Tuesday, October 6th was a day for celebration in Waterford city and county, as Tramore was announced as winner of the Bank of Ireland Overall Local Business and Community Response Initiative.

Bank of Ireland’s Begin Together Awards, now in its fifth year, recognise the spirit of enterprise and resilience in towns and cities across the country.  Tramore, as winner of the Overall Local Business and Community Enterprise Initiative impressed the judges with its display of true community spirit by looking after the vulnerable in the community and developing a series of business and community initiatives that helped overcome some of the challenges of COVID-19.

The prize fund of €20,000 will be put to good use as €5,000 will go towards the development of the town’s new Sensory Garden and €15,000 will act as a Community Contribution lever towards a larger town project, in partnership with Waterford Council and Waterford Chamber.

The award was announced by former Ulster and Irish International rugby player, Tommy Bowe, who commented that the “winning entry demonstrated through a powerful visual presentation, with an excellent panel, how the whole town responded to the many unprecedented challenges of COVID-19.”

“Overall, the town demonstrated exceptional initiative and leadership by businesses and the community in their response to COVID-19.  The judges also noted that many town improvement initiatives are being developed at this time.”

Richie Walsh, Head of Enterprise at Local Enterprise Office Waterford said that the winning presentation captured the true essence of Tramore.  “Tramore is an excellent example of a town where local authority, business agencies, community organisations and people on the ground work together for common purpose in creating a new shared sense of what the town can be and should be.”

“A place which is innovative and entrepreneurial on the one hand but equally is mindful of all its citizens and their welfare on the other, as well as warm and welcoming to its visitors. The kind of a town that you would like to live in, work in, invest in or visit”

“It is a credit to all those who put so much hard work and effort into the submission and gave the wider public the opportunity to see just how special Tramore is.”

The winning submission and presentation was a collaborative effort between Waterford Chamber, Waterford Council and Local Enterprise Office Waterford, that encapsulated and practically showcased the mammoth efforts by local businesses and the community in making Tramore a deserving winner of the Begin Together Local Business and Community Response Initiative.

Dunmore East RNLI has been saving lives off the South East coast since 1884. Since then Lifeboats based in the village have launched nearly 1000 times and saved over 305 lives and aided 1,315 people in distress on the seas along the Waterford and Wexford coast.

David Carroll the son of Captain Desmond Carroll, a former Harbour Master in Dunmore is currently completing a book on the history of the Dunmore East RNLI Lifeboats and the community from which the crews are drawn. David grew up in Dunmore East and whilst moving from the village in his 20s to pursue a career he has always retained a great love for the maritime heritage he inherited growing up in the village. David has spent nearly two years researching this book which is now near completion. The book, which is based on archives both here in Ireland and the RNLI archives in Poole, England, will detail the boats that were stationed in Dunmore and the stories of the rescues they carried out. Also included in the book will be many interesting and unique photographs that have not appeared in public before. The story of the village itself, and its link as a fishing community with the Lifeboats and crews, brings the reader from the earliest times of saving lives at sea in the area up to the present.

David Carroll, author of Dauntless Courage said: ‘“I feel that I have been extremely fortunate to have been given this wonderful opportunity of writing a history of the Dunmore East RNLI Lifeboats and their volunteer crews. As a small boy, I used to see the names of the Henry Dodd and Fanny Harriet on the records boards that were in a small fuel store on the pier. I never could have imagined that one day, I would be researching and writing about these famous lifeboats”.

Brendan Dunne, RNLI volunteer crew with Dunmore East RNLI said: ‘As crew we are delighted to see a book of this calibre been written. It is a testimony to the maritime history of the village and the volunteers who go to sea to rescue people in distress. David has ensured that the legacy of RNLI volunteers and supporters past and present will always be remembered in times eye and that the Lifeboat is an integral part of the community in Dunmore and surrounding areas’

Dauntless Courage: Celebrating the History of the Dunmore East RNLI, their crews and the Maritime Heritage of the Local Community. All proceeds from the book will be going to the local Dunmore East Lifeboat Fundraising Branch to support the saving of lives on our seas.

To facilitate publishing the book we need to raise funds. We are asking your company to become a corporate donor by making a minimum contribution of €250 towards the costs of the book. Your company will be acknowledged in the book and on the website and will receive a signed copy of the limited-edition book when published. The book itself will retail at €25 each  lus shipping. 

Contributions can be made either by cheque payable to Dunmore Lifeboat Book or by transfer to AIB Lisduggan Branch, Waterford
IBAN IE24 AIBK 9342 7531 1470 00
Account number; 31147000, Sort code; 934275
Cheques should be sent to Dunmore Lifeboat Book, C/O Dunmore
East Lifeboat Station, Dunmore East, Co. Waterford.

For pre-orders and further information on the book please see website: www.dunmorelifeboatbook.com

Or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Irish led European Horizon 2020 project, DEMETER, has announced the launch of its first open funding calls, DEVELOP, with a total budget of €300,000 available to SMEs. Co-ordinated by the Telecommunications Software and Systems Group (TSSG) in Waterford Institute of Technology, the DEMETER project aims to lead the digital transformation of the agri-food sector in Europe through the rapid adoption of advanced Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, data science and smart farming ensuring the industry’s long-term viability and sustainability.

DEVELOP, the first of two open calls in the DEMETER project, aims to attract and engage Irish start-ups and SMEs with technology products that can be implemented within the agro-business sector.

Speaking about the launch of the open call is Kevin Doolin, Director of Innovation in TSSG and project co-ordinator. “We are encouraging Irish agri-tech SME’s and start-ups to submit a proposal to the DEVELOP open call. We expect to fund between eight to twelve applications with up to €30,000 available per solution. The view of this funding is to support the integration and interoperability of technological solutions for farmers throughout Europe”.

The solutions will be centralised in the DEMETER Hub which will outline the full description of all the components, devices, services, data sources, platforms that are accessible for deployment. This will enable the co-creation of particular solutions to overcome farmers needs and challenges. Twenty pilot projects are currently running in DEMETER to demonstrate and evaluate how innovations and extended capabilities benefit from the interoperability mechanisms. These pilots cover a wide spectrum of sectors such as arable crops, irrigated crops, fruit production and livestock including poultry, dairy, animal welfare.

Applications for the first of the DEMETER Open Calls must address one of the following challenges:

Topic 1: Soil workability and humidity monitoring

Topic 2: Interoperable Geo Tagged Photo APP

Topic 3: ISOBUS enabler

Topic 4: Blockchain-based solutions for agricultural applications

Topic 5: DEMETER Business process integration

The DEVELOP Open Call closes on the 18th of November 2020 (17.00 CET).

More information on the Open Calls and how to apply is available at https://h2020-demeter.eu/open-call/. Applications can be made via the F6S platform at https://www.f6s.com/demeterh2020/apply

Close to the N25/M9 motorway exit is Waterford’s answer to a Hollywood sign. The new installation of the 6ft letters spelling out the word ‘INNOVATION’ is located in WIT’s West Campus just above the Waterford Greenway carpark.

The initiative was led by Dr. Aisling O’Neill, Manager of Arclabs Research and  Innovation Centre, situated just over the brow of the hill in the picturesque Carriganore, overlooking the river Suir.

“WIT Arena and the Waterford Greenway welcomes hundreds of visitors each week and we wanted to encourage these visitors to consider what was over the hill. The innovative nature of WIT’s West Campus is inspiring and we hope this new focal point piques peoples interest into our homegrown companies and research breakthroughs.” Aisling explains.

The West Campus in Carriganore is a hub for world class research and innovation across a number of domains. The campus is home to RTE South East studio, WIT Arena, Nutritional Research Centre Ireland (NRCI), Arclabs Research and Innovation Centre, Telecommunications Software & Systems Group (TSSG), RIKON, National Biodiversity Data Centre and Centre for Enterprise Development and Regional Economy (CEDRE).

The sign is more than just a location point for visitors; it is a symbol of the collaborative landscape of business support which exists in Waterford.  When the search began to source a long lasting material that would require little to low maintenance it was a fortuitous to discover that local company MEDITE SMARTPLY, a market leading manufacturer of sustainable timber construction panels located in Waterford and Clonmel, had such a material.  MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME is a high performance, wood based panel which demonstrates outstanding durability and dimensional stability in the most challenging exterior environments.  The product uses a moisture stable wood and durable resin and is designed to survive over 50 years of Irish weather.

The sign was constructed and erected by DFL Construction using this product and was supported by Jamie Buckett and Peter Judge of MEDITE SMARTPLY. “Over the years, WIT has been a tremendous support to our business providing talented graduates and state of the art research facilities.  We are delighted to showcase the capability of our most recent advancement in MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME for such a landmark symbol of our collaborative community.”  Dr Rory Rice, R&D Manager MEDITE SMARTPLY.

MEDITE SMARTPLY have collaborated with PMBRC, a research centre in WIT, for over 8 years on the development of various innovative products including MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME . The Enterprise Ireland Technology Gateway arm of PMBRC works closely with industry to support innovation solutions to new or existing products. “We would like to thank MEDITE SMARTPLY for helping us to realise our vision and kindly sponsoring the material for the INNOVATION sign. Dr. Rory Rice and Jamie Buckett from the R&D team were exceptional and this initiative wouldn’t have been possible without their support.” Dr. Aisling O’Neill continues.

The vision of WIT’s research community is to position Waterford as Ireland’s Innovation Capital™. The Institute has welcomed a number of positives amidst the hard times we are currently living in regarding research wins. 2020 alone has seen WIT being positioned as the top IoT for European research funding, second of all in ICT European research funding and welcomed Enterprise Ireland funding for the development of six new industry focused labs in SEAM, PMBRC and TSSG amongst many other research successes. 

On your next visit to the Waterford Greenway in Carriganore stop by the sign, share it on Twitter using the hashtag #WITInnovation

The Design & Crafts Council Ireland has launched the Irish Business Design Challenge in partnership with the Department of Business, Innovation and Enterprise, the Local Enterprise Offices and Enterprise Ireland.

The Irish Business Design Challenge is a competition in which micro, small and medium Irish businesses (MSMEs) across all sectors in Waterford and around the country are invited to share the challenges they are experiencing as a result of COVID-19 and the solutions they have designed to resolve and adapt to the current environment.

The aim of the Irish Business Design Challenge is to recognise the resilience and innovation of MSMEs in a year which has proven to be challenging for businesses as a result of COVID-19. The competition will profile a selection of businesses over a number of weeks, during which an expert panel of judges and members of the public will have the chance to vote for their ‘hero business’. Dearbhail McDonald, Author and Broadcaster, will chair the expert judging panel.

The Irish Business Design Challenge is open to three categories of business including micro (1 – 10 employees), small (11 – 50 employees) and medium sized (51 - 250 employees). There is an overall prize fund in excess of €50,000, with a €15,000 first prize for the winner of each category and €2,000 for the runner-up in each category.

Announcing the launch of the competition, CEO DCCI, Rosemary Steen said, “We are calling on micro, small and medium Irish businesses that have reinvented their overall working model, in order to adapt and diversify quickly to meet the challenges they are facing in the current economic environment. We want to hear from businesses who have developed or redesigned their products or services to meet current and future needs. Through the Irish Business Design Challenge, we want to harness the ingenuity of the SME sector, to help other businesses and communities across Ireland.”

Encouraging businesses in Waterford to enter before the October 28th deadline, Richie Walsh, Head of Enterprise with Local Enterprise Office Waterford said, “At Local Enterprise Office Waterford, we are in the privileged position to work with some of the most innovative small businesses in the county and for many of them, intelligent design is at the core of what they do.  In recent months, we have seen this come to the fore as many have had to redesign their existing products, or pivot to new ones linked to their supply chain. The Irish Business Design Challenge, which is supported by Local Enterprise Offices, is a fantastic way to recognise these businesses and highlight some of the innovative and brilliant design that is out there across our county. We would encourage every small business in Waterford to take a look at this competition and see how they can benefit from entering.”

The Irish Business Design Challenge is open for entries until 28th October 2020.

For further information on the Irish Business Design Challenge or to apply for the competition please visit https://www.dcci.ie/irish-business-design-challenge

Over the last few months, it may seem that Brexit had taken a back-seat as local businesses had to deal with the impact on COVID-19. However, now that the first stage of negotiations is complete, Brexit is set to become a reality as the UK’s Brexit transition period comes to an end on January 1st, 2021.

Once the UK leaves the Customs Union, it will be regarded as a non-European Union country, so therefore Waterford companies need to prepare for dealing with a post-Brexit UK.

Local Enterprise Office Waterford will host a series of free bite-sized webinars as part of its BREXIT and Beyond series over the next two months. Taking place at 12pm each Friday from September 25th to November 6th, the 45-minute webinars are designed to help local businesses plan and take effective action for Brexit and beyond.

What does Brexit mean for business? will examine the implications of Brexit on local businesses and how to mitigate against risks. Prepare your business for customs and Custom Exports and Imports will focus on the potential impacts, formalities and procedures Waterford businesses will need to adopt when trading with a post-Brexit UK. Strategic Sourcing will highlight the practical steps that should be considered if your company trades with the UK or your supply chain is partly dependent on the UK. Financial and Currency Management will examine why businesses should quantify the potential cash flow impact and explore options to manage such an impact. With many challenges arising How to protect my Business against Brexit will offer clear and unambiguous guidance about minimising the impact and explore opportunities for growth, while The Simple Guide to overcoming Brexit will help companies navigate the maze of Brexit.

Richie Walsh, Head of Enterprise at Local Enterprise Office Waterford said the BREXIT and Beyond series of webinars should provide some clarity for businesses as we approach the January 1st deadline.

“Businesses not just locally, but regionally, nationally and globally have had so much to contend with over the last six months with COVID-19 and the impact is destined to be felt for many months to come.”

“Brexit is a reality and while the timing couldn’t be worse, there is a necessity for Waterford businesses, particularly those that trade with the UK to start preparing and laying the groundwork. This series of BREXIT and Beyond bite-sized webinars will offer companies an informative and practical insight into minimising delays and costs and provide direction in how to deal with the consequences of Brexit.”

To book your place on the Local Enterprise Office Waterford BREXIT and Beyond webinars visit www.localenterprise.ie/Waterford

If you have any queries regarding your business and Brexit, talk to LEO Waterford #BrexitReady advisor, David Walsh, by calling 0761 102 905 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dooley’s Hotel, a family-owned independent hotel, has recently launched an initiative to encourage visitor spend in the local retail outlets in Waterford City.

The offer is for mid-week bookings where guests can avail of a 10% discount from a large selection of independent stores in the city. Tina Darrer, co-owner of Dooley’s Hotel explained that the premise of the Book, Stay, Shop & Safe voucher was to combine a city stay with a broad, good value retail experience.

“Dooley’s Hotel has partnered with twenty five local retailers to give visitors to Waterford a value experience by availing of a discount on their purchases in these stores. Our guests simply have to present their key card in any of the participating stores to avail of 10% off their purchase price.”

“Obviously the events of the last few months have had a detrimental effect on most facets of business. The summer months saw lots of people holidaying at home, many for the first time and enjoying all the city and county has to offer. So, we wanted to continue that momentum into the autumn and offer a package for guests that would give them the opportunity to explore Waterford and also avail of great retail discounts in selected independent stores.”

“When we first broached the idea with local business owners, they all were enthusiastic about the initiative. In fact, it was their enthusiasm that made us realise that there is a fantastic resilient spirit in Waterford among small businesses, which is so heartening to see.”

Some of the participating businesses include T-R-M, Harlow Fine Jewellery, The Ice Cream Place, Jenny Shoo, Bebhinn, Alfie Hale Sports, Finders Keepers, Foxy Chopper, MC’s Outdoor Store, The Hanger and The Vintage Factory.

Lisa Fitzgerald of The Ice Cream Place was one of the first businesses to come on board. “As a new business, we feel it is important to collaborate with and support local business where and when we can, so we were delighted to get involved when Tina approached us with the idea. It’s a really simple concept and one that gives visitors a reward and who can refuse a discount?”

“The local business community is working hard to offer a wide-ranging value experience to shoppers, so if visitors to Waterford book and stay they will be able to get that little bit extra for their euro.”

The voucher applies to participating businesses and is valid for guests availing of a mid- week break in Dooley’s Hotel until the end of October.

For more information visit www.dooleys-hotel.ie or call 051 873531.

Until October 31st, guests at Dooley’s Hotel can avail of 10% discount from the following stores, upon presentation of their hotel key card.

• Alfie Hale Sports
• Bebhinn
• Benetton
• Evolution
• Finders Keepers
• Fitz U
• Fitzgerald’s Menswear
• Foxy Chopper
• Harlow Fine Jewellers
• Jenny Shoo
• Kelly’s
• Petit Cherie
• MC’s Outdoor Store
• Mulligan’s Pharmacies
• Muse
• Orchid Boutique
• Phelan’s Shoes
• Shaws
• Shooballoo
• The Book Centre
• The Hanger
• The Ice Cream Place
• The Salon at George’s Court
• T-R-M
• The Vintage Factory

Early-stage entrepreneurs from across the south east are invited to apply for the six week New Frontiers programme.  

Some high profile past participants include:

• David Whelan, Immersive VR Education, Waterford.
• Edward Hendrick, Sonru, Wexford.
• Anthony Cronin, Flexiwage, Tallow, Co. Waterford. 
• Jens Kopke, Moto Klik, Kilkenny
• Gery McCauley, OmniSpirant, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary

The programme is run by the WIT School of Business from ArcLabs, the innovation hub based at WIT’s West Campus, Carriganore, Waterford.  

Past participants say the free course has saved them from making the wrong financial decisions in relation to their business, as well as giving them the tools to take their idea or start-up to the next step.  

The deadline for applications is 10 September 2020 at 4pm Applicants apply online at www.wit.ie/newfrontiers. 

New Frontiers Programme Manager at Waterford Institute of Technology, Dr Eugene Crehan explains the time commitment for Phase 1 is just two evenings per week, starting from 15 September 2020.  

“The impact of Covid-19 will result in innovation and people who are inspired to come up with digital solutions and new ways of doing business. Phase 1 of the programme will help would-be entrepreneurs or innovating start-ups and small businesses develop their ideas. Some participants will go onto Phase 2 which starts in December.” 

In 2016 €1.5m in Enterprise Ireland funding was announced to support early-stage entrepreneurs over five years across the south east region. Successful applicants to Phase 2 received €15,000 financial support available to further develop their innovative business start-up. Paid in tax free monthly instalments of €2,500 for six months, this financial support gives people the chance to develop their business while getting paid to do so. 

A number of programme participants have gone on to secure Enterprise Ireland Compatitive Start Funding or to participate in the NDCR at ArcLabs accelerator.  

• Aidan Foley, Raceix, Ardmore, Co. Waterford 
• Fergal Dearle, Stackolater, Baldwinstown, Co. Wexford
• David Creevy, Sipario, New Ross, Co. Wexford

 Over the summer an online virtual showcase of the most recent New Frontiers participants took place.

Awards and winners:

1. Best Business Plan: Niamh Byrne, Buyerpix, Gorey, Co Wexford
2. Most Innovative  Idea: Laurence Fitzhenry, OcuDelLtd, Mullinavat, Co Kilkenny
3. Best Business Opportunity: Martin Phelan, Jenkinstown Co Kilkenny, Bull Shark Technologies Ltd 

Their showcase can be found online at: 

Twitter.com/NewfrontiersSE 

Facebook.com/NewFrontiersSouthEast/ 

And on LinkedIn via the LinkedIn profile of programme leader Dr Eugene Crehan 

Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) has received an additional €207,000 in funding for Springboard places under the Government’s stimulus measures. This brings to over €2.3m the funded WIT places available to employees, jobseekers, previously self-employed people and people returning to the workforce across the region for 2020/21.

WIT is running a virtual open evening focusing on part-time and Springboard+ courses on Wednesday, 9 September 2020 from 6.30pm-7.30pm. The virtual open evening for adult learners will allow people to ask questions they may have about returning to study, fees, and areas they are interested in. Also available is the website upskill.wit.ie is the facility to book a Zoom call with the WIT Springboard & Part-time Virtual Helpdesk.

The Head of the Department of Lifelong Learning at WIT, Neil Quinlan, says that there is enormous interest in Springboard courses this year.

“It’s been hectic and we will be recruiting right through September to fill all available places. Springboard courses allow people to gain a new qualification in one year or less generally and so provide a great structure for people to get back to work and or advance their career.”

Quinlan says that some places are still available in Advanced Drug Formulation, Biomedical Engineering, Data Analytics, Engineering Automation, Financial Services, Hospitality, Pharma Quality Management and Software Development.

Springboard courses include level 9 business qualifications in Economics and Finance and Digital Marketing Practice, Business Analytics, Finance and Business Analytics. In computing there is also a data analytics courses

Automation engineering and biomedical engineering are also on the list. In the science realm Advanced Drug Formulation Science and Quality Management and Quantitative Data Analysis are two areas of study. In the world of hospitality there is both a Certificate in Culinary Skills and Certificate in Food and Beverage Operations.

Courses may be 1-year courses to add to existing qualifications or it’s also possible for adult learners to do a variety of full degree qualifications part-time.

Over the summer WIT secured potential funding of €2,122,790 under the Springboard+ and Human Capital Initiative: Pillar 1 calls this year, a new funding initiative targeted at new programmes for graduate conversion. WIT was awarded a potential €1,691,540 in funding for 324 Springboard places in 2020/21 and a potential €431,250 in funded places under the Human Capital Initiative: Pillar 1.

The free or highly-subsidised Springboard+ higher-education courses are open to both employed and unemployed people.

“Springboard+ courses are designed to allow people to re-boot their career through significant upskilling within one-year of less.  Courses are fully-funded for the unemployed, previously self-employed and people returning to the workplace. For employed people level 6 Springboard Courses are 100% - funded and Level 7 - 9 Springboard courses are 90% - funded,” concludes Quinlan.

Springboard+ is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Social Fund as part of the ESF programme or Employability, Inclusion and Learning 2014-2020.

Ireland’s Tyndall National Institute is working with local businesses and individuals with novel research and development ideas under the Celtic Advanced Life Science Innovation Network (CALIN) programme, a partnership between Irish and Welsh academic organisations. Becoming part of the CALIN programme enables start-ups and SMEs to access labs, knowledge and the expertise to develop, prototype and test new ideas at no cost. Through the CALIN programme, Tyndall has supported the delivery of new products and processes to 24 SMEs which employ more than 400 people, 350 of them in Ireland.

“CALIN is easy to access and efficient, which is especially crucial now as we get to work restarting the economy and supporting the SMEs who sustain employment in Ireland,” explained Tyndall Programme Manager Dr. Eamonn Hawe. “The application is just a few pages long, and it’s typically two months from initial talks to projects getting up-and-running.”

Explaining CALIN’s advantages, Hawe continued, “Perhaps most important to some of the smaller businesses we deal with, there is no cash or shares outlay. You can come to CALIN with an industry problem or a start-up product idea, and a partner like Tyndall will cover the costs through the ERDF-funded CALIN INTERREG project. With the funds, we can do a feasibility study and develop a rapid prototype for proof of concept. We’ll then link you to follow-on national funding supports such as Enterprise Ireland to develop your business.” CALIN clients are expected to contribute their time and their expertise, a contribution known as benefit in kind.

CALIN’s focus is on Life Science applications, and companies accessing Tyndall’s CALIN programme are primarily bringing together ideas and concepts that focus on human and animal health. However, the companies themselves span marine, construction, medtech, agriculture, software and more. One example is Dublin-based VRAI, a company using artificial intelligence and 360-degree virtual reality to improve safety in hazardous environments including war zones and off-shore wind farms.

Part of a programme for regional development, CALIN’s Irish team supports businesses in within the east and south of Ireland.

For a CALIN application, potential applicants can contact Dr. Hawe directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..