The Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021-27 is co-financed by the European Union and the Government of Ireland.

The Programme supports balanced regional development by co-funding investment under EU policy objectives of a more competitive and smarter Europe, a greener, transitioning towards a net zero carbon economy and resilient Europe, and a Europe closer to citizens by fostering sustainable and integrated development at regional level.

It is aligned with the Government’s aim of promoting balanced regional development by supporting the implementation of the Regional Economic and Spatial Strategies in each of the two Programme regions (Southern Region and Eastern & Midland Region).

The Programme will invest €663 million, supported by €265 million ERDF and €398 million Government of Ireland funding, to strengthen EU economic, social and territorial cohesion by correcting imbalances between regions under three strategic priority areas:

Smarter More Competitive Regions: Building RD&I capacity in regional public research institutions, accelerating commercialisation of cutting-edge research at regional level, supporting innovation diffusion and strengthening regional innovation ecosystems in line with Ireland's Smart Specialisation Strategy and Regional Enterprise Plans.

Greener More Energy Efficient Regions & a Just Transition: Scaling up investment to improve energy efficiency of residential homes, targeting homeowners in/ at risk of energy poverty. 

Sustainable Urban Development in our Regions: An integrated strategic approach to the regeneration of towns using a Town Centres First Framework. 

The Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme Area comprises two of Ireland's three NUTS II regions - the Southern Region and the Eastern & Midland Region. The Programme Area has six NUTS III regions, within them are 22 local authority areas:

Southern Region: 

Mid West: Limerick City & County, Clare

South West: Cork City, Cork County, Kerry

South East: Waterford City & County, Carlow, Tipperary, Wexford, Kilkenny

Eastern & Midland Region: 

Eastern: Kildare, Meath, Wicklow, Louth

Midland: Westmeath, Laois, Offaly, Longford

Dublin: Dublin City, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, South Dublin

The Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021-27: Programme Document  sets out the aims, objectives and a full implementation plan for the Programme.

Programme Strategic Environmental Assessment Documents

• Southern, Eastern & Midland: Strategic Environmental Assessment Statement
• Southern, Eastern & Midland: Strategic Environmental Assessment Environmental Report
• Southern, Eastern & Midland: Strategic Environmental Assessment Non-Technical Summary
• Southern, Eastern & Midland: AA Natura Impact Statement
• Southern, Eastern & Midland: Appropriate Assessment Determination
• Southern, Eastern & Midland: Do No Signifcant Harm Assessment 

The Monitoring Committee monitors the implementation of the Regional Programme against the objectives set out in the Programme Document.

The Committee comprises representatives of relevant Programme Partner organisations from from public, private and third sector organisations. It meets yearly to review all issues affecting the progress of the Regional Programme towards achieving its objectives.

The Committee's overall role is underpinned by Arts 38-40 of the Common Provisions Regulation 2021/1060. It has agreed rules of procedure, including provision to prevent conflict of interest and the application of the principle of transparency.

Southern, Eastern & Midland Monitoring Committee Membership 2023

Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme Monitoring Committee Rules of Procedure V1.2

Our higher education institutions are intrinsic to growing the regional knowledge economy. They educate leaders, foster research and support entrepreneurship, and this strengthens the fibre of our regions by attracting talented professionals to higher quality jobs in adaptable industries.

The ERDF Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme will drive this by supporting the Technological Universities as they collaborate with other research institutions and form partnerships with enterprises in their new era to further innovation and commercialisation possibilities across both Irish regions. 

Priority 1 will build research, development and innovation capacity in the public research institutions of the Programme Area by focusing on developing and enhancing research and innovation capacity and advanced technologies uptake, fostering sustainable growth, competitiveness and job creation in SMEs, including by productive investments.

The objectives of Priority 1 will be delivered through six streamlined programmes in the Southern, Eastern & Midland Programme Area. These will be roled out by Programme Delivery Partners - Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), Enterprise Ireland (EI) and the Higher Education Authority (HEA).

• SFI Accelerating Research Commercialisation: Establish two regional smart hubs for research, training, innovation, commercialisation
• EI Technology Gateways: Collaboration & Sync with industry/ industry needs
• EI KT Boost: Develop Technology Transfer Specialists to help with commercialisation opportunities
• EI Inovators' Initiative: Develop and deliver an immersive needs-led innovation training programme
• HEA Research, Development, Innovation & Integration: Drive Capacity of the new Technology Universities to drive and support regional research, capacity building & innovation
• EI Smart Regional Enterprise Innovation: Provide appropriate infrastructure and key staff resources to deliver innovative solutions, support programmes and an impetus for entrepreneurship, start-ups and scaling companies

The Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021-27 will support owner-occupiers of residential homes who are in, or at risk of, fuel poverty across the Programme Area through deep retrofitting activities.

This will increase the energy efficiency of their homes and reduce the amount spent on fuel. This deep retrofitting activity will be rolled out by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland as a part of the Better Homes initiative. 

Cities and urban centres are considered both the source of and the solution to many key challenges the world is facing today such as environmental issues and climate change, digital revolution, demographic changes, migration and social inequalities.

In Europe, urban areas are home to over two-thirds of the EU's population, they account for about 80 % of energy use and generate up to 85 % of Europe's GDP. Urban areas are also the engines of the European economy, hubs of creativity and innovation.

They add value and act as centres contributing to the development of their wider regions and rural hinterlands and contribute balanced territorial development of the EU but face significant challenges.

The Southern & Eastern Regional PRogramme 2021-27 will support our regional towns using a Town Centres First approach.

This programme will be co-funded in the Southern, Eastern & Midland programme area by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Southern, Eastern and Midland Regional Programme 2021-27 under Priority 1: A more competitive and smarter Europe by promoting innovative and smart economic transformation and regional ICT connectivity, and Specific Objective 1.1: Developing and enhancing research and innovation capacities and the uptake of advanced technologies.

Enterprise Ireland is pleased to announce a call for application to the Enterprise Ireland Technology Gateway Programme 2023-29. Eligible institutions are invited to submit applications for funding in accordance with the Programme Guidelines and using the Application Form.

Geographic Regions Covered: Enterprise Ireland Technology Gateways Programme 2023-29 covers the Southern, Eastern and Midland Programme Area.

Eligibility of Applications: applications from Dundalk IT, Technological University Dublin, Munster Technological University, South-East Technological University and Technological University of the Shannon: Midland Midwest are eligible in the Southern, Eastern & Midland Programme Area. It allows for a collaborative application where the experience and expertise of two or more institutions will bring significant added value through the achievement of an industry impact by the Technology Gateway that would not otherwise be possible. The host employing the Technology Gateway Manager will be deemed as ‘lead’ institution. Each consortium memberwill receive its own separate individual contract.

Total Amount of Support: total budget for supports available is €47m, of which €17.37m is co-financed by the ERDF (€12.72m under the Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme).

State Aid Basis: the support is non-State aid. The Programme has been specifically designed to comply with the EU Framework for State Aid for Research & Development and Innovation (2014/C 198/01) as a non-State aid support. Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the criteria determining categorisation as ‘Research and Knowledge Dissemination Organisations and/or Research Infrastructures’ to be eligible. This will be validated by reference to the State Aid Check List (Appendix 2 of the application form).

Call Start/ End Dates: start date November 14th 2022. The deadline for applications is 12pm on Wednesday 4th January 2023. Applications received after this time will not be eligible.

Application Process: applications should include an electronic copy (MS Word format, not pdf) signed by the host institution's relevant persons to GA-TechnologyGatewayCall2022@enterprise-ireland.com

A briefing workshop on the Application & Assessment process will be held on Monday 21st November at 10am in the Midlands Park Hotel, Portlaoise, including a Q&A session.

Following  the receipt of your application, you will be invited to meet the Assessment Panel to discuss your application in further detail in a Q&A session hosted in Enterprise Ireland’s Eastpoint or Shannon offices between 30th January- 9th February 2023. You will receive written comments on your application a week prior to this meeting.

Further information: mark.whelan@enterprise-ireland.com before Wednesday the 14th December 2022. Full information is available on the Technology Gateways website. 

Enterprise Ireland has announced a call for applications to the Knowledge Transfer (KT) Boost Programme for funding in accordance with the KT Boost guidelines and the application form. Please advise if you wish to avail of content in an accessible format.

KT Boost is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the ERDF Regional Programmes 2021-27, and as such all applicants must comply with the relevant EU regulations as outlined in the guidelines and application form. Failure to do so will render the application ineligible for funding.

KT Boost in the Southern Region and the Eastern & Midland Region of Ireland is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union under the ERDF Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021-2027 and will support the following Policy Objective and Specific Objective:

• Policy Objective 1: A more competitive and smarter Europe by promoting innovative and smart economic transformation and regional ICT connectivity
• Specific Objective: Developing and enhancing research and innovation capacities and the uptake of advanced technologies

Eligibility of Applications

The Programme is open to applications from existing Technological Universities (incl. designate technological universities) and Universities. Eligible Institutions: Technological University Dublin, Munster Technological University, South East Technological University, Technological University of the Shannon: Midland Midwest, University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin City University, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Maynooth University, University College Cork and University of Limerick

Support Available

The total budget for supports available for the four-year programme is €33.4 million, of which €12.37million is co-financed by the ERDF. The ERDF co-financing is broken down as €9.17 million for beneficiaries located in the Southern, Eastern and Midland Region with an additional €18.88m coming from the State.

Call Start and End Dates

The call opens on 23^rd February 2023. The deadline for applications is 12pm on 24th March 2023. Applications received after this time will not be eligible. The application should include an electronic copy (MS Word, not pdf) signed by the relevant persons in the host institution. The electronic copy should be sent to ursula.okeeffe@knowledgetransferireland.com by the deadline. For queries on the application process, please contact jennifer.malone@knowledgetransferireland.com

For information on the call visit the Knowledge Transfer Ireland or Enterprise Ireland websites.

Enterprise Ireland has announced a competitive call for applications to the Innovators’ Initiative: Pioneering Smart Futures 2023-2029.

Research Performing Organisations based in the Republic of Ireland are invited to submit applications for funding in accordance with the Innovators’ Initiative Call Guidance Document and Application Form. All  applicants must comply with the relevant EU regulations as outlined in the Innovators’ Initiative Call Guidance Document and Application Form. Failure to do so will render the application ineligible for funding.

The Innovators' Initiative is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union under the ERDF Southern, Eastern and Midland Regional Programme 2021-27 and the ERDF Northern and Western Regional Programme 2021-27. The Innovators’ Initiative will support the following ERDF objectives:

• Policy Objective 1: A more competitive and smarter Europe by promoting innovative and smart economic transformation and regional ICT connectivity
• Specific Objective: Developing and enhancing research & innovation capacities and the uptake of advanced technologies

Objective

The objective of the Innovators’ Initiative is to create a series of multi-year training programmes. Each programme will be hosted in Irish publicly funded RPOs, delivering highly qualified innovation champions with the necessary skillset to observe and identify market led opportunities in key sectors of national and regional importance in Ireland.

Eligibility of Applications

The Initiative is open to publicly funded RPOs based in the Republic of Ireland.

Ineligible applicants: Individual companies, clusters of companies or sectoral representative bodies cannot apply directly for funding nor are they eligible for direct funding via the programme budget.

Geographic Regions Covered

The Enterprise Ireland Innovators’ Initiative is co-funded by two ERDF Regional Programmes. Eligible institutions will be co-funded according to their location within the relevant programme area - the Southern, Eastern & Midland Programme Area or the Northern & Western Programme Area.

Total Amount of Support 

The total budget for supports available is €30 million, of which €19.6m is funded through the Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021-27 and €5.9m is funded through the Northern & Western Regional Programme 2021-27. The ERDF co-funding is 40% for projects in the Southern, Eastern and Midlands Region and 60% for the Northern and Western Region. Additional funding was also made available from the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment totalling €4.3m. Contracts will last up to seven years.

Call Start and End Dates

The call start date is 23rd February 2023, and the deadline for applications is 12pm (noon) on Monday 17th of April 2023. Applications received after this time will not be eligible.

Application Process

Applications should include an electronic copy (MS Word format and pdf) signed by relevant persons in the Host RPO, sent to innovatorsinitiative@enterprise-ireland.com by the deadline.

An online briefing workshop on the application and assessment process for the Innovators’ Initiative will be held soon after the call is launched. This will include a Q&A session where we hope to answer any queries you may have. We strongly recommend that you attend this workshop. FAQs to support your application submission will be available following the workshop.

Following on from the receipt of your applications, you may be invited to meet an assessment panel to discuss your application in further detail in a Q&A session hosted by Enterprise Ireland.

To learn more about the Innovators’ Initiative, contact us: innovatorsinitiative@enterprise-ireland.com and visit the Enterprise Ireland website.

SFI announced the ARC (Accelerating Research to Commercialisation) Hub Programme which aims to establish a new model for regional innovation and entrepreneurial training, that will catalyse a step-change in the translation of cutting-edge publicly-funded research toward impact at a regional level. The SFI ARC Hub Programme will enhance and accelerate the commercialisation of research to create new products, processes and services. 

The realisation of the ARC Hub Programme will be through the establishment of up to three regional SFI ARC Hubs focused on specific thematic areas that will be aligned with the respective regional strategic priorities and the ‘National Smart Specialisation Strategy for Innovation 2022-2027’ (S3).

The SFI ARC Hub Programme is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union under two European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Regional Programmes – the Southern, Eastern and Midland Regional Programme 2021-2027 and the Northern and Western Regional Programme 2021-2027.

Objectives: 

• To drive regional development by accelerating novel, cutting-edge research, towards commercial impact readiness, in areas aligned with Ireland’s Smart Specialisation Strategy.
• To develop a cohort of entrepreneurial scientists and engineers with the skills to realise commercial opportunities from research activities. To enhance and accelerate the translation of research to impact through the commercialisation process.
• To enhance and accelerate the translation of research to impact through the commercialisation process. 
• To successfully transition SFI-funded research projects into existing national and international closer-to-market supports, as appropriate.

Eligibility:

Prior to peer-review, each application will be assessed by SFI to ensure it is eligible in terms of both the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) criteria as well as SFI eligibility criteria. Full details on the programme eligibility are available in the SFI ARC Hubs call document. The criteria set out by SFI for the Lead Applicant and Co-Applicants in terms of employment status, qualifications and general experience is outlined below.

In summary, the Lead Applicant (Hub Director) and Co-Applicants must:

• Be a member of the academic staff of an eligible Research Body (permanent or with a contract that covers the period of the grant), 
  or
  A contract researcher with a contract that covers the period of the grant, who is recognised by the Research Body as an independent investigator and will have an independent office and research space at the host Research Body for which the researcher will be fully responsible for at least the duration of the SFI grant, 
  or
  An individual who will be recognised by the Research Body upon receipt of the SFI grant as a member of the academic staff or as a contract researcher as defined above. The applicant does not necessarily need to be employed by the Research Body at the time of proposal submission.
• Have held a PhD or equivalent qualification for at least eight years by full proposal submission.
• Have been a senior author on at least ten international peer-reviewed articles
• Have demonstrated research independence through securing at least one independent research grant as a lead investigator or as co-investigator.
• Have the experience, capability and authority to mentor and supervise postgraduate students and team members.
• Be hosted by an Eligible Research Body. A list of Eligible Research Bodies is available here(opens in a new tab). 

Funding:

The total budget for this initiative is €99.33 million, available through the ERDF Northern and Western Regional Programme 2021-2027 (€34.66 million) and the Southern, Eastern and Midland Regional Programme 2021-27 (€64.66 million). The initiative will enable up to three hubs to be funded at an average total cost of approximately €33 million each over a period of 5 years. The total funding that can be requested from this Programme is dependent on the location of the host Research Body for the ARC Hub. Further information can be found within the programme call document.

Key Dates:

• Call announcement: 1st June 2023
• Webinar: 14th June 2023, 11:30 Dublin Local Time
• Deadline for abstract submission: 21st July 2023, 13:00 Dublin Local Time
• Deadline for submission of full proposal: 22nd September 2023, 13:00 Dublin Local Time
• Panel review: Late January 2024
• Funding decision: Late February 2024

Application Process:

Applicant groups intending to submit a full proposal application to the SFI ARC Hub call must submit an abstract to arc@sfi.ie no later than the 21st July 2023, 13:00 Dublin Local Time.

View the full details of the funding call: https://www.sfi.ie/funding/funding-calls/sfi-arc-hub-programme/index.xml

The Higher Education Authority announced a call for applications under the TU Research and Innovation Supporting Enterprise (TU RISE) scheme on 6^th July 2023. Under TU RISE, €83.68m will be made available to higher education institutions in the technological sector to support research capacity building with a focus on enhancing engagement with regional enterprises. TU RISE is co-financed by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the ERDF Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021-27.

Scope and Objectives

TU RISE will enhance central research functions within the technological university sector to further institutions’ engagements with their regions. The scheme has two key outcomes:

1. Establishment and/or development of central research functions in institutions to support research capacity building and further engagement with regions.
2. Enhancement of institutional research capacity through increasing researcher human capital in research areas that have potential to facilitate stronger engagement with regional enterprises aligned to Ireland’s Smart Specialisation Strategy and the Regional Enterprise Plans.

Funding and Eligibility

TU RISE will make €83.68m in funding available over four years (2023-2027) via two regional programmes. Funding of €63.68m is available under the Southern, Eastern and Midland Regional Programme. Institutional eligibility to apply for these programmes is detailed below:

Southern, Eastern and Midland Regional Programme (€63.68M):

• Munster Technological University (Southern Region)
• Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest (Eastern and Midland Region, Southern Region)
• South East Technological University (Southern Region)
• Technological University Dublin (Eastern and Midland Region)
• Dundalk Institute of Technology (Eastern and Midland Region)
• Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (Eastern and Midland Region)

Call Documentation & Application Template:

The objectives of the scheme, the Performance Indicators, application and assessment process, and grant funding principles are outlined in the TU RISE call document.

Applications for funding under TU RISE should be made using the TU RISE application template. Applicants are required to address project relevance, design, efficiency and effectiveness, as well as project governance and financial oversight. A project budget setting out the proposed funding required is also necessary.

Both the call document and the application template can be viewed on the HEA website by clicking on this link.

Call Start & End Dates:

The call start date is 6th July 2023. Completed application forms must be submitted to systemperformance@hea.ie by 14^th September 2023 at 17:00. Applications will not be assessed if received late or if they are not eligible.

Frequently Asked Questions:

All queries will be addressed through an FAQ process. Queries may be submitted to systemperformance@hea.ie on 7^th September 2023 at 17:00. FAQs will be made available through this webpage.