Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 1 February 2023
57. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will provide a breakdown of the capital and current budget allocations for each programme under subhead A.10 matching funding for interreg of the revised Estimate for 2023, in tabular form. [5014/23]
View answerThe INTERREG VA Programme is one of 60 cross-border programmes operating across the EU, which are designed to overcome issues that arise due to the existence of a border. The programme area includes the six border counties of Ireland, Northern Ireland and part of Western Scotland.
INTERREG VA focusses on four areas that are seen as crucial for job creation and growth: supporting cross-border initiatives to strengthen research and innovation; preserving and protecting the shared environment; promoting sustainable mobility across the borders; and enhancing cross-border collaboration for the provision of quality health and social care services.
The current INTERREG VA programme is due to conclude in 2023.
My Department has responsibility for funding projects under the Research and Innovation (R&I) strand of the current INTERREG VA programme, together with its counterparts in Northern Ireland, the Department for the Economy. The funding ratio is split on a 30% (DETE) to 70% (DfE NI) basis.
There are two elements to the R&I strand:
- a specific objective aimed at increasing the number of SMEs engaged in cross-border research and innovation activity (€18 million). InterTradeIreland is the lead partner for this project;
- a specific objective aimed at increasing the level of cross-border business and industry-relevant research and innovation capacity within the Health and Life Sciences and Renewable Energy sectors (€53 million). There are seven projects funded under this objective. Third level institutions within the geographical area have a key role in delivering these projects, including the Institutes of Technology in Dundalk, Sligo and Letterkenny.
Total funding available for the R&I strand (funded by the EU and participating Member States) is just over €70 million up to the end of the programme. My Department's commitment is €21 million over the seven-year programme. Its budget allocation for its INTERREG VA projects in 2023 is €1.389 million, which is all capital funding.
The 2023 allocation for INTERREG is based on forecasting from the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). The SEUPB has informed my Department that accurate forecasting for this programme can be difficult and forecasts provided can be subject to significant variation. The total funding required from the Department for the seven years of the programme has not changed and still stands at €21 million. This is the final year of the INTERREG VA programme and thus this final allocation will fulfil the Department's commitment to the programme.
