National Just Transition Fund — Midlands Green Enterprise Grants

The National Just Transition Fund was established by Ireland's Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment (DCEE) in 2020 as a grant programme for the Wider Midlands region, supporting communities and businesses transitioning away from peat extraction and peat-fired electricity generation. The fund operated under government climate policy as part of the Midlands just transition plan. A total of €22.1 million in grant funding was provided across 56 competitively selected projects. The fund is now closed, with no further applications accepted after the end of 2024. It is distinct from the EU Just Transition Fund 2021–2027, which is a separate programme still in operation. Project awards ranged from approximately €55,000 (small feasibility studies) to €1,000,000 (large enterprise or infrastructure projects), with no published per-applicant cap stated in the guidelines. The fund covered seven project categories: business development, education and training, co-working and enterprise hubs, renewable energies and retrofitting, tourism and heritage, community development, and greenways. No match-funding requirement was stated in the public guidelines, though EU state aid rules (De Minimis and GBER) applied to each award. For-profit businesses could apply directly. Past winners include Galway Herb Farm Ltd (€1,000,000 for an agri-tech hydroponic facility), Lumcloon Energy Ltd (€85,000 for a hydrogen power plant feasibility study), Newleaf Energy Ltd (€100,000 for a renewable energy feasibility study), and RR Power Projects Ltd (€84,618 for an industrial tech feasibility study). Community organisations, local authorities, and educational bodies also received awards. Geographic eligibility was strictly limited to the Wider Midlands: East Galway, Kildare, Laois, Longford, North Tipperary, Offaly, Roscommon, and Westmeath. The application process for past calls involved competitive submission assessed against employment, enterprise, and environmental sustainability criteria. Two tranches operated: 16 smaller projects started delivery in September 2020 and 40 larger projects started from June 2021. No further calls are open or planned. The page explicitly states the fund is closing at the end of 2024; a successor programme is the EU JTF 2021–2027 Community and Enterprise Grants Scheme administered by EMRA. This record is kept in the catalog for historical reference and discoverability. No new applications can be submitted. Applicants interested in Midlands green enterprise funding should review the EU Just Transition Fund 2021–2027 (ie-dcee-eu-just-transition-fund-rolling) instead.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.