Female entrepreneurs in the area are being urged to consider applying to participate in a special national funded programme aimed at early stage enterprises.

The ACORNS (Accelerating the Creation of Rural Nascent Start-ups) programme is designed to unleash the potential of female entrepreneurs who have recently started a business or who have taken concrete steps towards doing so.

“The programme will provide entrepreneurs with the knowledge, support and networking opportunities to advance the development of their business,” Helen Downes, CEO, Shannon Chamber said.

ACORNs are in a position to select up to 56 start-up female entrepreneurs living in rural areas as defined by CEDRA – the Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas. These are all areas of the country outside the administrative city boundaries of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.

There is no charge for successful participants, as ACORNS is fully funded under the CEDRA 2015 Rural Innovation and Development Fund through the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Successful candidates will also have the costs associated with the residential elements of the programme covered.

Potential applicants can get further information on, and register their interest in, the ACORNS programme at www.acorns.ie  The deadline for receipt of completed applications is Thursday 22 September 2016 and the programme will begin on October 10th at the ACORNS residential Development Forum in Mullingar, Co. Westmeath.