Acumen Programme

To qualify for financial support through Acumen businesses must:

• Be active in either the manufacturing or tradeable services sectors. By tradable services, InterTradeIreland requires the business service to be delivered in the cross border market, and not just to attract customers from the cross border market to their service business in the home market. (See list below of ineligible sectors)
• Be an SME with less than 250 staff and £40m (euro equivalent) turnover, priority will be given to companies employing less than 100 staff or those with turnover of less than £10m (euro equivalent).
• Be an indigenous business registered in Ireland or Northern Ireland. (Companies from Ireland must hold a valid Tax Clearance Certificate)
• Have an established trading history and have a proven track record in their home market i.e. Minimum 18-24 months trading history.
• Demonstrate that business has less than 30% of total sales in the target cross-border market in the last/current financial year.
• Have a sufficiently unique product or service that does not displace existing products or services in the target market.
• Demonstrate that new cross-border sales are not achievable without the support of the Acumen programme.
• Be an SME with the capacity (human, financial & production) to engage in cross-border trade through this programme.
• Be committed to the development of new cross-border trade opportunities.

Please note that it is desirable to have an established relationship with a mainstream development agency (Invest NI, Enterprise Ireland, Local Enterprise Office, Udaras Na Gaeltachta)

Ineligible sectors
Businesses involved in the following sectors are not considered eligible for Acumen funding:

• wholesale/retail
• distribution
• tourism
• hospitality
• primary agriculture
• personal services
• professional business services