The era when one had to crack out a cork board, spreadsheet and an Ouija board to navigate a complex system of business supports is over. A new central hub for businesses is expected to simplify the previously cumbersome process of understanding and applying for government grants and training schemes.
Speaking at the launch of a new National Enterprise Hub at Trinity Business School, Conor O’Donovan, head of the new Enterprise Ireland support centre, said, “It’s like Citizens Information but for business.”
The free one-stop shop collates more than 180 government supports from 19 departments and State agencies which can be accessed through a new online hub or by speaking to a member of the team of advisers by phone or via live chat. The resource is intended to make it easier for entrepreneurs to avail of supports such as grants, funding, loans and expert advice. It is also designed to reach out to businesses who have yet to avail of government support.
“Running a business isn’t easy, but accessing government supports should be,” O’Donovan said. “Our research shows that small businesses are facing many challenges including rising costs, attracting and retaining talent and not having time to focus on the future of their business.”
“I’ve seen how hard it can be for small businesses to scale,” said Emer Higgins, Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail. “I want to make it easier, to make information digestible.” She said that previously businesses “just didn’t apply for supports”, such was the complexity of the grant application process.
“It’s focused on increasing assistance and cutting through red tape, and red tape is the enemy of business,” Higgins said. “They don’t have time to cut through it; they need to make decisions quickly; they operate in fast-paced industries in ever changing landscapes; they need help to meet rising costs, to upscale staff, to become more sustainable... That help exists, but finding it just isn’t easy enough. Today we are changing that.”
Peter Burke, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, welcomed members of the Oireachtas, Enterprise Ireland and business representatives at the university on a “very wet morning”. But inside among the banners, suits and handshakes, it was heralded as a “very good day for business”.
“The National Enterprise Hub is a fantastic new service which, for the first time, gathers together all government supports in one place for businesses to search and access, saving our SMEs time and valuable resources in identifying the grants and measures that are relevant and available,” Burke said.
“The aim is to make engaging with government supports more efficient and to increase the uptake of grants and government schemes, which will ultimately support the development and growth of Irish businesses. The National Enterprise Hub was a key element of the SME package agreed by government in May and I am delighted that it has now been delivered.”
Application is easy
The project has been in development since the hub was announced in Budget 2024. Examples of supports include management training for small businesses seeking to grow; income support to Irish farmers to underpin their continued sustainability and viability; and financial help to invest in initial assets.
The ease at which to understand and apply for government supports will be welcomed, particularly by SMEs which have suffered since the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent cost-of-living crisis. In May a survey by Amárach on behalf of the Small Firms Association found that more than a third of SMEs would go out of business if they did not receive additional funding. To put that into perspective, there are more than a 250,000 SMEs operating in the State, representing 98 per cent of active enterprises.
Geraldine Magnier, chairwoman of the Small Firms Association, told a panel discussion that two businesses closed down per day last year, and emphasised the importance of communicating these supports to businesses in need.
In many cases, SMEs require more support in upskilling for the future compared to their larger industry peers. Small businesses are traditional, she said, and don’t often have the technological capabilities that would be a precursor to the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI).
Paul Kelly, chief executive of Fáilte Ireland, echoed this sentiment and stressed an urgency using the hub to help businesses modernise, as he believes that “using AI will become not an option”. There was a collective murmur of agreement from the audience: Ireland is just on the beginning of its AI transition, but there is widespread appreciation of its implications.
On decarbonisation in the tourism industry, he said supports were key. One example Kelly cited was €68 million in EU Just Transition funding across the midlands region to provide new employment opportunities for communities that were heavily dependent on peat.
William Walsh, chief executive of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, suggested the ease of access to training and grants will be crucial to achieving our climate targets. Panellists welcomed the news the previous day that Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 6.8 per cent last year and were the lowest in residential emissions since 1990. However, Walsh offered a word of caution and urged stakeholders not to take their foot off the breaks, and this “very slick platform”, as he called it, should help in that regard.
“We’ve known for a while now that we struggle to get word of the supports out there,” said John Murray, director of food and beverage at Bord Bia. He said the organisation spends considerable resources working with businesses on how they can scale up and break into international markets. “We’re really glad to see this hub,” he said.
Now it’s just a matter of getting the word out.
To find out more about the supports your business can avail of, visit neh.gov.ie