Electric.ie July/August 2021

ELECTRIC.IE • The Magazine & Website for the Irish Electrical Industry • 33 €5m in grants to retail sector through Covid-19 Online Retail Scheme M inister of State for Business, Employment and Retail at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Damien English, has today announced the successful applicants approved for funding through the Covid-19 Online Retail Scheme, which is administered by Enterprise Ireland. 133 retailers have been approved €5M in funding as part of the scheme, which is targeted at retailers who already have an online presence to strengthen their online offering and enable them to reach a wider customer base. ‒ 133 retailers will receive funding via the scheme which aims to drive Irish retailers’ online sales at home and abroad. Industry News The scheme received 292 applications. 68% of the successful applicants are located outside Dublin with 90 retailers from these regions approved for funding. Under this Covid-19 competitive call, the successful applicants will receive funding ranging from €14,080 to €40,000 to strengthen their online offering. The average grant value is €37,500 and covers up to 80% of project costs. Minister Damien English said “ The economic value of operating in the ecommerce space and its convenience for customers has come to the fore since the onset of Covid-19 and the Online Retail Scheme will help companies improve and maximise their digital sales potential. The Government continues to focus on helping businesses to get back on track in the coming months and as more of our workplaces and businesses reopen, in line with public health guidelines, we will do everything we can to support retailers in creating safe shopping spaces, in store and online, for customers and staff.” 70 jobs announced at Irish process automation firm S imoTech, the largest Irish- owned process automation services and manufacturing IT systems company for the pharma/biotech sector, has today announced the creation of 70 new jobs over the next two years. These jobs will be based in Ireland, including Carrigaline, Co Cork, where SimoTech has expanded to a new headquarters to facilitate its continued growth. 20 of these jobs will support SimoTech’s overseas work from Ireland, including its rst contract in Singapore, working with a large vaccine provider on a major capital project in the APAC region. ‒ SimoTech expands as it supports biosciences industry growth. An Taoiseach Micheál Martin welcomed the announcement and said: “SimoTech is a shining example of the type of technical innovation Ireland has to offer, and I’m delighted to see it expand its global footprint while creating high-skilled jobs at home. Biotech and pharma are crucial sectors for the Irish economy and having home- grown companies of the calibre of SimoTech is essential to that success.” Martin Corkery, Regional Director at Enterprise Ireland; Aishlyn Kerr, Talent Acquisition Lead at SimoTech; Pat Desmond, CEO at SimoTech; An Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Brian Clune, Head of Talent Management at SimoTech. Picture: Darragh Kane.