10 year period of the National Development Plan are the

The total investment of almost €116 billion under the National Development Plan (NDP) is designed to meet Ireland’s infrastructure and investment needs over the ten years from 2018 to 2027, with strategic investment priorities aligned to each of the ten National Strategic Outcomes (NSOs) in the NPF. The National Development Plan provides for five-year multi-annual capital allocations, which will facilitate departments78 in planning their investment programmes over the medium term. There is also a shift towards integrated regional investment plans, stronger co-ordination of sectoral strategies and more rigorous selection and appraisal of projects.

The funds are designed to stimulate renewal and investment in rural and urban areas, the environment and innovation and will complement other investment and funding opportunities outlined as part of the National Development Plan from Exchequer Funding Accounts and non-Exchequer State backed enterprises and bodies. There is also a significant focus on the environment with €22 billion allocated to tackling and dealing with climate change across transport, energy and commercial State agencies.

A key objective of the funds will be aligning with and achieving the National Strategic Outcomes (NSOs) outlined in the National Planning Framework and the Regional Strategic Outcomes outlined in the RSES.

A number of key structures have been put in place to ensure implementation of the NDP and NPF, including:

• A high-level Delivery Board of the Secretaries General from key departments to monitor and oversee the implementation and performance of NDP and NPF delivery.

Urban Regeneration and Development Fund

As part of Project Ireland 2040, the Government announced the establishment of a new Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), primarily to support the compact growth and sustainable development of Ireland’s five cities and other large urban centres. In the first instance, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (DHPLG) has responsibility for implementing the URDF, which has an allocation of €2 billion in the National Development Plan (NDP) to 2027. In line with the objectives of the National Planning Framework (NPF), the Fund is designed to leverage a greater proportion of residential and commercial development, supported by infrastructure, services and amenities, within the existing built ‘footprint’ of our larger settlements.

• An Investment Projects and Programmes Office (IPPO), which has been established in DPER to drive value-for-money reforms in areas such as project appraisal and selection.

• The Construction Sector Group (CSG), comprising industry bodies, who are working to develop capacity and skills in the construction industry, to enable delivery of PI 2040.

• The Land Development Agency, which has been established to coordinate the use of State-owned lands for regeneration and development – primarily for new housing.

Within the EMRA Region the Urban fund applies to Dublin City and the Metropolitan Area, the Key Regional Growth Centres of Athlone, Dundalk and Drogheda, towns with a population of more than 10,000 and Trim (as a town of fewer than 10,000 people but with more than 2,500 jobs). Further details on the types of proposals eligible for funding are outlined in Circular FPS05/2016 issued by the DHPLG79.

• The PI 2040 Investment Projects and Programmes Tracker and online mapping tool MyProjectIreland to provide key updates on the progress of priority projects.

• The four NDP funds; focussed on Rural, Urban, Technology and Climate Action; with the first round of successful applications announced in 2018.

78 Lead departments include DHPLG, DBEI, DTTAS, DRCD, DAFM, DCCAE, OPW, commercial SOEs, DCYA, DES, DH

79 http://gov.ie/en/urban-regeneration-and-development-fund/

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Implementation & Monitoring

Rural Regeneration and Development Fund

Disruptive Technologies Fund

As part of Project Ireland 2040, the Government has committed to providing an additional €1 billion for a new Rural Regeneration and Development Fund80 over the period 2019 to 2027. The Fund provides investment to support rural renewal for suitable projects in towns and villages with a population of less than 10,000, and outlying areas. It is administered by the Department of Rural and Community Development. This Fund aims to support sustainable community and economic development in rural Ireland, including through regenerating smaller towns and villages and encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation to support job creation in rural areas. It will be a key instrument to support the objectives of the National Planning Framework, and in particular to achieve Strengthened Rural Economies and Communities – one of the NSOs of the NPF.

The Disruptive Technology Innovation Fund (DTIF) is a significant new initiative which aims to support Ireland’s innovation ecosystem and to drive collaboration between public bodies, research, SMEs and industry. The DTIF is a competitive challenge-based fund for the development, deployment and commercialisation of innovative technology solutions to a broad range of challenge areas including health, services, energy and food and to achieve the NSOs of the NPF.

The Fund has an allocation of €500m over ten years and is implemented through the Department of Business Enterprise and Innovation (DBEI) and its agencies working with other research funding bodies. The aim of the DTIF is to build on research and leverage for commercial impact, create new startup companies and prepare Irish enterprises and public bodies to engage in European and global innovation partnerships.

The Fund will support ambitious and strategic projects which contribute to sustainable rural regeneration and development. It will support investments of scale which would not otherwise be delivered without the additionality provided by the Fund, and projects that are outside the scope of existing schemes.

Climate Action Fund

The Climate Action Fund81, under the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, aims to support initiatives that contribute to the achievement of Ireland’s climate and energy targets which will leverage investment by public and private bodies. The Fund has an allocation of at least €500m over the period to 2027 and offers the potential for innovative interventions which, in the absence of support from the Fund, would not otherwise be developed.

The Climate Action Fund is planned to have a wide-ranging scope supporting projects that can contribute to Ireland’s climate and energy targets and wider Government policy priorities, including the development of innovative and scalable solutions, projects that generate wider socio-economic benefits and leverage non-exchequer sourced investment.

80 https://drcd.gov.ie/about/rural/rural-regeneration-development-fund/

81 https://www.dccae.gov.ie/documents/CAF%20Call%20for%20Applications.pdf

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Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy

Other Investment Mechanisms

Enterprise Funding Schemes

Enterprise Ireland is the state agency responsible for supporting the development of manufacturing and internationally traded services companies, providing a range of enterprise funding and supports from high potential startsups through to large companies and to assist college-based researchers to commercialise researched technologies.

Outside of the funding mechanisms provided for under Project Ireland 2040, the following organisations provide potential funding opportunities for delivery of the RSES:

European Funding Programmes

Europe 2020 Strategy is the European Union’s (EU) agenda for growth and jobs, emphasising smart, sustainable and inclusive growth as a way to overcome the structural weaknesses in Europe’s economy, improve its competitiveness and productivity and underpin a sustainable social market economy. By ensuring good policy alignment, the RSES can drive investment that is targeted towards identified priorities at European, national, regional and local scale, assisting local authorities and others in identifying partnership opportunities and leveraging funding from EU Regional Operational Programmes. EU funding and investment priorities will be revisited post 2020 and EMRA will seek to ensure continued policy alignment with EU policy.

The €60 million Regional Enterprise Development Fund 2017- 2020 aims to drive enterprise development and support job creation by co-financing collaborative projects by a range of enterprises and public bodies, including local and community enterprise initiatives, innovation and technology partnerships and enterprise-led Industry Clusters. Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) is an innovation pre-commercial procurement initiative, which supports small and emerging businesses by providing early-stage funding and a route-to-market for smart technology solutions to identified public sector challenges.

Enterprise funding and business supports are also available from other development agencies such as the local enterprise offices.

Ireland Strategic Investment Fund

The Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), managed and controlled by the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA), is an €8.9 billion sovereign development fund with a statutory mandate to invest on a commercial basis in a manner designed to support economic activity and employment in Ireland. The fund has a long investment time horizon and therefore can act as a permanent or patient source of long-term capital and drive innovation across multiple industry players to develop and deliver innovative opportunities that might otherwise go unrealised.

REGIONAL POLICY OBJECTIVES:

Implementation of the RSES

RPO 12.1: Following adoption of the RSES EMRA will establish a RSES implementation group to oversee progress on the implementation of the RSES and to identify opportunities to drive regional development and leverage new funding, partnership and collaboration opportunities in the Region.

European Investment Bank and Council of Europe Development Bank

RPO 12.2: Following adoption of the RSES the EMRA will establish a RSES implementation group to oversee progress on the implementation of the MASP for Dublin.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the European Union’s bank representing the interests of the European Union Member States and working closely with other EU institutions to implement EU policy. The EIB provides finance and expertise for sustainable investment projects that make a significant contribution to growth and employment in Europe.

RPO 12.3: The RSES will support local authorities in promoting compact and sustainable development and in future proofing our cities and towns through the drawdown of investment funds including national, rural, urban, technology and climate funds, through EU Regional Operational Programmes and other internal and external collaborations and partnership opportunities.

The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) is a multilateral development bank that provides financing and technical expertise for projects with a high social impact, to promote social cohesion and strengthen social integration in Europe. The CEB contributes to projects in areas including sustainable and inclusive growth and developing climate action adaptation and mitigation measures.

RPO 12.4: The EMRA supports smart growth initiatives that develop new solutions to existing and future urban challenges, including climate risks in the Region and will support local authorities in the draw down of climate and smart technology funds.

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Implementation & Monitoring