As we approach the end of 2021 and look forward to the New Year, change has certainly become our new norm. The past 18 months saw firms trying to survive, pivot and improvise – and as businesses exit survival mode, it’s important to invest in new skills and technologies to aid recovery and growth says Margaret Hearty, Chief Executive Officer of InterTradeIreland.

2022 will bring both challenges and opportunities and in order to succeed, firms should arm themselves with knowledge of upcoming ‘key trends’ that will impact growth in 2022.

In today’s economy, innovation is more important than ever with the success of firms across the island relying on how quickly they adapt to challenges. InterTradeIreland's Innovation Boost programme supports collaborative partnerships between business and academia, to help firms develop and create new products or improve current products/processes. 

Funding is available up to £56,000/€67,900 for 18 month projects - typically for new product or service development. Up to £39,000/€47,400 is available for 12 month projects - for process development. On average each company taking part in the Innovation Boost programme benefits from over £1 million worth of sales or efficiency savings in the three years following the project.

Congratulations to Munster companies Gasgon Medical and Styl.Wrap,who were crowned the Overall Winner and Category Winner at this year's InterTradeIreland Seedcorn awards, taking home €100,000 and €50,000 respectively. 

A new Sustainability / Low Carbon award was also up for grabs this year, with a €20,000 prize for the best investment proposal from a firm operating in the low carbon or green sector. The inaugural award was won by GlasPort Bio.  

We would like to thank all those who participated in this year's competition and wish them all success in the future.

Thinking of applying for Horizon Europe funding with a partner from Ireland or Northern Ireland? InterTradeIreland has funding support available for cross-border and EU Travel & Subsistence vouchers.

The Cross-Border Collaboration Voucher offers up to £500 to early-stage partnerships travelling across Ireland and Northern Ireland to scope out potential project ideas. We can even help identify potential partners for you.

The EU Voucher offers up to £350 per cross-border partner travelling to Horizon Europe related events, consortium meetings or EU Commission brokerage events. 

If you still have questions re post-Brexit trading regulations, InterTradeIreland has a range of post-Brexit supports available to help your business.

Still wondering about Incoterms, what they are, or how they apply to your supply chain and customs duties? Our Simple Guide to Incoterms will provide information on how to cover your obligations, risks and costs.

Do you know the accurate commodity codes for your goods? Our Simple Guide to Commodity Codes will ensure you pay the right amount of tax and duties, help you discover any duty reliefs and get clarity on any restrictions that may apply to the goods.

The US-Ireland R&D Partnership is a tri-jurisdictional alliance which was officially launched in 2006. Its aim is to promote collaborative innovative research projects which create value above and beyond individual efforts.The initiative links researchers from the USA, Northern Ireland and Ireland, with InterTradeIreland playing a central facilitative role.

To date 73 projects have been successfully funded under the partnership across key sectors including agriculture, health, science and engineering, telecommunications, energy and sustainability and Cybersecurity. Funding raised to December 2021 is valued at £99.463m/€117.653m.