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SELECT: Eligibility criteria

Places on the SELECT programme are awarded on a competitive process. There is a two-part application process. First, eligible social enterprises must submit an online application form. After an eligibility sift, eligible social enterprises will be invited for an online interview.

SELECT is open to social enterprises (as defined by the Irish Government’s National Social Enterprise Policy, 2024-27) on the island that also satisfy the following criteria:

  • Are wholly, or in part, engaged in manufacturing and/or tradable services.
  • The manufacturing and/or tradable services have potential to be scaled to generate sales in the cross-border jurisdiction.
  • Generate a minimum turnover of £85k and maximum of £40m (or EUR equivalents) from any combination of:
    • Manufacturing/tradable services
    • Tender contracts and/or
    • Grant awards.
  • Priority will be given to businesses who are generating larger proportions of their revenue from manufacturing/tradable services.
  • Employ fewer than 250 employees.
  • Social enterprises with 12 months minimum trading history.

Priority will be given to businesses operating in manufacturing and/or tradable services.

What do we mean by Tradable Services or Manufacturing?

Tradable services may include (but are not limited to): employability training, ethical cleaning, catering, digital design services, and circular economy services such as reuse, repair, remanufacturing, recycling, materials recovery, or waste-to-resource services, where these services are delivered to external customers and capable of being sold cross-border. Manufacturing examples may include furniture making, woodworking products, candle production, ceramics, food and drink production, or products manufactured using recycled or recovered materials.

Ineligible Sectors

InterTradeIreland sectoral exclusions typically include Hospitality, Tourism, Primary Agriculture, Retail & Wholesale and Professional Services. However, for SELECT, social enterprises that primarily operate in these sectors may be considered, if there is also a manufacturing/tradable services element to their main business activity, and that this element has been identified as a growth area of the business.