WestBIC Launches Strategic Plan 2022–2025

WestBIC is an Enterprise Ireland partner providing hands-on startup support, funding readiness and investment preparation for early-stage founders in the west of Ireland.

Left to right: Meabh Conaghan (Regional Director West Region at Enterprise Ireland), John Brennan (CEO, WestBIC), Gillian Buckley (Chair, WestBIC and Founder and Manager of the WDC Investment Fund), Judy Ni Dhubhain (Corporate Services Manager at Údarás na Gaeltachta). Photo: Murt Fahy

WestBIC is the official EU certified Business Innovation Centre (BIC) for Ireland’s West and Northwest Region. WestBIC provides a unique offering to the innovation ecosystem, which is characterised by specialist 1–2–1 tailored support for high potential start-ups (HPSUs) and scalable businesses.

Thursday, 15th December 2022 marked the official launch of WestBIC’s three-year Strategic Plan for the years 2023–2025. WestBIC works closely with partners and stakeholders across the region with the aim of adding value to the start-up ecosystem and supporting start-ups to secure the vital pre-seed and seed funding necessary to commercialise and grow their businesses.

Gillian Buckley, WestBIC’s Chair outlined “In national policy terms, WestBIC’s offering is aligned across its strategic priorities with Enterprise Ireland’s strategic ambitions as set out in the EI Strategy “Leading in a Changing World” for the period 2022–2025. WestBIC’s strategy also aligns with the priorities of the Western Regional Enterprise plans, which is vitally important from the perspective of balanced regional development.”

Our new strategic plan has three key priority areas:

1. Driving Innovation & providing specialist support for the high potential startup companies (HPSUs) across the region, with the aim of growing the number of innovative, export focused HPSUs commercialised annually.

2. Delivering Regional Impact by working closely with regional partners & stakeholders to animate and support a diverse range of startups servicing emerging and growth sectors such as women’s entrepreneurship, the blue & green economy, life & health sciences, digital innovation and more.

3. Growing Access to Investment to ensure that seed and growth capital is available to innovative pre-seed and seed startups across the region.

Gillian Buckey (Chair, WestBIC) and John Brennan (CEO, WestBIC), pictured with An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin. Photo: Andrew Downes

Commenting at the launch, John Brennan, WestBIC’s CEO said, “We are lucky to work in a really interesting area, with new innovative startups coming through the door every week, then we get to work with the European BIC network where we meet with European Business Innovation Centres and similar organisations, and we share good practices, learn and impart some knowledge in the European ecosystem too.”

The WestBIC team look forward to new year with the expectation that 2023 will be an exciting time as it embarks on the realisation of the ambitious objectives set out the strategic plan alongside our partners and key stakeholders across the region.

For more information visit www.westbic.ie

WestBIC Launches Strategic Plan 2022–2025 was originally published in WestBIC on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.