EU JTF applications encouraged for in-demand SME scheme

Fáilte Ireland encourages EU Just Transition Applicants to complete full applications for in-demand Investment Grant-Aid Scheme for SMEs following “huge interest” in funding.

• Limited funding now available as more applications are evaluated
• Only fully completed applications will enter the evaluation process and be eligible for funding.
• Once available funding is awarded to successful applicants, the scheme will close
• Visit failteireland.ie for full details on what is required to complete application

Fáilte Ireland is calling on applicants across the Midlands who have been deemed eligible to apply for EU Just Transition Fund Regenerative Tourism and Placemaking Scheme funding to complete their applications “as soon as possible” for this first-come first-served fund.

The EU Just Transition Fund is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the EU, and Fáilte Ireland’s Regenerative Tourism and Placemaking Scheme will see tourism used as an economic, social and environmental driver in the Midlands. Part of this, the Investment Grant-Aid Scheme for Private and Community SMEs, closed for Expressions of Interest (EOIs) on 2nd July 2024, and interest in the scheme has been high, with “higher than expected” numbers of EOIs deemed eligible to proceed to the application stage.

Ensuring projects that have been deemed eligible to apply for funding to complete their application is of critical importance as all EU monies must be spent by August 2026, and the available funding amount reduces as more project applications are evaluated.

Paul Hayden, Head of Programme at Fáilte Ireland, emphasised the importance of timely submissions: 

“There has been a huge amount of interest in this funding scheme, and we have evaluated a higher-than-expected number of EOIs.

I really encourage anyone who has been deemed eligible to apply for funding to complete their full application process as soon as they can. This fund works on a first-come, first-served basis. This means that the sooner you apply, the sooner you will enter into the evaluation process and the more likely you are to receive your full allocation, if your project is deemed eligible. As more people apply and the funding is given out, the amount left decreases. It’s also important for people to remember if their project requires planning permission to please submit that to their Local Authority as soon as possible because that process takes time, and they can’t complete their application without it.”

Hayden continued, “To support applicants to complete their application, and make sure they have all necessary documentation, we have a team of Tourism Activators in every county in the EU Just Transition territory who are there to support applicants through this process. I encourage anyone who has passed the EOI stage to get in touch with their local Activator who will be an invaluable resource to them. Contact details are available on the Fáilte Ireland website.”

Applicants who have been deemed eligible to apply for funding can find more information on the application process by visiting www.failteireland.ie/justtransition or by contacting their local Tourism Activator.