Moves made to establish digital hub in Tipperary's capital town
Funding available to carry out feasibility study in Clonmel
A sum of €43,200 has been made available to carry out a feasibility study for the establishment of a digital hub in Clonmel.
This announcement, made in District Administrator Jim Dillon’s report to a meeting of Clonmel Borough District, was welcomed by the members.
Mr Dillon said that Tipperary County Council would be required to provide 50% of this amount (€21,600) by way of matching funding.
The Clonmel Business Park company would be arranging for tenders to be sought, Mr Dillon added.
Cllr Siobhán Ambrose said this was very good news for Clonmel and would be an important addition to the county’s capital town.
She extended thanks to everyone who had pushed for funding.
Cllr Ambrose said that many people now worked from home but they could also avail of the facilities offered by a digital hub, with shared costs and shared spaces.
She said that the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) would also be willing to help provide such a hub.
Cllr Pat English said that a digital hub was an excellent idea. With a lot of people now working from home, a hub was needed in the town centre.
There were lots of buildings that could be used for that purpose, he said.
District Mayor Michael Murphy also supported the idea and welcomed the funding.
The funding was made available by Enterprise Ireland’s Regional Enterprise Transition Scheme (RETS) and is administered by the agency on behalf of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
Digital hubs are physical spaces with access to superfast broadband, alongside community and business-focused services.
They provide digital connectivity, support the development of digital skills and encourage the use of emergent digital technologies.
One such hub, in The Liberties area of Dublin, consists of almost 75 companies located in eight buildings, collectively employing 700 people.
This is the largest enterprise cluster of its kind in Ireland.