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MicroTrade is a joint initiative of InterTradeIreland, the City and
County Enterprise Boards, and Enterprise Northern Ireland, aiming
to build all-island connections for small businesses.
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What is microtrade link-up funding?
MicroTrade is keen to support collaboration between micro-enterprises, North and South. To encourage this type of activity, MicroTrade offers funding packages worth up to Stg£5,000 or €7,500 per partnership (on a 50% funding basis) for certain types of inter-business collaboration.
What types of businesses are eligible?
- A cross-border link-up between two micro-enterprises (1 to 10 employees).
- A cross-border link-up between a micro-enterprise and a larger company, where there will be a significant business development benefit for the micro-enterprise.
- A grouping or cluster of micro-enterprises with a good North South balance.
Other than in exceptional circumstances, all applicant businesses must have been in business for at least one year and have experienced success in their domestic market.
What types of collaboration can microtrade support?
- The development of joint marketing materials to support the promotion of joint products or services.
- Joint exhibition at trade events for the promotion of joint products or services (support towards exhibition space and towards accommodation and subsistence costs, subject to maximum limits)
- Third party fees for market research, feasibility study preparation or joint business plan development where a clear need to employ a third party can be demonstrated.
- Third party costs for prototype development or service development, provided a need for external input can be clearly demonstrated.
What does microtrade want to see?
MicroTrade would like to see link-ups that will result in the partner businesses.
- Significantly increasing their levels of cross-border trade AND/OR
- Jointly developing trade in a third market.
The MicroTrade Programme aims to promote cross-border trade and business co-operation specifically within the micro-enterprise sector. The programme has been developed by a three-way partnership between InterTradeIreland, the City and County Enterprise Boards ( Republic of Ireland) and Enterprise Northern Ireland, and will run initially for a two year period until June 2006.
MicroTrade operates on two levels. On one level, MicroTrade seeks to build an all-island network of micro-enterprise support bodies, bringing together the City and County Enterprise Boards in the Republic of Ireland and their counterparts in Northern Ireland, the network of Local Enterprise Agencies.
Allied to this, the programme offers a range of supports direct to micro-enterprises interested in exploring all-island trade and co-operation, including a series of major all-island networking events for micro-enterprises (typically 1-10 employees) and a support programme for businesses tendering for contracts on a cross-border basis.
Contact
Address: Nutgrove Enterprise Park, Nutgrove Way, Rathfarnham Dublin 14
Tel: (01) 494 8414
Fax: (01) 494 8410
E: info@microtrade.org
W: www.microtrade.org
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