West
(Galway, Mayo & Roscommon)

The West region has successfully carved out a clear association with important industry sectors including MedTech, Lifesciences and Technology. The region has seen the emergence of some really innovative and ambitious companies.

These include ICS Medical, an industry leading catheter technology engineering company and Xerotech, a graduate of the HPSU programme 2019. Xerotech design and manufacture next-generation thermally managed lithium-ion battery systems for automotive, industrial, marine and aerospace, and are currently developing next-generation battery safety technology for the European Space Agency (ESA).

Enterprise Ireland works with clients across the full spectrum of size and sector from entrepreneurs to HPSUs to established companies. From an entrepreneurship perspective, the New Frontiers Programme, funded by Enterprise Ireland and delivered by Galway Mayo Institute of Technology, has a track record of supporting early stage entrepreneurs and helping them develop into successful start-ups and scaling companies. In October 2021, 14 New Frontiers projects started phase 2 on the West Programme (8 Galway, 6 Mayo).

An area that has been brought into focus in recent times is the imperative to grow the number of Irish exporting SMEs. Enterprise Ireland has added a dedicated development advisor to the West team to work directly with those companies with exporting potential to drive new growth through developing ambitious exporting strategies and bolstering management capability.

The success of Irish-grown companies, from entrepreneurship through to start-up, scale-up and global success requires investment in regional development supports such as accelerators, enterprise centres and industry clusters. Enterprise Ireland funds and supports several important regional development initiatives and investments across the West that are significant catalysts for company growth. Building on sectors where the region performs well, in August 2021, 18 companies attended the Pre- Accelerator programme in the PorterShed, Galway, with over 200 companies attending a virtual showcase programme in October 2021.

• The West region has a strong presence in the Medtech and Technology Sectors
• Galway Technology Centre and The PorterShed continue to support the development of indigenous technology-based industry in the West Region
• BIA Innovator Campus, in Athenry, Galway is a step change project that will transform the food entrepreneurship landscape in the West of Ireland. These developments build on the region’s existing and emerging strengths, stimulating collaboration and innovation and are all initiatives supported under the Regional Development Fund
• Under the Regional Technology Cluster Fund, The Wood and Furniture Manufacturing Clusters will help the sector to scale rapidly and sustainably
• The Medtech and Life Sciences Cluster will continue to enable SMEs to scale rapidly through increased engagement in research, development and innovation activities and the efficient creation of novel products and services. It will help them to capitalise on future trends, especially in Digital Health, and to adopt innovative technologies
• The West region will continue to work with other regional stakeholders to develop further clustering projects in Medical Technologies and The Wood and Furniture Manufacturing

Enterprise Ireland continues to support, through collaboration and funding, the region’s centers of excellence: GMIT’s iHub, NUIG and a strong base of Community Enterprise Centres delivering capability supports across the region.

Collaboration is key and Enterprise Ireland’s West team works closely with regional stakeholders to deliver enterprise development supports that drive the growth of start-ups and established client companies. These include the region’s three local enterprise offices, the West Regional Skills Forum; the West region also supports West Regional Skills Forum, GMIT iHub and NUIG.