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Kerry company selected for €17m national startup programme

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CONTRACT: The RDI Hub team Reidín O'Connor (Member and Community Manager), Liam Cronin (CEO), and Fionnuala O'Callaghan (Operations Manager) have secured a contract to run State-backed start-up accelerator, NDRC.

 

Kerry's RDI Hub has been selected by the Irish Government to run Ireland’s national startup accelerator programme, the NDRC.

Alongside Dogpatch Labs, Portershed Galway, and Republic of Work Cork they’ll deliver accelerator and pre-accelerator programmes to globally ambitious entrepreneurs across every county in Ireland.

They will deliver mentorship-driven accelerator and pre-accelerator programmes, and pre-seed funding to entrepreneurs across Ireland. They will also invest in globally-focused, ‘high impact’ startups, to create world-class internationally scalable Irish companies.

Established in 2006, the NDRC is a Government initiative to invest in very young digital enterprises and start-ups. Following a competitive process, Dogpatch Labs, supported by its partners RDI Hub Kerry, Republic of Work Cork and Portershed Galway has been awarded the €17m contract to manage the service for the next five years. Ignite, which is the UK’s most active regional accelerator, also supported the bid and will provide international support and knowledge sharing with the network.

RDI Hub based in Killorglin is backed by Fexco, Institute of Technology, Tralee and Kerry County Council. A first of its kind, RDI Hub focuses on commercialisation of innovation and research in the technologies’ sectors and helps both indigenous and international start-ups and corporates scale their business.

The new NDRC programmes will take place in Kerry, Cork, Dublin and Galway, with applications opening in Q1 2021.

“This will ensure the best investors, advisors, researchers and technologists are accessible to all our globally ambitious entrepreneurs, regardless of where those entrepreneurs are in the country,” Liam Cronin, CEO RDI Hub, Kerry said.

Startups have faced a challenging year, with COVID-19 impacting funding levels significantly. In response RDI Hub launched Founder’s Circle with Scale Ireland supporting over 100+ founders solve problem together.

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Contactless payments launched on Local Link services

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Passengers using TFI Local Link Kerry services in Killarney and across the county can now pay for their journeys using contactless card payments.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) confirmed the rollout this week, allowing commuters to simply tap their debit card, credit card, or mobile devices, such as Apple Pay and Google Pa, when boarding.

The move is designed to offer more convenience for those using high-frequency rural and regional routes.

In Killarney, the new payment option will be available on the TFI Anseo town services, which have seen a significant increase in passenger numbers since their introduction.

The contactless system is currently available for single journey fares, while those using daily or weekly passes can continue to use the Leap website or the TFI Leap Top Up App.
Alan O’Connell, General Manager of TFI Local Link Kerry, welcomed the modernisation of the fleet.

“The introduction of contactless payments is another welcome step forward for public transport in Kerry,” he said. “It complements other major projects in the county, including the expansion of TFI Local Link services and the delivery of TFI Anseo in Killarney, which is proving to be another great initiative.”

While the new technology offers a modern alternative, traditional payment methods are not being phased out. Cash payments, TFI Leap cards, and Free Travel Cards all remains fully valid across the network.

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How will our Kerry TDs vote tomorrow?

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Tomorrow, Sinn Féin will be tabling a motion of no confidence against the Government after the protests that took place nationwide during the week.

Earlier today we asked our readers how would they vote in a no confidence motion against the Government?

Most of our readers said they would vote no confidence, while some said, yes they do have confidence in the Government.

One reader said: “Vote confidence. The only proper leadership over the last few days came from government. Courage came when needed despite how unpopular it looked in the moment. By contrast, opposition politicians wanted the country to burn to suit themselves”.

Another reader stated: “No confidence. Shambolic and heavy handed handling of protests this past week”.

However, some people didn’t have any confidence in either side with a reader saying: “No confidence in the no confidence! Different wings of the same bird! We need a complete overhaul of the political system”.

We asked the question to our 5 Kerry TDs before lunch-time today, asking them what their vote will be tomorrow.

We received one reply from Sinn Féin’s Kerry TD Pa Daly.

He will be voting no confidence in the Government tomorrow along with his party.

Other media outlets are reporting that Independent TD Danny Healy-Rae is undecided at the moment.

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