A strong County Carlow delegation has participated in the final conference of the Interreg Europe InnoCom project in Brussels, bringing together policymakers, enterprise support organisations and regional partners from across Europe to share learning on how public bodies can better communicate with, engage and support small and medium-sized enterprises.
The “Beyond the Project: The InnoCom Final Conference, Celebrating Achievements and Building the Future of SME Communication” was held at the Umbria Region Brussels Office on 29 September 2026.
The conference marked the conclusion of the project's programme of international cooperation and provided an opportunity for participating regions to reflect on lessons learned and, importantly, how that learning can now be translated into practical action within their respective regions.
County Carlow was strongly represented across local government, enterprise, education, tourism and the business community.
The Carlow delegation included Kieran Comerford and Dearbhla O'Dwyer from Carlow County Council , Brian Ogilvie and Jane Foster from South East Technological University; County Carlow Chamber President Norah Ryan and CEO Nicola Doran; and Damian Howard from Carlow Tourism.
The breadth of the delegation reflected one of the central themes of the InnoCom project: that supporting SMEs and developing a strong and resilient local economy requires collaboration between local government, enterprise agencies, education, the business community and other regional stakeholders.
Kieran Comerford, Head of Economic Development & Enterprise with Carlow County Council, said: “The real value of our involvement in InnoCom is not simply participating in a European project. It is about bringing the learning, relationships and new ideas back to County Carlow and asking how we can use them to strengthen our local economy.
“One of the things I have really valued about InnoCom is the opportunity to look outside our own region, see what others are doing differently and ask what we can learn from them for Carlow. European projects are at their best when the learning doesn't stay in the conference room.
“For me, the next stage is particularly important. We now need to take the examples of good practice we have seen across Europe and translate that learning into practical approaches that make it easier for businesses to engage with us, access support, innovate and grow.
Cathaoirleach of Carlow County Council, Cllr Tommy Kinsella, said:
“County Carlow has always benefited from looking beyond our boundaries, building partnerships and being open to new ideas. InnoCom is one of five EU Projects valued at over 1.5m euros in Direct EU funding to Carlow. Our participation in European programmes such as InnoCom gives Carlow the opportunity not only to learn from other regions, but also to share our own experience and showcase the work being done here in supporting enterprise and economic development.
The final conference included a “Policy Insights: Six Policies, Six Key Takeaways” session, which provided participating regions with an opportunity to share their experience and highlight key policy learning generated through the project.
Kieran Comerford represented Carlow County Council in the session alongside Valeria Covarelli of Umbria Region; Maja Tomažič of the Municipality of Ivančna Gorica; Sigita Šiļvjane of Zemgale Planning Region; Jamil Mansour of Hauts-de-France Region; and Daniel Popescu of the Bucharest-Ilfov Regional Development Agency.
The conference programme also looked beyond the achievements of the project to consider the challenges that remain for SMEs and the organisations that support them.
A panel discussion entitled “Breaking Down Barriers for SMEs: What Still Needs Fixing?” brought together European and regional policymakers, SME representatives and communications specialists for a forward-looking discussion on how barriers facing SMEs can continue to be addressed.
Participants included representatives from the Romanian Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship, Digitalization and Tourism, Sviluppumbria and the Interreg Europe SmartCon project.
Looking to the Future of SME Support
The conference concluded with a keynote discussion examining the future of SME support, reflecting on the key outcomes of InnoCom, policy recommendations emerging from the project and opportunities for continued European collaboration.
Speakers included Chiara Dall'Aglio, InnoCom Project Leader and Responsible for EU Cooperation; Laetitia Turlutte, Deputy Head of the European Project Development and Coordination Unit; and Giacomo Frisanco, Communication, Policy and Membership Manager with EURADA.
Further details go to: https://www.interregeurope.eu/innocom
Photo: Nicola Doran (County Carlow Chamber of Commerce), Teresa Lennon (National Coordinator, Irish Delegation to the Committee of the Regions), Damian Howard (Carlow Tourism), Dearbhla O'Dwyer (Carlow County Council Loacl Enterprise Office), Norah Ryan (President, County Carlow Chamber of Commerce), Brian Ogilvie (SETU), Jane Foster (SETU).