Local projects in the Midlands to receive grants amounting to €18 million under EU Just Transition Fund programme

Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, today announced the 15 projects in the Midlands that will receive grant awards amounting to €18 million from the EU Just Transition Fund (JTF) programme.

All of the awarded projects will invest in local communities, to create employment and to diversify the local economy of the Midlands region. They range from innovation and community hubs to a range of education and training programmes, and from green energy projects to heritage initiatives.

Thirteen projects, led by, or with strong involvement from, local authorities have been awarded grant funding of between €200,000 and €1 million to deliver actions in line with their Local Economic and Community Plans in the Midlands. The approved projects will deliver significant benefits to the region, including:

• the upskilling and training of communities in the territory to participate in the low carbon economy
• the preservation, repurposing and refurbishment of local infrastructure and heritage assets for use as enterprise space
• supporting green technologies, including renewable energy and sustainable energy practices

Two further strategic flagship projects supporting the delivery of the Regional Enterprise Plans have been approved for total funding of over €8 million:

• The Munster Technological University (MTU), in partnership with Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) and the University of Limerick (UL) will deliver education and training opportunities for the economic development and environmental sustainability of the Midlands region
• The Midlands Local Authorities (Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath) are allocating dedicated resources to realise sectoral ambitions in line with the objectives for the region's Regional Enterprise Plan, including the Midland pathway to transition to a net-zero economy, Midlands Ireland Placemaking Programme and the Midlands Ireland Regional Food and Drink Strategy

Projects have been selected through a competitive process under the EU Just Transition Fund Local and Regional Economic Strategies Support Scheme, administered by Pobal on behalf of the Department, which seeks to support the implementation of bottom-up local and regional strategies. Successful projects needed to demonstrate close alignment with locally-led Regional Enterprise Plans (REPs) and Local Economic and Community Plans (LECPs).

Commenting on the projects approved for funding under the scheme, Minister Ryan stated:

"It is imperative that communities and workers who are most affected by the shift to a carbon neutral future are provided with targeted supports to address the social and economic impact of the transition.

"The changes we need to make have to be just, ensuring that the needs of people and planet are supported. This scheme will help communities across the Midlands to maximise the opportunities and benefits of the green economy by harnessing and supporting the implementation of bottom-up local and regional strategies. This will help build new economic strength and identity for the region while also supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy."

Clare Bannon, Acting Director of the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly (EMRA), said:

"I welcome the announcement today of the projects that will receive funding through the Local and Regional Economic Strategies Support Scheme under the EU Just Transition Fund (EU JTF). It is a significant milestone for the EU JTF Programme as this scheme is the first of its kind in Ireland in its approach to funding local and regional economic strategies, designed to put local authorities and communities at the centre of the delivery of the EU JTF in Ireland. These selected projects highlight the ingenuity and locally-conceived ideas that have the potential to make a lasting impact on the wider Midland region. We also extend our gratitude to all the applicants for their submissions, which have shown dedication to the opportunity that exists in the region."

Councillor Kate Feeney, Cathaoirleach of the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly, remarked:

"The selection of these projects under the innovative EU JTF Local and Regional Economic Strategies Support Scheme is a transformative moment for the Irish Midlands. By bringing support directly from the EU to the local level where it is needed the most, the selected initiatives will foster growth and drives sustainable development for the communities in the region for years to come."

Pobal CEO, Anna Shakespeare said:

Pobal is delighted to be working with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly on the EU Just Transition Fund to support the implementation of these very exciting projects within the midlands. These diverse projects demonstrate a tangible investment in the development of local communities, building skills, generating employment and supporting the economic diversification of the midlands region as they transition to a low carbon economy. Pobal recognises the value of this fund and are proud to support it. We look forward to working with all stakeholder organisations in the region to make this scheme a success."

Selected Projects

• subject to grant-agreement

** Manorhamilton Innovation and Development Community will deliver this project in Co. Roscommon.

The Local and Regional Economic Strategies Support Scheme is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the EU Just Transition Fund programme 2021-2027 which supports the workers and communities most negatively impacted by the transition to a low carbon economy by supporting the development of sustainable and resilient communities in the Midlands.

This programme focuses its activities in the EU Just Transition Fund Territory, consisting of Laois, Longford, Offaly, Westmeath, Roscommon and the Municipal Districts of Ballinasloe (Co Galway), Athy, Clane-Maynooth, (Co Kildare) and Carrick-on-Suir and Thurles (Co Tipperary).

Successful projects will be delivered up to March 2026.

Further information on the scheme is available on the Pobal website.

ENDS

Notes to the Editor

Eligible territory

Ireland's EU Just Transition Fund programme is targeted at the wider Midlands region as it transitions away from peat extraction for energy use. The designated EU JTF territory in Ireland is defined as the counties of Laois, Longford, Offaly, Westmeath, Roscommon and the Municipal Districts of Ballinasloe (Co Galway), Athy, Clane-Maynooth, (Co Kildare) and Carrick-on-Suir and Thurles (Co Tipperary).

Eligible organisations under Call 1 of the Local and Regional Economic Strategies Support Scheme

Organisations that were eligible to apply for funding under this call of the Local and Regional Economic Strategies Support Scheme included:

• Local Authorities within the EU JTF Territory
• Local Development Companies (LDCs)
• Education and Training Boards (ETBs)
• educational institutions
• other public bodies
• community and voluntary organisations
• social enterprises
• charities
• not-for-profit organisations

Community and Enterprise Grants Scheme

A second call for funding under the Local and Regional Economic Strategies Support Scheme (LRESSS), the EU JTF Community Enterprise Grants Scheme, closed for applications on 28 February 2024. The following organisations were invited to apply:

• Community and voluntary organisations or not-for-profit organisations
• Social enterprises
• Micro, small to medium sized organisations

Project applications received under the EU JTF Community and Enterprise Grants Scheme are currently under assessment.

Other Calls for funding under the EU Just Transition Fund programme

Since launching the EU JTF Programme last year, several calls for funding have been run under the three programme priorities. Applications received are currently being assessed. The successful applicants from the various calls will be announced in the coming months.

So far a number of areas of investment are being committed for funding. These include investments:

• in bioeconomy demonstration initiatives
• to support regenerative tourism through the Fáilte Ireland, including hiring of Tourism Activators in each of the eight Local Authorities in the Territory, running of a Tourism Learning Network programme, and developing tourism opportunities through strategic partnerships with State Agencies and Local Authorities
• to build a network of trails and restoring peatlands.

EU Just Transition Fund

The purpose of the EU Just Transition Fund (EUJTF), co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union, is to assist the territories most affected by the transition to a climate-neutral economy. In Ireland, this focuses on the wider Midlands region, where there have been direct impacts from the move away from peat production and electricity generation from peat. To facilitate a just transition towards a low-carbon economy in the Midlands, the EU and the Government of Ireland have established a €169 million Just Transition Fund Programme for the period 2021-2027.

By providing opportunities for employment in the Territory, the EU JTF can help to create an inclusive, attractive, healthy and sustainable place to live, work and visit.

The programme priorities of the EU JTF are as follows:

1. Generating employment by investing in the diversification of the local economy

2. Restoration of degraded peatlands and regeneration of industrial heritage assets

3. Smart and sustainable local mobility

The Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly (EMRA) are the Managing Authority for Ireland's EU Just Transition Fund Programme. Further information, including programme documentation, and links to information about previous, currently open and future funding calls, is available on the EMRA website.