Local Enterprise Offices can assist in the establishment and/or development of new and existing enterprises (limited company, individuals/sole trader, cooperatives and partnerships) provided that such enterprises/projects are capable of attaining commercial viability and subject to the following eligibility criteria:
- The enterprise must not employ more than 10 people;
- The enterprise must be a registered business entity in the Republic of Ireland;
- The enterprise must be established and operate within the geographic location of the Local Enterprise Office;
- The enterprise must operate in the commercial sphere;
- The enterprise must demonstrate a market for the product/service;
- The enterprise must have potential for growth and new job creation;
- The enterprise must demonstrate access to match funding/overall funding requirement;
- The enterprise must be in the added-value manufacturing or services with the potential to trade internationally sectors.
Within the above eligibility criteria there are certain priorities and restrictions:
- Priority will be given to enterprises in the manufacturing or internationally traded services sectors which over time can develop into strong export entities and graduate to the Enterprise Ireland portfolio;
- Salary support only may be offered to unique tourism services projects that are focused predominantly on generating revenues from overseas visitors and which do not give rise to deadweight and/or displacement in the local economy;
- This grant aid does not support those areas such as primary food production, retail enterprises, personal services (eg hairdressers, gardeners, creches etc), professional services (accountants, solicitors etc), construction/local building services, wholesaling, distribution and transport. These are considered to give rise to displacement (where the projects simply displace business from other players in the market).
- The sector of the economy in which an enterprise is operating or intends to operate
- The size or proposed size of the enterprise
- Any expenditure incurred, prior to receipt of application form, will not be eligible for grant support.
In general Local Enterprise Office Donegal cannot offer grant aid to:
- retail businesses;
- personal & professional services businesses;
- construction sector;
- primary agriculture businesses & primary food production;
- other local services that duplicate existing local businesses.