The importance of the Donegal Local Enterprise Office has been stressed in Donegal County Council’s Revenue Budget for 2024, with just over €2 million set aside to run the LEO next year.
The office is tasked with promoting enterprise and entrepreneurship in the County by providing direct supports to individuals and businesses.
The council says during 2023, there has been a continued focus on delivering core enterprise supports to facilitate start-ups and expansions, with a particular emphasis on driving exports and increasing digitalisation.
Two accelerator programmes, Scale-X and Ambition, are facilitating 38 new enterprises.
Up to the 14th of last month, the LEO approved 51 Grant Aid applications, to the tune of almost €711,000.
52 applicants received Trading Online Vouchers worth a total of just over €114,000, while there were 259 mentoring approvals at a cost of almost €95,000.
61 participants shared almost €229,000 under the Digital for Business, Lean for Business and Green Business schemes.
Meanwhile, there were 91 Training Programmes and events, attended by 1,566 people.
2023 also saw the launch of the LEO’s Food Coast Donegal Strategic Review document, the publication of the Meet the Makers Donegal
Directory, and the start of work on the Creative Coast Strategy, due for completion in 2024.
