Eligibility Criteria

Are You Eligible?

To qualify for financial support through Acumen businesses must:

• Be active in either the manufacturing or tradable services sectors. By tradable services, InterTradeIreland requires the business service to be delivered in the cross-border market, and not just to attract customers from the cross-border market to their service business in the home market. (See list below of ineligible sectors)
• Be an SME with less than 250 staff and £40m (euro equivalent) turnover, priority will be given to companies employing less than 100 staff or those with turnover of less than £10m (euro equivalent).
• Be an indigenous business registered in Ireland or Northern Ireland. (Companies from Ireland must hold a valid Tax Clearance Certificate)
• Have an established trading history and have a proven track record in their home market i.e. Minimum 18-24 months sales history.
• Demonstrate that business has less than 30% of total sales in the target cross-border market in the last/current financial year.
• Have a sufficiently unique product or service that does not displace existing products or services in the target market.
• Demonstrate that new cross-border sales are not achievable without the support of the Acumen programme.
• Be an SME with the capacity (human, financial & production) to engage in cross-border trade through this programme.
• Be committed to the development of new cross-border trade opportunities.

Please note that it is desirable to have an established relationship with a mainstream development agency (Invest NI, Enterprise Ireland, Local Enterprise Office, Udaras Na Gaeltachta)