Acumen

All eligible applicants will benefit from an assessment with an experienced business consultant, gaining a bespoke report which will identify key areas of business strength, areas for development and potential for cross-border export opportunities.

To qualify for financial support through our Acumen programme ideally your business should be:

• A manufacturing or a tradable service company with an annual turnover below £40 million (or euro equivalent)
• A company that employs less than 250 people
• An indigenous company (not multinational or foreign owned)
• Committed to the development of new product markets with the potential of job creation
• A company with an established relationship with a mainstream development agency (Invest Northern Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Údarás na Gaeltachta, a Local Enterprise Office, a Local Enterprise Agency)

In addition, you should also have:

• A satisfactory track record in your home market
• Less than 30% of total business in the target cross-border market already
• A sufficiently unique product that does not displace existing products in the marketplace
• A project that can demonstrate that it may not happen without support
• The capacity (human, financial & production) to deliver the project

Please note that businesses involved in retail, distribution and agriculture are not eligible for assistance under this scheme.

Typical benefits as a result of the programme include:

• Access to new markets and increased sales
• Better knowledge of the cross-border market
• New business opportunities identified
• Improvements to your sales and marketing strategy
• Increased business contacts and prospects across the island