COVID-19 Online Retail Scheme – Enterprise Ireland

The Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation (DBEI) has proposed this Scheme in response to the Covid-19 crisis and the urgent need for retail companies to achieve a step change in online capability.

This is a Competitive Fund which will be administered by Enterprise Ireland on behalf of DBEI with a total fund size of €5m.

Applications for funding will be invited through a public Call for submission of projects. This Call open and close dates have been confirmed.

Call Open Date: Tuesday 4th May 2021
Call Close Date: Tuesday 25th May 2021 at 12pm

The purpose of this fund is to enable Irish-owned retailers to enhance their digital capability and to develop a more competitive online offer, that will enable an increase in their customer base and build a more resilient business in the domestic and global marketplace both online and offline.

Successful applicants will be awarded funding to support a maximum of 80% of the project eligible costs with a maximum grant of €40,000. Typical elements involved in developing a sophisticated and transactional online presence include research, consultancy costs for strategy development, implementation and training

Please note this is a competitive fund and Enterprise will be accepting applications and evaluating each application for suitability.

The Scheme is NOT open to a number of organisations and Enterprise Ireland will carry out an evaluation of all eligible applications using the following criteria:

Evaluation Criteria

• Quality of the proposal and the potential impact on the business demonstrated in the proposal – 35%
• Impact of proposed changes on the competitive position and viability of the company – 35%
• Ambition to internationalise the business – 20%
• The company’s financial track record – 10%

As this is a competitive fund you need to be sure your application addresses these criteria, particularly the

• Quality of the proposal
• The potential impact on the business demonstrated in the proposal
• The impact of proposed changes on the competitive position and viability of the company

Innovation is key to accessing the funding. Emarkable is an approved Digital Consultancy Company in this scheme and can assist you in your application and future implementation of your digital strategy.

Contact us today to ensure your business can access the funding.

For more information on the scheme:

https://www.enterprise-ireland.com/en/funding-supports/Online-Retail/Online-Retail-Scheme/