Ireland’s Mid-East Region Is Growing Agtech-Focused Startups
Ireland
Mid-East Region
MEMBERS:
Meath Enterprise
"The Mid-East region is one of the fastest growing innovation ecosystems in Ireland, supporting startups and scaleups across multiple sectors, from Agtech & New Food, Life Sciences, AI and robotics to name but a few, to create maximum social and economic impact in the years ahead."
Highlights
Traditionally a region of green fields and farms, the counties encircling Dublin have a growing reputation as a startup ecosystem, particularly for innovation in Agtech and food-related companies.
The Mid-East Regional Enterprise Plan to 2024 was launched by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment in March 2022. It aims to develop and implement innovative enterprise and ecosystem development projects in the region such as the Boyne Valley Food Innovation District. The Kildare Community Network will receive over €2.5 million ($2.7 million) in funding for a coworking space to cluster Irish and international technology companies and provide mentorship and support. The GENESIS-Incubation Programme is an eight-week program for founders developed by MERITS and Kildare Local Enterprise Office.
INFORMBIO is a new collaborative project to develop a low carbon roadmap for Ireland’s bioeconomy led by Munster Technological University with Teagasc, NUI Galway, and the Central Statistics Office of Ireland. The nearly €1 million ($1.1 million) project was launched in March 2022 and will run for four years with the goal of positioning Ireland as a front-runner among EU member states in developing its bioeconomy.
Designed to support the international growth efforts of Irish companies, the Agile Innovation Fund allows companies to access up to 50% of the cost of innovation projects up to a total cost of €300,000 ($327,000) with fast-track approval.
Ecosystem by the Numbers
TOTAL EARLY STAGE FUNDING
(2019H2-2021)
$3.4 m
GLOBAL AVG.
$687 m
ECOSYSTEM VALUE
(2019H2-2021)
$412 m
GLOBAL AVG.
$28.6 bn
Amount ($)
Count (#)
Exits
(2017-2021)Sub-Sector Strengths
Agtech & New Food
AgTechUCD is an innovation center based at the UCD Lyons Research Farm that supports the Agtech sub-sector. In 2021, AgTechUCD launched its first accelerator, offering early-stage startups training, mentorship, and networking. The New Zealand – Ireland Agritech Summit 2022 will bring together researchers, innovators, and investors from New Zealand and Ireland to discuss relevant research, technologies, and applications from both countries.
Reasons to Move Your Startup to Mid-East Region
Highly Educated Talent
The three counties of the Mid-East region border Dublin, which has five universities and four Institutes of Technology producing approximately 26,800 graduates every year. Maynooth University is Ireland’s fastest growing university in terms of student numbers, with over 11,000 currently enrolled.
Research & Development
Maynooth University hosts seven research institutes, including the Hamilton Institute, a world-leading research unit focused on drones, A.I. and Robotics, and the Innovation Value Institute, which was co-developed with Intel. The country’s flagship Nanoscience Institute is located at Dublin’s Trinity College. The Conway Institute at UCD, which specializes in biomedical research, and the Clarity Research center, specializing in Sensor Web, are in close proximity to the ecosystem.
Government Support
Ireland offers startups and SMEs a range of grants, loans, tax breaks, and other funding. The Short-Term Enterprise Allowance supports individuals who have been made unemployed and plan to start their own business. The Start-up Refunds for Entrepreneurs scheme allows entrepreneurs to claim back income tax when starting a business. New businesses are also eligible for a corporate tax exemption during their first three years.
Selected Startup Organizations
Startup Genome Members
“Startup Genome is proud to collaborate with Meath Enterprise in their efforts to drive lasting entrepreneurial, employment, and economic growth. Our data-driven approach coupled with Mid-East Region Ireland’s forward-thinking policy leaders will continue to bring additional success stories and progress to the local startup community.”
Startup Genome
Partners
EO Accelerator Ireland
Meath Enterprise Centre
Boyne Valley Food Hub
Arklow Enterprise Centre
Athy Enterprise Centre
Clane Project Centre
Kells Tech Hub
Maynooth Works
Wicklow Enterprise Centre
Kells Enterprise & Technology Centre
PFS Accelerator
Meath County Council
Wicklow Local Enterprise Office
Meath County Chamber
Louth-Meath Education & Training Board
Maynooth University
Kildare Chamber of Commerce
Kildare County Council
Kildare Local Enterprise Office
Kildare-Wicklow Education & Training Board
Wicklow Chamber of Commerce
Wicklow County Council
Meath Local Enterprise Office
Enterprise Ireland
Mid-East Regional Skills Forum
Mid-East Action Plan for Jobs Committee
Industrial Development Authority - IDA
Media Ireland
Featured Articles from
Local Ambassadors
Michael Brougham
Regional Director for the Mideast and the Midlands region of Ireland
Would you like to be an ambassador in Mid-East Region?
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