There are many Grants available in Ireland primarily for export oriented companies which if applied for and executed efficiently can provide a company with a strategic advantage building its competitiveness in the face of growing International pressure. The level of grant aid available is significant depending on the location and size of the company and can provide a company with growth and development opportunities that otherwise would not be possible.

However, the process of applying for, implementing and subsequently claiming the grants can be time-consuming and tedious and in many cases puts companies off applying for the grant in the first place. This is where Lean Business systems (LBS) can help. We offer a turnkey service where we will work with you and your team on your strategic plan, complete the grant application, support you during the validation period, support your investment programme and oversee your grant claims ensuring you maximise all benefits of the programme.

The cycle above involving strategic planning to claiming the grant can be broken down into nine discreet steps, forming the four quartiles of a Shewhart / Deming Plan Do Check Act continuous improvement cycle.

The nine steps involved are

PLAN:
Step 1
Define requirements covering the term of the Grant
Step 2
Complete the company strategic plan

DO:
Step 3
Complete the application and liaise with agency Development advisers

Step 4
Complete Financial, Technical and other reviews to support the programme

CHECK:
Step 5 Review outcome of application for any future improvements

Step 6
Re-visit strategic plans

ACT:
Step 7
Develop a detailed programme schedule

Step 8
Track progress using quarterly reviews

Step 9
Grant claim

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PLAN

The planning stage involves either working with an existing or developing a strategic plan for the organisation which covers the term of the grant in mind. As most grants have a 2 or 3 year horizon, this first step focuses the organisation on completing a strategic plan covering this period at least. The plan normally includes capital investment, a training plan for all employees, planned sales and marketing initiatives and product Development plans. This is a comprehensive document that will later act as a blueprint for the organisation’s development.

DO

Steps 3 and 4 above cover the formal application and agency validation necessary to support the company’s plans. The application is typically in two segments, i.e. a detailed development plan with justifications for the investment and a supporting financial plan. As this information covers all areas of the company’s development plan, it requires considerable time and effort to ensure it is presented in a complete and coordinated fashion. In some instances, agencies recognise the level of effort required to complete the application and provide grant aid to cover its cost. This pre-application grant aid can be as high as 50%. and is approved prior to the start date of the application.

CHECK

Once the application has been submitted and the necessary validation has been completed by the Agency staff the outcome will be made known to the organisation. It is at this point the company needs to review the application process to determine if improvements on subsequent applications are possible to attract a better outcome for the organisation. It is also at this stage that the organisation needs to revisit the strategic plan prepared earlier to ensure this will maximise the outcome from the process in light of the actual grant aid approved. It is worth noting that while companies may make amendments to their plans at this and later stages, it is important this is done in conjunction with the Agency Development advisers.

ACT

As the title suggests, this is where the detailed planning of the programme is put into action. The initial step in the ‶Act” quartile involves developing a detailed plan of action or program implementation plan. This needs to be comprehensive, as it will drive the actions over the course of the programme. This plan can take typically 3 to 5 days to complete depending on the complexity of the organisation and the breath of the programme.


Given that most grants are for a fixed period ranging from 2 to 3 years with a defined cut-off date, it is critical that the program keeps moving to achieve all objectives before that date, otherwise opportunities may be lost. To achieve this, a member of LBS team will visit your company for one to two days per quarter to ensure that the programme is on target, all invoices are tracked, training is documented correctly and grant claims are being submitted in the correct format and on time.

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