Minister English visits BIA Innovator Campus in Galway
Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Damien English, was in Galway where he called to the BIA Innovator Campus in Athenry and on to the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) in Prospect Hill where he met LEO staff and some client companies
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The Minister began his visit at the BIA Campus in Athenry where he was greeted by Councillor Peter Feeney, who is also Chairperson of the Campus and Breda Fox, Head of the Local Enterprise Office, Galway.
The Campus is expected to be operational in the next few months as a food entrepreneurship hub, providing workspace infrastructure and support services, including several new food production units and co-working kitchens together with learning and innovation services. The project has been granted €4.1 million in funding from the Minister’s department under the Regional Enterprise Development Fund as well as the Regional Enterprise Transition Scheme.
Minister English said:
"One of the strategic objectives of the department’s recently published West Regional Enterprise Plan to 2024 is to grow the AgTech and Food sector in the West and to utilise the BIA Innovator Campus as an integrated regional platform for innovation in this sector. This facility in Athenry will enable a whole new generation of food entrepreneurs, supporting those who see the potential to grow their food business by providing technical support and business guidance."
Minister English then travelled on to Áras an Chontae where he was greeted by Interim Chief Executive of Galway County Council, Jim Cullen. He also met with the Galway Local Enterprise Office team, members of the Evaluation Committee and Local Authority Members and was briefed about developments in the county as well as future plans.
The Minister then visited two LEO client companies based at Portershed in Market St., a coworking and collaborative space for technology-focused innovation enterprises. Finn Delaney explained how his company Geomara, a high-resolution subsea survey provider, offer a wide range of services in the fields of Hydrography, Marine Geophysics, Data Processing and Marine Archaeology.
Javier Santoyo of Blue Carbon Ireland outlined how his company are harnessing the power of blue carbon as nature-based solutions to fight climate change, mitigate its impacts and create social and environmental value.
On the conclusion of his visit to Galway, Minister English said:
"It is important that people with innovative ideas have access to supports to develop their ideas and that is certainly the case here in Galway. Through a range of policies and supports the government continues to develop an ecosystem that encourages entrepreneurship and job creation. The Local Enterprise Office network is a tremendous support for local businesses offering training, mentoring and other practical assistance. The newly devised Regional Enterprise Plans to 2024 were also developed to specifically target the particular strengths of each region and to build on those strengths in order to see local businesses fulfil their potential and create employment in every region in the country."
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