RATHNEW CREATION HUB GETS €1.43M IN FUNDING

 RATHNEW CONTENT CREATION HUB €1.43M FUNDING

A content creation hub planned for the Wicklow County Campus in Rathnew has secured funding of €1.43m under the Government’s Regional Enterprise Development Fund (REDF).

The funding was announced this week by the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Ms Heather Humphreys TD.

The Content Creation Enterprise Hub will provide 10,000 sq ft of private and co-working spaces and is hoped will boost job creation in the content creation sector and spin out services feeding into these industries.

It will also offer a collaborative social space, conference centre, podcast studio and screening facility along with access to a range of existing meeting rooms and training facilities on the larger Clermont campus.

The hub will incorporate the Courtyard buildings, the second floor of the existing campus building and the Chapel which will be refurbished and renovated.    It will also include a newly built two floor extension to the Courtyard buildings.

Mr Frank Curran, Chief Executive, Wicklow County Council, said: “We welcome the announcement by the Minister of the approval of our application. This is a really positive development for Wicklow County Campus. It’s also positive for the future growth of a strong local screen industry. Stakeholders and development agencies as well as training providers in this sector have been widely consulted and are extremely supportive of this innovative project. We’re aiming to start construction this year in order to open the hub in 2021”.

The Regional Enterprise Development Fund aims to supports projects that drive sustainable job creation in the regions. Twenty-six successful applicants representing all regions of the country have been approved for funding of over €40m.

Minister Humphreys said: “The Irish economy has had a remarkable turnaround in recent years, but we cannot rest on our laurels. Although we have made a lot of progress with six out of 10 jobs created outside Dublin since 2016, some parts of the country are not recovering as quickly as others.

“The Regional Enterprise Development Fund is about supporting every region to build on its unique strengths and ultimately create sustainable jobs. Collaboration is at its core – among the public and private sectors, within and across regions.

“The projects we are funding today are at the cutting edge of innovation. I am confident that they have the potential to make a real and lasting impact on enterprise development at both regional and national level.”

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