Peadar Ó Broin, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Ciara McGuane of Rahoo.
The call is now open for applicants for a free initiative to help returned emigrants to Clare start and develop businesses in Ireland.
This is the fourth year of the highly-successful Back for Business developmental programme, which is funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Past participants on the first three years of the programme have recorded increased sales, created new jobs, and won export contracts. The combined turnover of the 2020 group tripled during the programme – despite the Covid pandemic.
The Back for Business initiative was established to foster and support entrepreneurial activity among returned emigrants or those returning to live in Ireland. It addresses the challenges that all early-stage entrepreneurs encounter – as well as the additional barriers faced by those who have been living outside the country for some time.
Publication of the Report of the SME Taskforce: SME and Entrepreneurship Growth Plan
Minister of State Damien English TD and Minister of State Robert Troy TD have today welcomed the publication of the SME Taskforce’s, ‘SME and Entrepreneurship Growth Plan’.
The Growth Plan was developed by a taskforce of entrepreneurs, business leaders and other individuals as established under a commitment in the Programme for Government – ‘Our Shared Future’ and who are uniquely positioned to contribute to a long-term vision for the SME sector in Ireland.
The SME Taskforce’s Growth Plan sets out a wide range of recommendations for Government with long-term strategic relevance for SMEs and entrepreneurs, including in the areas of digitalisation, clustering, regulation and education. These recommendations will be reviewed and taken forward, as appropriate, by an SME and Entrepreneurship Implementation Group in early 2021.