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Southern & Eastern Regional Programme 2014-20
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    The Southern & Eastern (S&E) Regional Programme 2014-20 is an approx. €620.1 million package of funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and national funding. 

    The Programme aims to complement wider investment in targeted high growth and innovative sectors to support the creation of new quality jobs, boost innovation, increase licenses granted, and help to grow the local economies in the S&E NUTS II region of Ireland.

    It co-finances activities under five priorities to improve quality of life and to contribute to Ireland’s Europe 2020 targets for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth by focusing on specific growth opportunities and sectors identified in Ireland's smart specialisation strategy to build on the S&E region's strengths. ERDF co-funds activities to strengthen economic and social cohesion in the EU by correcting regional imbalances.

    Co-financed activities are implemented by a variety of public organisations called Intermediate Bodies through specific schemes. Programme beneficiaries include public sector, academic and private sector organisations across the S&E region. Read the Operational Programme Citizen's Summary document.

    Programme Area: Southern & Eastern region of Ireland

    The Programme’s eligible region, the S&E Region, is a NUTS II region which accounts for 53% of the land area of Ireland, 73% of the population and 81% of GVA. The region has 17 local authority areas: Dublin City, Cork City, Limerick City & County, Waterford City & County, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, South Dublin, Clare, Carlow, Tipperary, Wexford, Kilkenny, Cork, Kerry, Kildare, Meath, Wicklow.

    Programme Management 

    The Southern Regional Assembly is the Managing Authority for the S&E Programme, having managed the two previous programmes for the 2000-06 and 2007-13 periods. Approximately €4 million of the Programme budget (50% ERDF/ 50% Irish Exchequer) is allocated under Technical Assistance to assist the Managing Authority with the implementation, management, monitoring and evaluation of the S&E Regional Programme, with the objective to support the effective implementation of the S&E Regional Programme 2014-20.

  • Strengthening RTD&I

    Priority 1 aims to support activity to strengthen research, technology, development and innovation in the S&E region. Approximately €43.3 million of the Programme budget (50% ERDF/ 50% national) is allocated to Priority 1 objectives.

    Objectives

    • To increase the level of research taking place in the S&E region with company engagement by supplying applied research,

    • To increase the commercialisation of research by the higher education institutions in the region.

    Result Indicators

    • No. of industry partners engaged with funded strategic research centres in the region,

    •  Annual number of licenses as a result of research in region.

    Priority 1 Impementation Schemes

    Research Centres Programme: to develop a set of world-leading, large-scale research centres aligned to the 14 priority areas of research identified in the Research Prioritisation Exercise that will provide major economic impact for Ireland. Science Foundation Ireland is the Intermediate Body.

    Spokes Programme: to promote the further development of existing SFI Research Centres to incorporate new areas of research, new industrial and academic collaborators. Science Foundation Ireland is the Intermediate Body.

    Commercialisation Fund: to foster and grow a dynamic and commercially aware research community and to create an environment that promotes entrepreneurship so that an accessible route to commercialisation is established for the transfer of knowledge from the research base into industry. Enterprise Ireland is the Intermediate Body.

    Innovation Partnership: to propel the use of key technologies by Irish companies by encouraging them to work with Irish research institutes resulting in mutually beneficial co-operation and interaction. Enterprise Ireland is the Intermediate Body.

  • SME Competitiveness

    Priority 3 supports entrepreneurship in micro-enterprises across the S&E region. Approximately €23.8 million of the Programme budget (50% ERDF/ 50% Irish Exchequer) is allocated to these supports.

    Priority Objective: to increase employment levels in micro-enterprises in the region by supporting business start-ups, business expansion and higher innovation levels in micro-enterprises.

    Result Indicator: employment in the micro-enterprise sector in the S&E region.

    Priority 3 Implementation Scheme

    Entrepreneurship in Micro-Enterprise: to increase employment levels in micro-enterprises in the S&E Region by supporting business start-ups, business expansion & higher innovation levels in micro-enterprises. The ERDF co-financed financial supports will be targeted at value added micro-enterprises in the manufacturing and traded services activities, with a particular emphasis on high-growth and potentially high-growth sectors which do not lead to deadweight and or displacement. The non-financial supports are broader and more generally focussed but will meet the specific needs of high growth and potential high growth companies. Enterprise Ireland is the Intermediary Body for this Scheme, which is rolled out by the Local Enterprise Offices

  • Shift to a Low Carbon Economy

    Priority 4 aims to improve energy efficiency in the housing stock of the S&E region. Approximately €121.7 million of the Programme budget (50% ERDF/ 50% Irish Exchequer) is allocated to supports under this priority.   

    Priority Objective: to improve energy efficiency in the housing stock.

    Result Indicator: the average thermal performance of housing units in the S&E Region.

    Priority 4 Implementation Scheme

    Better Energy Warmer Homes: to improve the energy efficiency of the household at risk and in the process reduce the amount of expenditure that is required to be spent on energy.  Other objectives are to improve health and well-being, while reducing the amount of disposal income spent on energy and also to make a positive contribution to reducing poverty in at-risk households. The Department of Communications, Climate Action & Environment is the Intermediate Body for the scheme, which is delivered by Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland

  • Sustainable Urban Development

    Priority 5 aims to support sustainable, integrated urban development in the S&E region.  Priority 5 has a budget of approximately €44.8 million (50% ERDF/ 50% Irish Exchequer). 

    Priority Objectives; to support low carbon sustainable, multimodal urban mobility in designated urban centres; and to revitalise, regenerate and improve the urban environment in the designated urban centres as part of integrated urban strategies.

    Result Indicators: Non-private car commuting levels in the designated urban centres; and an Improvement in the social, economic and physical conditions in selected urban centres, based on an urban development index.

    Priority 5 Implementation Scheme

    Designated Urban Centres Grant Scheme: to increase the number of integrated urban regeneration initiatives to improve the urban environment and revitalise urban areas. The Southern Regional Assembly is the Intermediate Body. Find out about the projects funded under this scheme:

  • Coronavirus Response

    In 2020, in response to the unfolding public health emergency due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Programme created a new scheme to prioritise the medical response needed by supporting the cost of essential personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies to the Irish healthcare system in the fight against COVID-19 across the S&E region.

    This intervention is a targeted, State-led investment that aims to facilitate the critical work of minimising the impact of the global pandemic in the Irish regions and to safeguard the health and welfare of its people. The Health Service Executive is the sole beneficiary under this scheme.

    Approximately €189.1.3 million of the Programme budget has been re-allocated to Priority 7.  

    Priority Objective: maintain access to supplies of essential Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the health services affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

    Result Indicator: number of healthcare facilities supported by Health Service Executive’s crisis response through centralised procurement of essential PPE.

    Health Support Scheme: to build the Health Service Executive’s crisis response capacities in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak through ensuring that the health sector has sufficient supplies to fulfil their tasks safely, and to secure and sustain continuity of access and supply of essential PPE for the health services in the S&E region.

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