Innovation Growth Centre Opens

Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster has welcomed the opening of the new Innovation Growth Centre at Omagh Enterprise Company (OEC) as a significant boost to the local economy.

The £2.3 million facility covers 14,000sq ft has been designed to facilitate existing and spin-out businesses wishing to locate in the Omagh area with particular focus on innovation, growth and technology-related activities.

Officially opening the Centre, Arlene Foster said: "It is in facilities such as this Innovation Growth Centre that inventive businesses will contribute to supporting economic growth in the Omagh area and across Northern Ireland. Offering the potential to create over 150 local jobs, the financial support provided by my Department in tandem with the EU Interreg IVA Programme, has contributed to the development of this exciting new opportunity for local entrepreneurs and innovators. Importantly, with many talented young people leaving the Omagh area to seek opportunities elsewhere, this initiative gives our brightest minds an environment where they can fulfil their potential here in Northern Ireland.

"Emphasising the importance of support for initiatives that seek to enhance the economic infrastructure of Northern Ireland and create jobs, the Minister added: “Projects such as this underpin my confidence in the ability of our local entrepreneurs and SMEs to prosper and grow even in this challenging economic climate. By developing new products and processes and identifying innovative methods for tapping into new markets, our small business sector can lead our economy forward and provide a benchmark for others to follow."

The high-tech facility forms an integral part of the Irish Central Border Area Network’s (ICBAN) Innovation Enterprise Programme (IEP). The IEP, which began in September 2010, has been supported with nearly £2.3million of financial assistance from the European Union's INTERREG IVA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). Over the course of the IEP a series of events in both Omagh and Leitrim are being delivered, aimed at enhancing the profile of entrepreneurship and innovation across local businesses, schools and the wider community.

Cllr Errol Thompson, Chairman, Omagh District Council, said: "While this project is led by Omagh District Council, which has a long history of strong partnership working through other programmes including the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme and the Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland, during this project’s development and throughout its duration a solid bond has been formed with our partners and with this a strong ethos of cooperation and mutual understanding between all representatives of the partnership. I would like to express my thanks to all who have been involved in the overall process and I am certain that this strong relationship that has been developed will act as a model of good practice for any future partnerships that may be embarked upon."

(CD)