InterTradeIreland has announced that in the year-to-date (January-October 2022) its programmes and initiatives have generated £100 million (€115 m) in business development value for SMEs. 3,500 businesses have been directly supported to generate cross-border exports, secure investment and accelerate their innovation pathway.
The latest figures were revealed as the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin TD, visited InterTradeIreland’s offices in Newry, Co. Down on Friday.
Speaking about the cross-border economic development agency, the Taoiseach said, “Since its inception, InterTradeIreland has been focused on building mutual economic benefit for both sides of the border. It’s an organisation that learned early on that collaboration can maximise opportunity.”
“It is great to hear how it is helping businesses and organisations to grow through cross-border collaboration - creating vital partnerships in areas of advanced manufacturing, low carbon, bio-economy, fintech and life-sciences. It creates connections for smaller companies to access networks and to link up with cutting-edge research that can transform their business. InterTradeIreland is playing a key role in helping to drive innovation across the island.”
Richard Kennedy, InterTradeIreland’s Chairman said, “We were delighted to welcome the Taoiseach to InterTradeIreland’s offices in Newry.”
“Adapting and evolving to changing environments and circumstances in businesses is fundamental to the growth and prosperity of any enterprise. We are focused on helping businesses in both jurisdictions to take full advantage of the innovation and growth potential that trading and collaborating across the island presents.”
Margaret Hearty, InterTradeIreland’s CEO commented, “In the year-to -date, firms that we support have reported £100 million (€115 m) in business development value. It’s very encouraging to see such demand for our services. We work closely with the businesses that we assist and understand their opportunities for growth as well as the pressures they are currently facing.”
Margaret Hearty concluded, “Building innovation capability and resilience in SMEs is now key, in particular as there are global headwinds impacting the broader economy. A first step on the journey is to look to the cross-border opportunity – it enables companies to widen their market base as well as introducing them to new clusters, partnerships and networks. It’s a pathway to growth.“
