ACORNS, a free initiative for early-stage female entrepreneurs in rural Ireland, has been selected as Ireland's national entry for the European Enterprise Promotion Awards, Investing in Entrepreneurial Skills.
The European Enterprise Promotion Awards are run by the European Commission.
A representative from ACORNS will be attending the SME Assembly 2025 in Copenhagen, which will be held in November in conjunction-with the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The category and overall winner will be announced there.
ACORNS, which stands for Accelerating the Creation Of Rural Nascent Start-ups, has been running since 2014 and, since then, more than 550 female entrepreneurs have completed a cycle of the programme.
It is funded through the Rural Innovation and Development Fund by the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine.
Paula Fitzsimons, Director of ACORNS, said she was thrilled that ACORNS has been recognised for the work it does in supporting female innovators based in rural Ireland.
"The programme has delivered significant results for both its participants and the wider economy over the past 10 years. We are committed to helping emerging female entrepreneurs to build on their ideas and businesses in a supportive atmosphere while also being challenged to drive their businesses forward," she said.
"ACORNS is based on the belief that early-stage entrepreneurs learn best from their peers. Participants interact with each other in the monthly round table sessions, which are facilitated by a Lead Entrepreneur, who has first-hand experience of starting and successfully growing a business in rural Ireland," she stated.
ACORNS is currently seeking applications for the 11th cycle of the programme.
Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine Martin Heydon recently opened of the call for applications for ACORNS 11. The deadline for applications is midnight, September 22.
The programme is available to early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland who have generated sales no earlier than the end of June 2022. There are up to 50 places available.
ACORNS 11 will run from October 2025 to April 2026 and will include six monthly round table sessions, a briefing by various development agencies and an end-of-cycle celebration.
Each of the Lead Entrepreneurs give their time to the programme on a voluntary basis, as they believe in the philosophy of "entrepreneurs helping entrepreneurs".
This year’s voluntary lead entrepreneurs are Alison Ritchie (Polar Ice); Caroline Reidy (The HR Suite); Eimer Hannon (Hannon Travel); Geraldine Jones (Skin Formulas); Mary B Walsh (Ire Wel Pallets) and Triona MacGiolla Rí (Aró Digital Strategies).
"While we look forward to the final in Copenhagen, we are also looking forward to receiving the applications of the next group of prospective ACORNS and working closely with those selected to continue the positive trends we've seen in terms of revenue and employment," Paula Fitzsimons added.
