irish owned companies to make an even greater contribution to the Irish economy through international growth and nationwide employment. It includes a number of key headline metrics to measure the success of its supports to businesses, including:

• Job Creation: A key indicator is the number of new jobs created and sustained within supported companies. Enterprise Ireland tracks employment growth as a direct result of grant support. In 2024, EI client companies employed over 234,000 people. This figure reflects the strong performance of Irish SMEs and larger enterprises supported by the agency. Looking ahead, EI’s strategic target for 2029 is to increase employment in supported companies to 275,000 jobs.
• Export Growth: As many grants aim to help SMEs scale internationally, increased export sales are a major success metric. Companies are expected to expand into new markets or grow their share in existing markets. In 2023, Enterprise Ireland client companies achieved record export sales of €34.57 billion. This marked a significant milestone, reflecting the strength and global competitiveness of Irish-owned businesses supported by the agency. Looking ahead, Enterprise Ireland’s strategic export target for 2029 is to reach €50 billion in export sales.
• Productivity and Innovation: Enterprise Ireland’s strategic productivity target for 2029 is to achieve a 3% annual increase in productivity among supported companies. Enterprise Ireland-supported companies also invest in Research, Development, and Innovation (RD&I) activities. This investment reflects the agency’s ongoing commitment to fostering innovation as a driver of competitiveness and global growth among Irish enterprises. Enterprise Ireland also has a strategic RD&I target for 2029 to achieve a cumulative €2.2 billion in RD&I spending by supported companies.
• Client Feedback and Case Studies: Qualitative insights from supported businesses help assess the practical impact of grants and inform future programme design.