Participants being inducted onto Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers programme at LIT today were told that they are joining the home of enterprise in the Mid-West.

LIT will be running Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers programme for the next 5 years in the Mid-West. Companies on the LIT New Frontiers programme in 2015/2016 raised over €5 million, and have helped create almost 200 jobs

Speaking to participants at their induction onto the programme at the Hartnett Enterprise Acceleration Centre in LIT, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell-O’Connor said, “Supports such as the Enterprise Ireland New Frontiers programme are all the more crucial now in the current trading environment where companies need to be all the more competitive. I would urge anyone with a business idea to consider applying to this important entrepreneur development programme".

Vice President for Research Enterprise and Development at LIT, Dr Liam Brown, said “New Frontiers is the national entrepreneurship programme for early-stage high-potential start-up companies. It is a tremendously important programme for enterprise and entrepreneurship in the Mid-West, and we in LIT are particularly proud of our role in the programme.

“I wish our latest participants the very best in their efforts, and we look forward to providing them with the support and infrastructure they need to succeed."

New Frontiers is a three-phase programme designed to help early-stage emerging high potential startups (HPSUs). The 2016 cohort of 12 Entrepreneurs in LIT were chosen via a very competitive process from across industry sectors. The Entrepreneurs will have access to key industry experts, consultants, focussed training and mentoring. They also receive a €15k stipend from Enterprise Ireland (EI) and assigned a personal Development Advisor with opportunities for funding from EI or Local Enterprise Offices, business angel and VC networks, and LIT’s own Enterprise Ladder Fund (ELF) or Ryan Entrepreneurship Fund for Tipperary managed by LIT.

The Enterprise Ireland New Frontiers Programme is run nationally and is now one of the largest employment generators in the country. Companies on the LIT New Frontiers programme alone in 2015/2016 have helped create almost 200 jobs to date and raised more than €5m while on New Frontiers.

LIT has 5 core enterprise, incubation and acceleration centres across Limerick and Tipperary as well as supporting 2 community enterprise centres and strong growing applied Research & Development office supporting research and development to startups and SME’s right through to large multinationals.

In addition to New Frontiers LIT run a number of short programmes and masterclasses to support enterprise development in the region with our partners and collaborators in UL, LEO, EI and the Chambers of Commerce as well as a private enterprise.

Entrepreneurs listed on the programme include; BJ Broderick, Christopher Ryan, Kelly O’Brien, Dylan Commons, Mark Corchrane, John Bond, Leonie Lynch, Mark Boda, Claire Bannon, Kirsty O’Kelly, Edmond Burke, Shane Ryan and Alan Dormer.