The all-island economic development agency InterTradeIreland, in partnership with Invest Northern Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, have introduced eight new entrepreneurship programmes designed to empower women and help them collaborate, learn, grow and scale their business. 

In February 2024, the Government of Ireland announced €800m of funding for Shared Island priorities, including €30m towards the establishment of a new Shared Island Enterprise Scheme developed by InterTradeIreland, Invest Northern Ireland and Enterprise Ireland. 

Alongside cross-border clusters and sustainability innovation investment, a key element of the Shared Island Enterprise Scheme is dedicated to fostering women’s entrepreneurship on an all-island basis.

The first stage of this work involves funding for early pilot programmes to empower women entrepreneurs across the island as detailed below. Further announcements as part of the wider Shared Island Enterprise Scheme will follow in the coming months. 

Alison Currie, Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at InterTradeIreland said: 

“InterTradeIreland, in collaboration with our key delivery partners, is delighted to introduce eight new innovative programmes to support and empower women entrepreneurs across the island of Ireland.

“We will facilitate the delivery of these programmes in partnership with Invest Northern Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, as we collectively strive to support women founders, business leaders and academics as they take their careers and businesses to the next level.

“We know the depth of talent and energy that exists here and we’re calling all women founders to get involved with these programmes and make the most of the fantastic opportunities and supports that they offer.” 

Karen Finlay, Manager, European and Partner Delivery at Invest Northern Ireland said: 

“Invest NI is proud to partner in this transformative initiative, which will offer extensive, tailored support to women entrepreneurs at all stages of their business journey.

These programmes provide a holistic range of resources—whether through financial education, networking opportunities, or business scaling strategies—that are designed to foster growth, collaboration, and success.

By empowering women to take bold steps toward entrepreneurship and innovation, we are strengthening Northern Ireland’s business landscape and building a thriving, interconnected ecosystem of women entrepreneurs across the entire island of Ireland." 

Details of the eight programmes are available now for expressions of interest at https://intertradeireland.com/entrepreneurship/womens-entrepreneurship