Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 June 2026
205. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment in view of the importance of enterprise centres in providing workspace for start-up businesses and SMEs, the incentives and grant aid available for such developments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45590/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will be aware of the significant investment made by my Department via Enterprise Ireland in the enterprise hub space in recent years, as well as additional investment by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht in related spaces.
Over €150 million has been approved for enterprise development projects through Enterprise Ireland, and this includes funding of the construction of more than 60 pieces of physical infrastructure, provided primarily under the Regional Enterprise Development Fund, the Border Enterprise Development Fund and the Smart Regions Enterprise Innovation Scheme. The latter of these funds, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, closed to new applications last week, with final funding approvals to be made in the coming weeks.
In addition, further funding was provided to many enterprise hubs with a view to ensuring their continued operation during the Covid-19 crisis, and many of the hubs also host training courses or events funded by Government, which further aids their work.
As the Deputy will appreciate, it takes a considerable amount of time to not just open an enterprise hub, but also see it develop to its full potential, and as such, while a number of funded enterprise locations, such as Platform 94 in Galway city, the Guinness Enterprise Centre in Dublin 8, and the RDI Hub in Killorglin, County Kerry, are now highly developed and operating at close to capacity, others are in a much earlier phase of development. With more recent funding, others are still under construction.
As such, while I acknowledge the significant successes of the sector and its impact to date, the closure of the Smart Regions Enterprise Innovation Scheme presents an opportune time to consolidate, take a look at the outcomes of the significant investment already made in these facilities, and consider how best to support existing facilities and further developments going forward after almost a decade of steady investment under the funds outlined.
My Department will be consulting with stakeholders to examine the nature of future funding for enterprise hubs in the coming months. We will additionally be considering any gaps in the current enterprise infrastructure, with the intent of building on already significant successes in the way that is most beneficial, and continues to develop these vital resources in the most effective way.
