Trade Links

The Programme

Tradelinks is specifically designed to assist the micro-enterprise sector across Northern Ireland and the Border counties of Louth, Monaghan, Cavan/Leitrim, Sligo and Donegal by:

• enhancing employment generation opportunities

• developing exporting capability

• addressing barriers to cross border trade.

• investigating the opportunities afforded by new technology

• encouraging new market and new product development

• encouraging innovation

The Benefits

Tradelinks will provide you with:

• a wide-ranging suite of programmes specifically designed to 

   address the issues unique to the micro-enterprise sector.

• a team of experienced assessors and mentors

• the possibility of financial support

• the opportunity to form linkages and clusters with similar  

   micro-enterprises

• a full signposting service to other programmes

Programme Elements

Tradelinks offers a range of programmes tailored to meet the needs of micro-enterprises at various levels of development:

Entree

The entry point for all companies recruited onto Tradelinks. At this stage, your business will be assessed on the basis of established selection criteria and a Business Improvement Plan prepared

which will determine your future progress on the programme.

Gearing-Up

Aims to develop your business to a stage where you have:

• The ability and resources to grow through effective business      

   planning and resource acquisition

• The capacity to achieve long term sustainability inability and

  heightened levels of job creation

• The capacity to make more effective use of internet based

  technologies

• A strong understanding of the management tools available to

  sustain growth.

Trading

Your business will be supported to develop management skills and quality systems/ and to tender individually or in partnership with other micro businesses for public and private sector contracts. The programme will specifically aim to develop sectoral clusters of micro businesses on a cross border basis as a means of achieving

economy of scale and of increasing quality and capacity. Financial support of up to £500 or €750 is available to undertake a new-market

development opportunity.

Innovating

Aims to support your business to become more innovative by providing support to help you develop innovative practices in terms of R&D/ product development/ and process development.

Financial

assistance of up to £2000 or €3000 is available for research development support and up to £1 000 or €1 500 for consultancy/academic support.

Networking

The aim of Networking is to contribute to increased enterprise and trade on a regional/ national and international level by attracting European and North American companies and business and trade

development agencies to the region.

When will Tradelinks be available?

The Tradelinks programme will run to December 2006. For further details contact your local Enterprise Agency or County Enterprise Board as detailed on the back of this brochure.

What commitment will be required?

Tradelinks has been developed to take account of the needs and limited resources of the Micro-enterprise sector/ but a commitment of your time is required to conduct the Business Assessment/ to work with your mentor in developing your business and to participate in and benefit from the Networking events. A fee of £200 or €300 is required after completing Entree and prior to moving into another element of the programme.

What next?

If you require further information on Tradelinks or would like to participate on the programme/ please go to our contact page.