The New Frontiers programme for early stage entrepreneurs is still taking for applications for its 8-week programme starting in September 2018. While most places have been filled, there are still a number of places left for suitable applicants.

New Frontiers is for potential entrepreneurs who have a well thought-out innovative business idea or an innovative technology that has the potential to be developed into a scalable high potential start-up company.

New Frontiers Programme Manager at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT), Eugene Crehan notes that there have been more company formations in the first few months of this year. “Despite the buoyant jobs market, the increase in company formations indicates people are still interested in pursuing their own business ideas and using their talent to create viable products and successful companies.

“The time commitment for Phase 1 is one evening per week for 8 weeks, starting in September. This is a good investment of time for people already putting in long hours and late nights to put their skills and expertise to use for their own benefit. As Phase 1 takes place in the evenings it is ideal for working people who want to investigate their start-up idea over a few months.”

Phase 1 of the New Frontiers Programme will commence in Waterford at ArcLabs, the innovation hub based on WIT’s West Campus in September 2018 on a part-time basis, with Phase 2 commencing in December 2018. There are a small amount of places left for Phase 1, says Crehan.

In 2016 Enterprise Ireland announced increased supports of early-stage entrepreneurs over five years across the south east region with funding of €2.7m to run New Frontiers programmes in Waterford and Carlow Institutes of Technology. 

Early-stage entrepreneurs from across the south east with three hours a week to spare are invited to apply for the 8-week New Frontiers programme immediately. Applicants apply online at www.wit.ie/newfrontiers.

The Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) has announced its decision to expand the scope of the Registered Gas Installers (RGI) scheme to now include all installers and qualified professionals working with gas in commercial and industrial settings.

The existing RGI scheme requires any person who wishes to carry out gas works that are to be used by a domestic customer, by law, to register as a Registered Gas Installer (RGI) with the RGII.

The expansion of the scheme to include non-domestic installers will require all professionals working on non-domestic gas works to register to have their qualifications validated prior to finalising scheme entry requirements. It is expected that the new regulation requiring mandatory registration of Non-Domestic Gas Installers will commence in January 2019.

The extension of RGI scheme to include Non-Domestic Gas Works follows extensive consultation with stakeholders and will promote higher safety standards for commercial consumers.

Consumers should only use Registered Gas Installers to carry out both domestic and non-domestic gas works from this date. By using an RGI, customers can have confidence that they are dealing with a trained installer who has the required expertise in gas safety to ensure their gas installation is safe.

Any installers that carry out either domestic or non-domestic gas works after this point who are not registered with the new RGI scheme, will be subject to prosecution. It is a criminal offence for any individual or company to undertake Domestic Gas Works if they are not a Registered Gas Installer. The CRU regularly carries out investigations of domestic gas works and has successfully prosecuted over 20 cases in the last three years.

The scope of the RGI scheme will be extended to include Non-Domestic Gas Works in 2019 and will include pipework, space heating, hot water, catering, laundry, power generation and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) installations.

It should be noted that submitting provisional registration details will not guarantee acceptance onto the mandatory register when it opens in 2019.

The CRU’s Commissioner for Energy Safety and Chairperson, Dr. Paul McGowan said: “The regulation of Non-Domestic Gas Installers will improve public safety. It will give confidence to consumers that the Installers are competent, insured and subject to inspection to ensure their work is undertaken to the required standards.

It will also standardise the training requirements to become a Non-Domestic Registered Gas Installer. The opening of a provisional register for Non-Domestic Gas Installers is an importance step in extending the RGI scheme.

This is a positive development that will provide domestic and now non domestic customers with an additional level of comfort and peace of mind that the gas works being undertaken is being done by a qualified and registered professional.”

For more information please contact the RGII at 01 499 7998 or visit www.rgii.ie.

Non-domestic gas registration and regulation: customer/owner FAQs

Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) President Prof Willie Donnelly recently supported the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation and European Commission in bringing a meeting of a high level group of experts to Ireland.

The "Research, Innovation, and Science Policy Experts" (RISE) high-level group (HLG) gives direct strategic support to the European Commissioner for research, innovation, and science, Carlos Moedas, and to the European Commission.

Prof Donnelly is the only Irish representative on the RISE group, set up in June 2014. He sits on the Open Knowledge Markets advisory group which works on economic impact of research and innovation, including new concepts and measuring of innovation and the regulatory framework for research and innovation.

“The RISE group will present a final report on opening research and innovation for EU’s future to the Commissioner after the end of the tour. The report will contain a summary of the key investment priorities as articulated by the member states during the engagement process. I’m delighted to play a part representing Ireland, the south east region, and WIT in this process, bringing a unique insight to the table.”

The RISE group is touring European capitals to meet with independent experts and think tanks in the field of research and innovation. The ‘RISE Tour d’Europe’ takes place in the context of President Juncker' initiative of a wide and open reflection on the future direction of the European project.

The RISE Tour d’Europe focuses on the field of research and innovation and its role in wider European policy. This involves a dialogue between the RISE group and independent think tanks, not directly connected to national administrations. The participants are policy advisers, economists, academics, and intellectuals.

The Dublin meeting was attended by industry and funding agencies and provided Ireland with an opportunity to present its investment priorities post Horizon 2020. WIT’s Prof Bill O Gorman also attended the meeting as an expert on entrepreneurship and regional economy.

At the meeting RISE presented the findings of its report “Europe’s future: Open Innovation, Open Science, and Open to the World”. These meetings also provides an opportunity for national hosts will put forward the main economic and policy perspectives of their country. It is also an opportunity for the host country to articulate their investment priorities for the European Framework programme post Horizon2020.

Waterford city centre played host to the 10th Waterford Harvest Festival and the city was a fusion of food and fun over three days.

Events kicked off early on Friday with the Baby HQ LiveWell Day, followed by the LEO Love Local lunch, Glanbia Sports Nutrition talk, Deise Hurlers Cook-off, Bread is Gold workshop, Just Desserts at La Boheme and Mezze pop-up at Garter Lane. Continuing throughout the weekend the city was teeming with food and craft fairs, festival markets, sparkling lunches, foraging, health and wellness sessions, chef collaborations, food trails, feasts and live music.

Despite a rather damp and blustery Saturday, visitors took to Arundel Square, John Roberts Square, along Waterford’s Cultural quarter, and up to Ballybricken to sample the very best of local produce in the dozens of food and craft stalls at the festival markets, pop into the many cookery demonstrations and cook-offs, take to the craft beer and gin trails, try their hands at cocktail making and meet the makers along the way.

Harvest Festival Director, Tommie Ryan was delighted to wrap up yet another success festival. “Once again, it was an exciting programme to work on.  While the start to Saturday was a little inclement, the rain stayed away for the remainder of the weekend and visitors to the festival got the opportunity to graze their way through the city.”

“The calibre of events was well received and moving the festival into the heart of the city centre and along the Cultural Quarter seemed to work well.  I think it gave the festival a more intimate feel, while still having a broad and appealing range of events for food lovers, fun lovers and families. It’s quite an eclectic programme, and while food is at the very heart of it, it’s fused with fun, engagement and the chance to learn more about the fantastic food and drink producers in the region.”

“The festival markets are always a great draw as visitors can chat with the producers and find out more about the products they are taking home.  The restaurants, once again, pulled out all the stops to create unique quality dining events. Waterford restaurateurs and chefs are quite ingenious when it comes to putting together stand-out dining experiences for their customers.”

In addition to the exciting restaurant events, some of Munster’s top chefs demonstrated their skills in producing great dishes using local produce during the Dawn Meats Festival demos in John Roberts Square. Food, The Waterford Way showcased the produce of its award-winning producers, The GastroGays drew a full house at Walsh’s Bakehouse as they combined Scandinavian flavours, local produce and of course, the ubiquitous blaa to create a feast fit for a Viking and GIY produced a packed line-up of food photography and styling workshops, cottage market collectives, and GROW COOK EAT workshops.

Ballybricken of yore was brought to life with the Ballybricken Fair. The Green bustled with birds of prey, shire horses, reptiles and farm animals at Agri Aware’s mobile farm, while Junior HQ provided the younger Harvesters with the tools and advice to sow and grow, try their hand at acting and drama.  Garter Lane laid on a packed programme of poetry, theatre and film for those looking for something a little more artistic.

Tommie added, “The Festival Markets that skated from Arundel Square down to O’Connell Street did a brisk trade as visitors grazed their way through the Cultural Quarter.  And the Applemarket proved itself the perfect setting for the StreetFeast as local restaurants put on a sumptuous Harvest feast.”

“While the festival thrives on the locals and visitors to the city who come along over the three days and support the producers, traders, restaurants and cafes, we are indebted to our sponsors, in particular, Waterford City and County Council, Dawn Meats, Glanbia, Sanofi, Se2 and Handheld.ie for providing the support to help it grow and hopefully continue for another ten years.”

The best of everything house, home and lifestyle will be showcased at the 2nd annual South East House and Home Show on September 29th & 30th at WIT Arena, Carriganore, Waterford.

Bestselling cookery author and entrepreneur Roz Purcell and TV Chef Edward Hayden are included amongst the guest speakers at the event which is hosted by WLR Events.

The show will be packed with ideas, advice and products as well as exclusive show offers, new product launches and items you won’t find on the high street.

Exhibitors include names like Turnkey Planning & Architects, Encon Construction, Morris's DIY, Colourtrend, Evoke German Kitchens, Sienna Home Furnishings, Solar Electric and many more national and regional companies. Joining  Roz and Edward on the demo stage will be renowned interior designer and feng shui expert Nina Kati, furniture renovator ‘The Revamp Tramp’ and decluttering expert ‘Organised Chaos’.

The Show takes place in WIT Arena on September 29th & 30th. For tickets and further information about the show see www.southeasthouseandhome.com or call WLR Events on 051-846112.

The Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport has invited expressions of interest from suitably qualified people for two vacancies on the board of the Port of Waterford Company.

The directors will have a professional background and experience in two disciplines – legal and engineering/environmental.

The deadline for applications through the Public Appointments Service is 3pm, Wednesday, September 12, 2018.

Further information is available on StateBoards.ie.

Labour force data released this week – compiled by the Central Statistics Office – shows that since the implementation of the regional Action Plan for Jobs (APJ) initiative in Q1 2015, the South East’s job creation rate is running at a slightly better pace than the national average.

The CSO data for Q2 2018 reveals that the number of jobs created in the South East has increased by 12.6% since Q1 2015 while the State’s average is 11.9%. This equates to 21,300 jobs created in the region, coming close to the 25k new jobs target set by the Action Plan for Jobs to be achieved by 2020. The unemployment rate is at 7.2%, which is 1.2% outside the State’s figure of 6%. The APJ target for the unemployment rate is to be within 1% of the national average by 2020.

Perhaps the most positive aspect of the labour force survey figures is that the gains achieved by the South East cannot be attributed to outward migration as the labour force has increased by 13,800 people during the time period of Q1 2015 to Q2 2018. The number of people who are unemployed has dropped by a third, from 22,300 to 14,800.

The CSO data shows that the job growth performance of the South East compares favourably to the performance of the other regions in the country. Of the city regions outside of Dublin, the South East recorded the highest growth in the total labour force (7.2%) and equalled the Galway-West region with the highest percentage growth in job creation (12.6%).

Chairman of the South East Action Plan for Jobs, Frank O’Regan, welcomed the positive figures and stated that they are an endorsement of the high level of innovation and collaboration being shown by all the stakeholders involved in driving the economy in the South East. “There is a wealth of economic activity taking place in the region”, Mr O’Regan stated. “In the technology sector we can see infrastructural developments at Arclabs in Waterford, Hatch labs in Gorey, and the new Enniscorthy technology park. This is enhanced by the formation of the Crystal Valley tech cluster and the new South East NDRC accelerator funding programme. In the FDI space we see the IDA recording the largest percentage regional job growth in the South East in 2017 and the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at West Pharma opening in July. By the end of September we will have the application for designation for Technological University from Waterford Institute of Technology and the Institute of Technology Carlow; in early 2019 both the New Ross and Enniscorthy bypasses will open and improve the connectivity within the region in a major way; and we look forward to significant local authority developments at North Quay’s, Waterford, Abbey Quarter, Kilkenny, and Trinity Wharf, Wexford.”

“There are still many challenges for the region to tackle but the figures show that we are moving in the right direction. We need to maintain the positive activity of everyone involved in job creation in the region and work towards building resilience in the economy that will buffer us against any future downturns,” Mr O’Regan concluded.

Celebrating the people who make good food great, Waterford Harvest Festival has grown to encompass a whole spectrum of food themed, family-fun events since it began in 2009.

The festival, now in its tenth year takes place throughout Waterford city and its surrounds and will bring together a host of food producers, chefs, growers, food entrepreneurs and those who champion good food.

The success of the festival, while in no small part can be attributed to the organisers, has also been credited to the backing of local business sponsors who bring a wealth of support, expertise and assistance to the festival.

Commenting on the sponsor support, Festival Director, Tommie Ryan believes that it is vital in sustaining the festival and giving it impetus to grow. “Without a doubt, the Festival has received fantastic support over the years from Waterford City and County Council and Failte Ireland, in addition to our steadfast corporate supporters, hospitality sponsors and voluntary support team.”

It’s the support of the business community that has seen the festival grow to one of the most anticipated events on the culinary calendar.

“We’ve been most fortunate to have received support from Glanbia and Dawn Meats since the very inception of the festival. Glanbia and Dawn Meats are market leaders in their respective fields and to have their continued support is a fantastic boost to the Harvest Festival. Not only do they contribute financially, but they bring a wealth of visionary ideas which are transformed into great events along with their extensive industry knowledge and this year are supporting the Sports nutrition talk and taste demos respectively.

Tommie also acknowledged the contribution of Se2 continuing its sponsorship of the Harvest Music Stage, Sanofi which sponsors the Harvest Wellness area and new sponsors, HandHeld.ie which have joined Harvest 2018 in supporting the festival’s award-winning decorations.”

Local businesses have been enthusiastic in their support of the Harvest Festival and as a result dozens of fun family friendly exciting events will dot Waterford’s City Centre, Cultural Quarter and Ballybricken Green from September 7th to 9th and will feature a jam-packed, eclectic mix of culinary, family, fun and After Dark events.

Some of the events sponsored by businesses including GIY’s Food Matters,Waterford Chamber Skillnet’s Taste of Food and Craft, Baby HQ LiveWell day, Waterford LEO Love Local Lunch, Anchor Spirit’s Cocktail MasterClass, City Square Chocolate making workshop, and the Reg Churchyard Sessions.

With so many events to enjoy over the three-day Harvest Festival from Friday, September 7th to Sunday, September 9th find out more at www.waterfordharvestfestival.ie or keep up to date on all things Harvest Fest by checking out #waterfordharvest on Facebook and Twitter.

Tourism Networking Evening For Tourism Providers in Waterford City & County

Ardmore Open Farm & Glamping Pods, off N25

Thursday 4th October 2018, 6-8pm

Following a very successful inaugural Tourism Provider Event organised by ‘Visit Waterford’ in April which took place in Kilmacthomas, the desire to strengthen the tourism community throughout Waterford City & County was palpable. Feedback was very strong regarding the appetite for more opportunities to network.

All County Waterford tourism providers are invited to the next event in the series which will take place in Ardmore Open Farm & Glamping Pods. Situated 5 minutes off the N25 and only 40 minutes from Carraiganore we know you won’t want to miss this event.

In addition to a tour of the newly constructed glamping pods, Waterford City & County Council Tourism Officer Orna Houlihan will deliver the vision for tourism for the County.

This will of course be coupled with networking and hospitality.

The aim of these events are to support the development of the best possible experience for visitors to our area and to encourage repeat visits, recommendations and extended stays.

By creating a greater awareness of what’s on offer and a stronger referral and partnership system amongst the many businesses in your sector in the County, all providers will benefit.

By sharing information and working together to develop new products, this network of tourism providers can offer a competitive, innovative experience to visitors that will be of benefit to everyone.

This is a free event but booking is essential – to confirm your attendance please contact the Dungarvan Tourist office on 058 41741 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

This event is kindly supported by the Local Enterprise Office Waterford.

Date: Tuesday, 11th September

Time: 8.00am (registration and breakfast)
8.30am (seminars start)
10.30am (seminars close)

Location: Tower hotel, Waterford

InterTradeIreland have engaged the services of Grant Thornton in 2018 to assist with the delivery of their Funding Advisory Services programme.

The programme is aimed at SMEs who are looking for new or alternative sources of funding to finance business growth. The short workshop will give you the opportunity to find out about the main sources of funding for growth suitable for your business and will include information on both traditional bank funding and the newer types of funding that are now available in the market.

Some of the topics that will be discussed on the morning include:

• overview of the current funding landscape including active funders;
• how providers of funding make their funding decisions and discussions around the types of SMEs they have funded;
• advice on how to make your business ready for funding

PLEASE NOTE: This event is NOT aimed at start-up businesses & only SMEs with a trading history of at least 18 months and a turnover in excess of €110,000 can attend.

Click here to register