STIMULATING AND SUPPORTING NEW BUSINESS IN IRELAND

Are you starting your own Innovative Business in the North West. The new CEIM Programme can help you

By James Donlon, April 26, 2007

CÉIM is the most successful enterprise development programme in the North West. It is offered by the Institute of Technology Sligo and Letterkenny Institute of Technology, in collaboration with Border Action, Enterprise Ireland and Údarás na Gaeltachta and is co-ordinated by WESTBIC. The programme is now recruiting for its fourth year and is targeted at people with innovative business ideas, which have high commercial and export potential, who live or wish to relocate to the North West region. CÉIM will consider applications from third level graduates, people who have been made redundant and the groups identified by the EU Peace II Programme.

CÉIM is a full-time business start-up programme delivered over one year through which successful applicants will benefit from training, mentoring, financial and other business supports, networking opportunities and incubation space.

The programme provides the following supports to Entrepreneurs:
· Training in all areas of business
· Grant aid from Enterprise Ireland or Údarás na Gaeltachta for eligible applicants
· Mentoring from experienced business advisors and practitioners relevant to participant’s projects
· Office and other business incubation facilities at ITSBIC, Sligo or LYIT BDC, Letterkenny
· Networking with other entrepreneurs and business development agencies
· Introduction to seed and early stage capital investment organisations.

Both, the Institute of Technology Sligo and Letterkenny Institute of Technology are delighted to be involved in the CEIM programme, as it provides an excellent example of higher education co-operation collaboration to meet the economic needs of the region.

Two past participants of the CÉIM Programme in 2006 / 2007 are Paul McNulty from Letterkenny, Co. Donegal and Stephen Butler from Ballymote, Co. Sligo:

Paul Mc Nulty was a participant on the CÉIM programme in 2006/2007. Born in Letterkenny, Paul lived and worked abroad for a number of years, mostly in New York. Upon his return he found little work in his field, multimedia in Donegal but was focused on staying in the Letterkenny and not returning to havoc of city life. In 2006 after forming “Trinity Innovation”, Paul joined the CÉIM programme and began developing a software solution for publishers to assist them in creating digital impressions of their titles for viewing via the web. The product has been a great success & is been adapted by many of Irelands largest publishing houses, even by web portal companies such as “myhome.ie” and to a variety companies in the UK & mainland Europe. They are currently working on a variety of different applications including digital CVs with video interviews and a retail hardware product & software product for the automobile industry. Paul recently won the BMW Regional Final of the Irish Entrepreneur and Irish BICs “Prove Your Idea Competition”.
Stephen Butler was also a participant on the CÉIM Programme in 2006/2007. Having moved to Sligo over 15 years ago, Stephen holds a Degree in Mathematical Physics and previously worked for Lake Communications in Sligo. In 2006 Stephen set up envAccounts which provides environmental, regulation compliance software. The company specializes in Web 2.0 productivity solutions.

The CÉIM Programme offered both entrepreneurs the opportunity to get training, mentoring and specific business start up advice to help them realise their dreams. Through the programme Paul and Stephen also received support from Enterprise Ireland’s CORD fund which allowed them to give up their previous full-time employment and work full-time on setting up and developing their businesses.

Paul believes “the CÉIM Programme was an excellent opportunity for me to realize my business dreams – it offered me training, mentoring and other essential supports to assist me to develop my business. The incubation space which I got from the programme was invaluable to allow me to have a real business presence whilst still being able to develop the business idea”.

Stephen acknowledges “the support from the CÉIM Programme, and also Enterprise Ireland through the CORD fund, gave an excellent opportunity for me to realize my business ambitions. I would recommend that anyone with a valid business idea applies for the programme, as it really can be the difference in succeeding and failing in business”.

Trinity Innovations are located in the Business Development Centre at Letterkenny Institute of Technology and can be contacted at paul@trinityinnovations.ie or 086 0625348.

EnvAccounts are located in the new ITSBIC Centre on campus at the Institute of Technology, Sligo and can be contacted at stephen.debuitleir@gmail.com or 086 6006300.

If you would like assistance in setting up your own business and information on the forthcoming CÉIM Programme, please contact Aideen Brennan for further details:

CÉIM Programme Manager, ITSBIC, Institute of Technology, Sligo.
Tel: + 353 (0) 71 91 41501 or abrennan@westbic.ie

Closing date for return of completed applications is Friday 4th May 2007.

The CEIM Programme is part-financed by the European Union’s Programme for Peace and Reconciliation and the Irish Government under the National Development Plan, and managed for the Special EU Programmes Body by Border Action.