Locations

On Campus in DkIT

Incubation facilities at the Regional Development Centre provides on campus based incubation facilities to accommodate new or start up technology or knowledge based businesses in their early developmental phases.

The concept of the RDC was catalysed through the construction on Campus in 1988 of the first incubation unit (funded by The International Fund for Ireland) to be completed and become operational in any Institute of Technology. The incubation unit consisted of 8 x 50m2 units and support space in a facility totalling 500m2 . In 1992 a 500m2 (7 unit) extension to the RDC was completed. The funding for this second phase was provided by the International Fund for Ireland and by the IDA.

In 1997 a further phase of 800m2 was added with funding support from the Interreg II programme, through the Department of Education and Science, through The International Fund for Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and from private sources. This provided the RDC with a total facility of 1800m2 in 26 incubation units of varying sizes, support meeting rooms, reception and support space. Since 1996 the RDC has also gone through a continuous phase of ongoing internal modifications and improvements, particularly in the older part of the RDC, to accommodate the changing needs and ICT service requirements of the start-up enterprises and projects being supported. In 2004, the RDC underwent a further extension of 750m2 to accommodate an additional 15 incubator units and provide a networking space for companies and researchers.

In 2000 the RDC was also the first campus based Innovation Centre to be awarded ISO 9000 Certification by N.S.A.I. The Centre has been successful in maintaining this standard annually.

Millmount Drogheda

The Millmount Development Centre consists of eight self-contained spaces, each measuring 25sq metres, which largely support desk-based enterprises principally in Software Development and ICT. The Centre which caters for Small and Medium Enterprises in the region and is a joint initiative between Dundalk Institute of Technology, Drogheda Corporation, Louth County Council, Louth CEB and Enterprise Ireland was officially opened in May 2005. The Centre is a satellite of the Regional Development centre based in Dundalk IT.

The pressing need for incubation and innovation support facilities in Drogheda, had been strongly identified by the regional stakeholders and highlighted within the Peter Bacon Report. The absence of such infrastructure has been cited as one root cause for the low rate of inward investment by national and international companies, and the low level of indigenous HPSUs in the immediate region.