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InterTradeIreland Business Summit ’23
I am delighted to have attended the recent Business Summit-a great lineup of speakers and great networking opportunities-thank you IntertradeIreland!
InterTradeIreland Business Summit ’23
Join us at the InterTradeIreland Business Summit ‘23, to find out about the real opportunities and innovations that will shape the future of doing business on the island of Ireland. From digitisation to drone delivery, this free to attend event will give you a front row seat to the cutting-edge technologies and global trends that will impact firms of all sizes.
It will include a keynote address by economist and broadcaster, David McWilliams, case studies, and contributions and insights from successful entrepreneurs from Ireland and Northern Ireland on future growth opportunities, including Bobby Healy the CEO of Manna.
Brian O’Driscoll, former Leinster and Ireland rugby player and entrepreneur will share how vision, ambition and drive fuelled his phenomenal sporting career and how you can tap into those skills to deliver business excellence and success.
This is your opportunity to hear from expert speakers and large and small businesses about their experiences of innovation, collaboration and ambition and how it allowed them to gain competitive advantage.
TED Ambassador award
Rules of competition
Outline
What is the TED Ambassador award?
The ‘TED Ambassador award’ is a competition that aims to identify and reward research in the field of public procurement.
High-quality research is crucial for fostering innovation, sustainability and transparency in public procurement.
Applicants are invited to submit essays they have published in this field. The winning essays will receive prize money and will be advertised on the official website for public procurement of the EU, TED (Tenders Electronic Daily). They will also be included in an online catalogue of high-quality studies aimed at fostering knowledge sharing and innovation in public procurement, making it more efficient, greener and more transparent.
The contest is promoted by the Publications Office of the European Union under the Preparatory Action on ‘Transparency in public procurement’.
The Publications Office is the official publisher of EU law, public procurement, publications, open data and research results. It brings together data on public contracts from all EU countries and beyond and publishes them on the TED website.
TED is the online version of the ‘Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union’, dedicated to public procurement. It publishes 676,000 procurement notices a year, including 258,000 calls for tender, which are worth some € 670 billion. TED brings buyers and bidders together. It is the official gateway to business opportunities in the European Union, the European Economic Area and countries that are members of the Agreement on Government Procurement.
Who can participate?
The competition rules are based on Articles 206 and 207 of the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Union. The competition respects the principles of transparency and equal treatment.
The competition is open to applications from public procurement specialists worldwide.
- You can submit an article, paper or chapter of a volume. These essays must have been published online. Monographs and theses are excluded from the competition. Maximum length of the essay: 10,000 words. This includes all text. For example, the abstract, footnotes, references and all text in tables, figures and appendices.
- Language: English.
- We accept both individual and joint essays (co-authored). If you choose to submit a joint essay, please make sure that all authors agree and give their permission to enter the competition.
- Each individual author can submit only one essay.
- Your essay must have been published between 01/01/2018 and 31/12/2022 in peer-reviewed online journals or in edited volumes with an ISSN and/or ISBN.
- Essays that have not yet been published will not be accepted.
- Any submitted essay hosted in a publication of which a member of the selection panel is an ‘editor’ or a ‘co-author’ will be excluded.
- The competition is not open to staff working in the EU institutions, agencies, bodies, offices or to contractors of the Publications Office.
What are the research topics?
The competition focuses on 4 research topics. You can submit an application for one of the following:
- Topic 1: ‘Transparency in public procurement’
Promoting transparency, efficiency and accountability. For example, tools to monitor transparency in public procurement; public procurement statistics in Member States about the quantity/quality of public procurement above/below the threshold; non-compliance of EU Member States with EU legislation on public procurement, etc.
- Topic 2: ‘Green procurement’
Analysing current gaps, future challenges and best practice. For example: current context; current policies; tools to identify and monitor green public procurement, etc.
- Topic 3: ‘Emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in public procurement’
Increasing efficiency, transparency, sustainability and gender equality in public procurement through AI. For example: how AI can facilitate better decisions, lower costs and increased transparency; mapping public entities that use AI technologies for procurement; integrating AI and good public procurement governance, etc.
- Topic 4: ‘Stimulating innovation through public procurement’Bringing innovative solutions to the market. For example: the extent to which EU legislation stimulates innovation through public procurement; how pre-commercial procurement could foster innovation in the EU; markets where public authorities have a potential to encourage demand for new technologies; converting new inventions into new products and jobs; promoting globally accepted solutions instead of locally tailored ones, etc.
Competition timeline
Milestones Deadlines Submit your applicationYou must submit your application by filling in the online form.Please include a short bio (max. 250 words), the title of your essay, a valid link to your essay and an electronic copy of your essay published in an online journal or edited volume. Please make sure the URL you provide works properly and that the copy of your essay is accessible. Your application will be rejected if the URL is broken or the content is not accessible.28 April 202323:59 CESTSelection phaseThe selection phase ends and all candidates are notified via email. Only the first 120 essays to be submitted will be evaluated – 30 per research topic. The top three winners per research topic will be announced on the TED website.May/June 2023 2023 Winners
12 winners will receive prize money (€1,500 per prize).Evaluation process
Selection
The selection process takes place after the deadline to submit applications for the competition (28 April 2023). During this phase, a selection panel appointed by the Publications Office assesses each application.
Applications are assessed and graded against the selection criteria (table below). For each research topic, the 12 applications that score the highest number of points (i.e. the top 3 per research topic) are selected as the winners.
Selection criteria Maximum number of points Relevance to the chosen research topic 10 Clear explanation of concepts for a non-specialist audience (e.g. writing clearly; absence of technical jargon) 10 Relevance of the essay in contemporary debate 10 Innovation and development perspectives (e.g. predicting future trends; promoting further research) 10 Impact on policymaking and/or possible application in technological systems 10 The essay is open access, i.e. fully available for anyone to read at no cost 4 All applicants will be notified via email about the selection results. On request, applicants may also need to provide further information or clarifications about their submitted application for the evaluation.
Prizes
Each of the 12 winning applications will be awarded prize money of €1,500 under the TED Ambassador award.
The winning essays will be promoted and referenced on the TED website, together with the authors’ biographies, and will form part of an online catalogue of high-quality studies in public procurement. The 12 winners will also benefit from online publicity via social media.
To receive the prize money, the winners are required to submit a feedback report by filling in a survey about the competition.
Place Award Top three per research topic • 12 winner essays will be advertised on the TED website, via a link to the online journal/volume’s page hosting the essay.• Author biographies will be published on the TED website.• Publicity via social media.• Prize money: €1,500 per winning application.Applicants outside the top 12 Some essays that did not make the top 12 may still be advertised on the TED website (at the discretion of the Publications Office).Additional information
Questions
If you have any questions about this competition, you can ask us, in writing only, up until 14 April 2023. Email your questions to OP-TED-AMBASSADOR-AWARD@ec.europa.eu.
Awards payments
Awards payments are subject to winners registering their details on the legal entity form and the European Commission’s bank account database. We therefore ask winners to provide all the necessary supporting documents – duly signed and stamped – at the latest three weeks after being selected.
Winners must also decide to whom the prize money should be transferred. You can find additional information and links to download templates for the legal entity and bank account forms here. The Publications Office takes no responsibility regarding the distribution of awards among the winners.
Cancellation of the competitionThe Publications Office reserves the right to cancel the competition, or to abstain from awarding one or more prizes without any obligation to compensate the teams.Intellectual property and copyrightThe submitted essay will remain the property of the rights holders. The EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies will be allowed to mention, describe and promote any essays submitted to the competition with due reference to the author or authors on their channels (websites, social media, press releases, etc.).PublicityThe winning applicants will be advertised on the TED website and promoted via social media channels. The biographies and copyright of the authors will be mentioned.At the discretion of the Publications Office, some essays that do not make the top 12 may also be advertised on the TED website. In such cases, no prize money is granted, nor will there be any publicity coverage through social media.Processing of personal dataIf you participate in the competition, your personal data will be processed by us according to Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 on the processing of personal data by the EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies. We will process your data only as needed in connection with organising and following up the competition, although we may send it to certain bodies responsible for monitoring or inspection, as laid down in European Union legislation.You may at any time ask us to view your personal data, or ask us to correct it or remove it from our systems. Please note that removing your data will cancel your participation in the competition. For more information about the processing of your personal data, please check the TED privacy policy and terms of use.Sole liability of the teamsIf there are any claims relating to the activities carried out as part of the competition, applicants are solely liable. The Publications Office cannot be held responsible for any claim relating to the activities carried out by applicants as part of the competition.The Publications Office cannot be held liable for any damages caused or sustained by any of the applicants, including any damages caused to third parties because of or during the implementation of activities related to the competition.Applicable law and competent jurisdictionThe competition is governed by the applicable EU law. The General Court or, on appeal, the Court of Justice of the European Union, will have sole jurisdiction to hear any dispute between the EU and any applicant in relation to the competition, if such a dispute cannot be settled amicably.Applicants can refer to the European Ombudsman if they consider that any of the EU institutions:• fail to act according to the law or the principles of good administration;• violate human rights.Exclusion criteria and administrative sanctionsBy submitting their essays, candidates declare that they are not in one of the situations mentioned in Article 136(1) of the Financial Regulation. Candidates who are in any of those situations or fall into other categories indicated in Article 141 of the Financial Regulation will be rejected from participating and from being awarded a prize in the competition.The rejection does not affect any decision to exclude candidates from participating in award procedures governed by the Financial Regulation, or the application of financial penalties (Articles 136-140 of the Financial Regulation).Early detection and exclusion systemIf participants are in one of the exclusion situations stated above, their personal data may be registered in the early detection and exclusion system (EDES) in line with Articles 135, 142, 143 and 144 of the Financial Regulation. For more information, see the privacy statement for EDES.Suspension of the competition, cancellation of the award and reduction of the prizeIf the award procedure is found to have been subject to irregularities or fraud, the Publications Office will apply the measures referred to in Article 131 of the Financial Regulation.Checks, audits and investigationsThe winners accept that the European Commission, the European Anti-Fraud Office, the Court of Auditors and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office are allowed to perform any required checks, audits or investigations in relation to the competition and the prize received.
Belfast Region City Deal: Opportunities for the construction sector
02 March 2023
Events to outline opportunities from the Belfast Region City Deal for construction businesses.
The Belfast Region City Deal is a transformative programme of investment aimed at delivering inclusive economic growth for the region. Deal delivery will provide a suite of opportunities for the construction sector over the next five to 10 years, with some of the most advanced projects preparing to go to market in the year ahead.
To ensure that local businesses are aware of the opportunities that will be brought to market across the next 12 months, the city deal partners are hosting a number of events to:
- promote the construction pipeline arising from the Belfast Region City Deal capital investment programme
- communicate the inclusive growth ambitions of the deal
- showcase the employability and skills support available through the Belfast Region City Deal, council, college, and university partners to help the sector respond to labour and skills challenges, including those relating to social value commitments
Belfast Region City Deal build contracts breakfast event
This event will focus on procurement opportunities linked to build contracts on a number of projects including the Lagan Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge, Newry City Centre Regeneration and i-REACH Health.
Date: Tue 21 Mar
Time: 8:30am – 11am
Venue: CEF Offices, Belfast
Cost: Free
Belfast Region City Deal professional services contracts breakfast event
This event will focus on procurement opportunities linked to construction professional services contracts. A number of projects will be profiled at this event including Destination Royal Hillsborough, Mourne Mountains Gateway and Bangor Waterfront.
Date: Thu 23 Mar
Time: 9am – 11:30am
Venue: Innovation Factory, Belfast
Cost: Free
To register for either event you must email BRCD@belfastcity.gov.uk providing the names and email addresses of those seeking to attend by Wednesday 15 March 2023.
Enterprise Ireland Funding Supports-Strategic Marketing Review: 10 Days
Enterprise News: issue 9, 06 March 2023
Enterprise Ireland’s 10- day Strategic Marketing Review (SMR) is a transformative programme for your senior management team, focusing on a market driven business strategy which will significantly impact your rate of scaling and international growth.
The Strategic Marketing Review will enable you to:
- Align market opportunities with strategic business objectives to drive revenue
- Build high performance sales and marketing teams
- Position the value of your service or solution to each of your prioritized market segments
- Address sales challenges and maximize market opportunities
- Change the way you think about your customers and your markets
- Differentiate in a competitive market landscape.
With tailored, one-to-one engagement between an experienced consultant and your senior management team, this programme will take your company to the next stage of its evolution.
Winning Sales Webinar 8th November 2022
This webinar is designed to give the Senior Management Team of our client companies an insight into how to build a high performing sales and marketing team and the importance of market selection and validation. The webinar is moderated by Jonathan Healy and features three of our clients who have worked with Enterprise Ireland’s Strategic Marketing Review framework to transform their sales and marketing strategy and two SMR consultants who have worked with a large number of our clients.
What the programme offers
The Strategic Marketing Review (SMR) aligns market opportunities with strategic business objectives. It demands a joined-up approach at senior level across the company to ensure a common vision and a common direction.
This 10-day programme gives your senior management team a unique opportunity to take time out of managing day-to-day activities and come together in a structured environment to discuss the issues that are impacting your business and unlock a plan for growth.
The programme takes the form of workshops and mentoring sessions that are focused on your company’s stage of growth. The workshops deliver tangible insights that will empower you to act and maximize market opportunities.
The output of the Strategic Marketing Review is an Action Plan that identifies the key priorities for the short to medium term and action owners for each.
Am I eligible?
Ideally, the Strategic Marketing Review should be undertaken by established companies that have experience in trading internationally and who are interested in reviewing and developing their market development strategy. First time exporters should investigate Enterprise Ireland’s tailored supports and information in the Exporter section of our website.
The grant is open to existing clients of Enterprise Ireland and Udarás na Gaeltachta that meet all of the following criteria:
- The company is a manufacturing or eligible internationally traded services company; and
- The company is an SME company engaged in eligible activities; and
- The company must have demonstrated the capacity to internationalize; and
- The company must have sustainable annual revenues of at least €500k
HPSUs are also eligible for SMR provided they meet the following criteria :
- Have a strong management team
- Have a sales/marketing function or team
- Have completed raising funding and can concentrate on scaling and building sales
- Have approximate annual revenue of €500K
Ineligible Companies
Companies whose products are listed in Annex 1 to the EU Treaty (TFEU) which include:
- Horticulture companies
- Fish processors
- Other primary producers
Enterprise Ireland clients in the food and drinks sector should contact Bord Bia for marketing support.
What costs are eligible and what is the maximum funding available?
Eligible expenditure is limited to the cost of hiring an Enterprise Ireland approved Marketing consultant for a maximum of 10 days.
The maximum daily fee payable to the consultant is €900 inclusive of travel and subsistence and out of pocket expenses.
Funding will be by way of a consultancy grant. The typical cost of undertaking a Strategic Marketing Review is €9000. The company must pay the full amount of €9000 to the consultant before Enterprise Ireland can process the claim. The company can then claim the grant of €7200 by submitting proof of payment and a copy of the completed action plan.
This eligibility is determined by the company’s available De Minimis aid balance.
What is the call close dates?
There are no call close dates. The process is not competitive and is approved by Enterprise Ireland management.
For more information, please contact your Enterprise Ireland Adviser or a member of SMR team smr@enterprise-ireland.com to discuss the suitability of this support for your business.
How do I apply?
All applications for funding should be discussed with your Enterprise Ireland Adviser and a member of the SMR team smr@enterprise-ireland.comprior to submission.
You can apply via the Enterprise Ireland Online Application System.
Prior to applying you must do the following:
- Contact your assigned Enterprise Ireland Adviserto discuss your application.
- First time applicants will be required to register on the Enterprise Ireland Online Application System.
Where can I find a suitable consultant?
A team of pre-approved consultants delivers the Strategic Marketing Review. Once you have spoken to your Development Advisor and a member of the SMR team smr@enterprise-ireland.com we can recommend a shortlist of consultants most relevant to work with your company.
More information
- Download Strategic Marketing Review brochure
- Podcast on Market Personas101
- Podcast on Sales and Marketing Challenges facing Irish Technology Businesses – whether established or start-up
Hear how some of our clients have benefited from the SMR engagement:
Contact
- For more information, please contact your Enterprise Ireland Adviser
- If you are not a client, please contact your nearest Enterprise Ireland Regional Office.
Causeway Ireland Scotland Business Exchange are delighted to announce our first 3 networking events for next year.
229109 – Minor Building Works – DML – Minor Building Works Framework for Works Contractors
To all our construction and M&E followers -the HSE has just published a new framework ITT which you can access through www.etenders.gov.ie
229109 – Minor Building Works – DML – Minor Building Works Framework for Works Contractors
Publication date: 07-12-2022
Response deadline: 27-01-2023 12:00 Irish time
Procedure: 2. Open Procedure (OJEU)
Description: HSE Capital & Estates – DML Office is coordinating the establishment of a Framework Agreement for Minor Building Works Contractors as three lots, Construction, Mechanical and Electrical
Buyer: Health Service Executive (HSE)
Rising Costs Slow Business Growth But Profitability Stable – InterTradeIreland
Close to eight in 10 businesses in Ireland and Northern Ireland are still stable or growing, but rising costs have slowed growth despite relatively buoyant sales and profits, according to the latest InterTradeIreland business monitor.
A third of businesses (34%) questioned for the study in Q3 said they were growing, compared to 44% that were stable and 21% that were in decline. In Q3 2021, 41% of businesses were in growth and 18% were in decline.
In the manufacturing sector, the slowdown has been quick, with just 32% of companies experiencing growth, down from 47% a year earlier, while the number of firms contracting has grown from 18% to 23%.
“There is a great deal of uncertainty in the wider economy – with rising inflation, interest rates and a volatile energy market,” said Martin Robinson, director of strategy at InterTradeIreland.
“The road ahead looks to have a number of caution signs for business. While the majority of firms that we speak to are in a stable position, the number in growth mode has dropped to just over a third, compared to 41% for the same period last year.”
Asked about sales compared to the previous quarter, 24% of firms said they had increased in Q3, compared to 56% that said they had remained the same and 19% that experienced a decline.
Looking ahead, respondents were somewhat pessimistic about the next six months, with just 18% expecting to grow sales and 22% expecting them to decline.
The leisure, hotels and catering sector was the most downbeat coming into the winter months, with 41% expecting sales to drop and 14% forecasting growth.
Some 29% of businesses in the construction sector expect sales to grow and 21% believe they will fall, while in manufacturing and production, 17% expect sales to rise and 25% have forecast decline.
“Our data shows us that 90% of firms have experienced a significant increase in their energy costs, and that is feeding through to nearly half experiencing a large increase in supplier costs, while 44% have experienced a substantial increase in transport costs,” said Robinson.
“In terms of Brexit, 27% of firms have reported it as an issue this quarter, compared to 35% of businesses in the previous quarter. Half of firms report that they have adapted in full or to a large extent to the changes brought about by Brexit.”
The survey shows 73% of firms have passed on price rises to their customers in the past 12 months and profitability remains more or less stable as a result. In fact, there was a 10-point increase in profitability between Q2 (56%) and Q3 (66%)
Respondents also reported that cost increases have not as yet impacted business and consumer confidence quarter-on-quarter, although it remains to be seen what will happen if firms continue to pass on price hikes as nine in 10 companies expect the rising costs of doing business to persist over the next 12 months.
“We know that businesses that trade cross-border, tend to be more robust. However, businesses across the island are operating against a difficult backdrop and their resilience continues to be tested,” Robinson concluded.
“There are a number of supports out there for firms, including from InterTradeIreland. We will continue to collaborate with partners and actively review our range of programmes to ensure we can help firms in the current challenging economic landscape.
To find out how we can assist your businesses and to avail of our wide range of initiatives please visit www.intertradeireland.com.
Companies who export cross border twice as likely to experience strong growth
Data from InterTradeIreland’s latest Business Monitor survey (Q2 2022) reveals companies that export cross border are outperforming companies that do not, with 41 per cent enjoying rapid to moderate expansion. This is almost double compared to non-cross border traders (21 per cent).
Indeed, over three quarters of cross border traders (78 per cent) describe themselves as profitable compared to 51 per cent of firms that do not sell into the opposite jurisdiction.
Martin Robinson, Director of Strategy at InterTradeIreland, says that this is a recurring trend the business development body has tracked over the last six quarterly surveys.
“Despite the challenges SMEs face, on the whole, cross-border trade remains remarkably robust with a higher percentage of companies who export cross border reporting profitability, growth and increased sales compared to their non-cross-border trading counterparts,” says Martin.
“InterTradeIreland helps businesses identify cross-border opportunities and to explore their export potential through programmes such as Elevate and Acumen and have seen first-hand how a focus on reaching new markets can help enhance productivity and sales. Recent data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows that cross-border trade in goods reached €7.65 billion in 2021 and continues to increase. In January-May 2022, Irish import trade with Northern Ireland has risen by another €356 million (23 per cent) and Irish exports to Northern Ireland have risen by €586 million (42 per cent), compared to the same period in 2021.”
On the whole, the latest figures from InterTradeIreland’s Business Monitor show that despite the unprecedented impact of rising costs, business performance overall is holding steady for now, with 83 per cent of companies across the island of Ireland in stable or growth mode, on a par with last quarter’s results (85 per cent).
There is a note of caution however for the leisure, hotel and catering sector which has experienced a more challenging time than most, with 42 per cent now experiencing a drop in sales compared to 23 per cent last quarter.
As expected, rising costs dominate business challenges once again as energy prices (86 per cent) and overheads (83 per cent) continue to be the top two issues impacting businesses, as they have been over the past six months.
Reassuringly the impact of Brexit (43 per cent) and Covid-19 (39 per cent) has declined as companies continue to adapt. However, almost half of businesses (46 per cent) now cite a difficulty in recruitment of appropriate skills as a key issue.
Looking at the data, Martin Robinson, InterTradeIreland’s Director of Strategy explains;
“As skills challenges become a significant issue, we are starting to see companies look at different ways to tackle shortages. 35 per cent for example have increased advertising while 29 per cent are retraining in-house. Innovation through exploiting digital technology is another area that could help firms create efficiencies. Our recently launched Business Solutions voucher provides support to businesses to explore the most effective ways of overcoming these ever-rising challenges.”
To find out more about InterTradeIreland’s support programmes, visit www.intertradeireland.com.
⭐️ Belfast networking lunch, 27 Jan
⭐️ Edinburgh social networking, 23 Feb
⭐️ Glasgow social networking, 30 March
Find more details and RSVP here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eWEgX6De