InterTradeIreland’s Challenge programme is designed to help ambitious SMEs go from ideas to sales with less time, money and risk. It is FREE to take part and the programme works in three stages:
Please note that applications for 2011 are now closed but if you would like to be kept informed of any future Challenge programmes please register your interest here.
You can view the presentation pack from the briefing events below.
Attend one of our briefing events to help you find out about the tools and techniques used in the Challenge programme which you can take away and use in your business. The purpose of this stage is to give confidence, insights and encouragement to business leaders, to demonstrate that with the right mindset, tools, skills and expert mentoring – you can transform your business in just nine months.
At the event, you’ll get the chance to benchmark your business against world-class companies that excel in bringing products and services to market quickly and cost effectively by completing an online assessment. You’ll be able to see the areas in which you are performing well against other companies and highlight parts of the business that may require development. This assessment will be used to determine your suitability for stage 2.
Even if you don’t decide to take the programme any further – you will come away with the results of your innovation assessment and competitive insights about how you compare against other companies.
If you make it through to the second stage, you will take part in two separate one-day workshops in successive weeks to learn and apply a rapid commercialisation process to your business ideas.
Participants will take on the ‘challenge’ by applying new learning, tools and techniques to their own company situation and will then be asked to present back on a their draft plan. The presentations are adjudicated confidentially on a separate day and every company will receive personalised feedback from our experts.
The 10 winning companies will be selected to take part in the in-company mentoring stage.
View more information about these workshops here.
Ten companies will benefit from a specialist in-company mentoring programme to guide you through delivery of your plan. This consists of up to six days of 1-to-1 assistance (on your premises) at a pace and in a way that works for you to: