A service for the development and delivery of a Programme for Nascent Rural Female Entrepreneurial Development

Tender description

The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) is seeking proposals from suitable, experienced service providers who have the capability and vision, to develop and implement a tailored work programme to address the skills, enterprise and capability gaps of rural nascent female entrepreneurs. The service will be co-financed from the Rural Innovation and Development Fund set up by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The Department is seeking ONE (1) single provider of the service which may be a person(s), firm(s), company(ies), partnership(s), corporation(s) or other commercial entity. National and EU research highlights that there are differing rates of entrepreneurship between males and females in almost all European countries. Although more men are early stage entrepreneurs than women, the ratio in Ireland continues to narrow as more women become entrepreneurs (1.6:1). Ireland is now ranked 6th across Europe in this regard. To continue to improve these gender statistics and to encourage a stronger level of enterprise development in rural areas, it is intended to provide funding from the overall Rural Innovation and Development Fund to develop, an enterprise development programme targeted at nascent female entrepreneurs living in rural areas. To be effective, this programme will require a tailored, focussed approach which takes into account the specific challenges which face female entrepreneurs generally as well as the barriers which can limit entrepreneurial activity in rural areas.