Delivering digitally driven innovation is a shared ambition of the NI City and Growth Deals and the 10X economic vision for the region. In response to this shared ambition, the four City and Growth Deals and the support of the eleven local councils in the region developed the Digital Transformation Flexible Fund (DTFF) project. This is supported by Invest Northern Ireland, through the NI City & Growth Deal Complementary Fund and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).
DTFF seeks to establish a capital grant fund, aimed at supporting small and micro businesses (including social enterprises), including those in rural areas, to be active in digital transformation. The fund has the unique potential to connect and enable collaboration both within and beyond its existing Council partnership structure.
As a capital fund DTFF can complement a spectrum of digital innovation/transformation activities operating across Northern Ireland. To this end, the DTFF Stakeholder Reference Group has been established to facilitate a relationship between key stakeholder organisations, facilitating referrals to and from the fund as well as bringing together a forum of technical expertise to influence and inform the delivery of the fund throughout its delivery.
Purpose
The Stakeholder Reference Group (here on referred to as ‘the SRG’) will be established to promote the collaboration of key stakeholders’ interests to ensure a ‘joined-up’ continuum of support for industry/business (spanning capital, capability and skills supports) to complement and support the delivery of the DTFF.
Through the SRG, it is expected that there will be common cross cutting initiatives operating in the same digital area and the SRG will facilitate the delivery of progression pathways of businesses to and from the fund to access ‘next steps’ support or funding.