The Partnership Agreement between the Irish Member State and the European Commission sets out a €3.5 billion investment strategy in Cohesion Policy funding investments for Ireland for 2021-27 - €1.4 billion from the EU which will be matched with national funding from the Government of Ireland bringing the full value of support to almost €3.5 billion.

It covers the Cohesion Policy funds, including the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) which supports balanced regional development across the EU through a variety of investment initiatives that strengthen economic, social and territorial cohesion.

Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021-27

The Southern Regional Assembly manages the draft ERDF Southern, Eastern and Midland (SEM) Regional Programme 2021-27 which will see approximately €663 million being invested in both the Southern Region and the Eastern and Midland Region in the 2021-27 period. The Assembly submitted the Programme to the European Commission for approval, which is expected later this year.

Funding will focus on three key areas, building research, development and innovation capacity in public research institutions in the two regions, scaling up investment in actions to improve energy efficiency of residential homes and targeting homeowners in/ at risk of energy poverty, and supporting sustainable urban development in the two regions.

The Assembly also manages the ERDF Southern & Eastern Regional Programme 2014-20 which invested approximately €660 million in ERDF and national funding into the southern and eastern parts of the country.