Project approvals under the Transitional Programme will commence from 1st April 2021. The Programme will bridge gap between EU LEADER programming periods.
The Initial allocation of €521k to support Sligo-led rural development with a key focus on building capacity in communities.
The main priorities include:
- Supports to rural businesses seeking to reach new markets, expand, innovate and/or diversify in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and/or Brexit, with a particular emphasis on providing support to businesses in the food sector.
- Community based projects that seek to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Supports and capacity building for communities that have not previously received assistance under LEADER or other rural programmes.
- Support for new and innovative projects in the areas of climate change, environmental protection and the green economy.
- Maximising the potential of broadband and the digital economy in communities, including through skills development and building awareness and usage of available remote working facilities.
- Projects that develop the concept of the Smart Village initiative or Rural Economic Development Zones (REDZs).
Find out more:
For Application information please email sheffernan@sligoleader.com
Closing date for first round of applications is the 28th May 2021.
Announcing the details of the Transitional Programme, Minister Humphreys said :
“Since 1991, the LEADER Programme has played an important role in the development and enhancement of rural areas, by providing critical funding to rural economies, and supporting rural communities to implement a local-led ‘bottom-up’ approach to developing their own areas.
With co-financing from the EU, LEADER has supported thousands of projects across Ireland. It has contributed to job creation, community development and environmental projects throughout the length and breadth of rural Ireland.
A new call for proposals under the LEADER Food Initiative will also be announced in 2021. This Initiative, which is jointly managed by my Department and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, will support small food producers to address emerging challenges, such as responding to the impact of Brexit and developing markets for their products.
The Transitional Programme will give local communities and enterprises an opportunity to respond to the emerging challenges for rural areas and to look ahead to issues that are likely to feature in the next EU programme.
It will allow the Local Development Companies to build capacity within communities who have not received LEADER funding to date, while also facilitating preparations for the next LEADER programme.”
