€7.1m Smart Regions investment announced to develop Catalyst HQ in Carlow
A new €7.1m Enterprise Centre in Carlow town has been approved for regional infrastructure funding from the Smart Regions scheme through Enterprise Ireland, to support businesses and enterprises in Carlow and the South-East.
The announcement came from Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke TD, who attended a launch event held at Enterprise House in Carlow. The new building will provide office and manufacturing space for companies in Carlow and the wider South East region.
The Carlow project is part of an overall €18 million investment in 40 projects across Ireland under the Smart Regions Enterprise Innovation Scheme, designed to strengthen regional enterprise, drive innovation and support sustainable economic growth.
Co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Southern, Eastern & Midland and Northern & Western Regional Programmes 2021-2027, the Smart Regions scheme supports the different regions of the country in harnessing cutting-edge technologies and world-class expertise. Aligned with the regional priorities set out in the National Smart Specialisation Strategy for Innovation and the nine Regional Enterprise Plans, Smart Regions drives high-impact projects in priority sectors such as artificial intelligence (AI), agritech and food, sustainability, insurance technology, and advanced manufacturing.
Minister Peter Burke TD said:
I am very pleased to announce this group of 40 innovative projects that have been funded under the Smart Regions Enterprise Innovation Scheme, which is co-funded under the European Regional Development Fund. These projects, spread across the entire country, will make vital contributions to strengthening innovation in all sectors, regional ecosystems and the Irish economy.
These 40 projects will provide enterprise infrastructure, cluster development and business animation services that will benefit entrepreneurs and enterprise growth in a variety of sectors. The scheme will see physical facilities and training opportunities made available to businesses throughout the country through an existing network of enterprise centres and hubs that have been supported by Enterprise Ireland.
Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation Niamh Smyth said:
The Catalyst project announced for Carlow is a great example of how providing for smart regional infrastructure will drive economic animation in an area.
Kevin Sherry, Executive Director, Enterprise Ireland, said:
Enterprise Ireland is pleased to confirm the investment of over €18m to date in 40 regionally diverse projects from across Ireland, which have been funded through Enterprise Ireland’s Smart Regions Scheme. This investment is a key element in building sustainable communities and infrastructure across Ireland by investing in and supporting the development of Irish businesses, our exporters and potential future exporters.
“Our long-term ambition is that Irish exporters become the primary driver of the Irish economy, and critical to achieving this will be collaborating with our partners from across the ecosystem. This announcement reflects the work of our partnerships with the Regional Assemblies. We have ambitious objectives for our enterprise base, and the Smart Regions scheme is helping to realise this for our SMEs.
