Support & Funding

Local Enterprise Office provides advice, information and support to you in starting up or growing your business. With 31 dedicated teams across the Local Authority network in Ireland, Local Enterprise Offices offer you a wide range of experience,skills and services. The Local Enterprise Office is for people interested in starting up a new business or already in business including entrepreneurs, early stage promoters, start-ups and small business looking to expand.

The role of Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board, is to act as a link between Irish Food, Drink & Horticulture suppliers and existing and potential customers throughout the world. This is achieved through core services delivered to the customer, the trade buyer, and to Irish food & drink companies themselves.

Enterprise Ireland is the government organisation responsible for the development and growth of Irish enterprises in world markets. The organisation works in partnership with Irish enterprises to help them start, grow, innovate and win export sales on global markets. Services include funding supports, export assistance, supports to develop competitiveness, incentives to stimulate R&D, connections and introductions to oversees contacts.

Cork Chamber is the leading business organisation for the promotion and development of economic and commercial activity in the Region. Representing close to 1,100 companies employing over 100,000 people in the Cork region, Cork Chamber is a dynamic and proactive organisation committed to supporting business in this Region.

CIT has a number of areas of expertise that are directly relevant to industries in the region. These centres are national resource centres and provide independent expertise, advice and assistance to different sectors of industry.

Fáilte Ireland is the National Tourism Development Authority. Our role is to support the tourism industry and work to sustain Ireland as a high-quality and competitive tourism destination. We provide a range of practical business supports to help tourism businesses better manage and market their products and services.

The principal function of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland is to protect consumers by leading a collaborative food safety community to continuously raise food standards and create a culture of excellence.

Teagasc – the Agriculture and Food Development Authority – is the national body providing integrated research, advisory and training services to the agriculture and food industry and rural communities.

BIM's mission is to grow a thriving Irish seafood industry; expand the raw material base, add value and develop efficient supply chains that together deliver on the Government's Food harvest 2025 targets for seafood and create sustainable jobs.

UCC prioritises research in areas that are significant at the highest international levels. This creates a significant impact and uptake in the community beyond the university. In particular, UCC’s research in food and health, photonics and perinatal medicine is recognised as world leading.

In an Action Programme for the Millennium, the Government set out its commitment to the restoration of real decision – making and power to local authorities and local people. An important step in this direction was the proposal to establish policy centered Strategic Policy Committees (SPC) and Corporate Policy Groups (CPG) within each city and county authority. SPCs will prepare the groundwork for policies, which will then be decided upon by City Council.

Cork County Council's roles and responsibilities have expanded in recent years, and while we still provide traditional services such as Roads, Planning, and Housing, we are also supporting the core pillars of modern society, such as Community Development, Business Support, and Tourism.

Up to €50k is available to a maximum of 15 early stage companies active in manufacturing & internationally traded services. The selected companies will receive a maximum investment of €50,000 for a 10% ordinary equity stake in the start-up company. The investment shall be released in two equal tranches. The Company will be required to secure additional equity investment of €5,000, from promoters or external investees, prior to the release of EI’s first tranche.

Microfinance Ireland’s customers come from a diverse range of industry sectors and from all across Ireland. They have provided unsecured business loans of up to €25,000 to start-ups and existing businesses in the retail, hospitality, services, food & drink and manufacturing industries, to name just a few. Microfinance Ireland lends only to small businesses based in the Republic of Ireland with less than 10 employees and a turnover of less than €2m (micro-enterprises).