Dublin

EIT Climate-KIC’s partner in the Republic of Ireland is Sustainable Nation Ireland. Together we are working to turn Dublin into a global hub for green and sustainable investment.

Ireland is committed to an ambitious decarbonisation plan over the next 10 years, for which it is looking to attract €50bn investment. To achieve this, it has established Sustainable Nation Ireland (SNI). 

Goals

An action plan has been agreed which gives SNI responsibility for:

• Promoting Ireland as an International Hub for Green Finance
• Establishing Europe’s first dedicated Green FinTech accelerator programme
• Raising awareness of Ireland’s responsible and sustainable investment agenda
• Developing international partnerships

Approach

SNI brings together a wide range of players in sustainability and capital markets to shape policy and direct investment. EIT Climate-KIC contributes to the delivery of ‘Ireland for Finance’, the new strategy for the development of Ireland’s international financial services sector to 2025.  Within this new strategy, ‘Sustainable Finance’ is one of three themes.  Working in collaboration with Sustainable Nation Ireland, we will support Dublin’s leadership role in mobilising global financial centres in advancing the sustainability agenda as well as developing a Sustainable Finance Innovation programme in Ireland.

SNI will link key players in Irish and global finance to shape green finance and ensure finance flows to sustainable and low carbon projects. In support of the Irish Government’s Financial Services Plan 2025, it has helped set up the Sustainable & Responsible Investment Forum (SIF) Ireland, a platform to bring together policy makers, investors and intermediaries in sustainable investment. It was instrumental in getting the Financial Centres for Sustainability (EFC4S), a UN programme that encourages green and sustainable finance, to establish its headquarters in Dublin.

It is now looking to develop a Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Finance in Ireland to bring together finance, academia and business; and pilot a corporate ‘intrapreneurship’ programme to enable finance and related companies to develop innovative products and services.

For entrepreneurs, we have established a Dublin-based EIT Climate-KIC Accelerator Programme, which supports promising start-ups in both low carbon technology and sustainable finance, providing mentoring, funding, and access to professional networks.

These and other programmes will establish mechanisms for green financial flows in Ireland, and match funding to opportunities. These will be supported by ongoing programmes to promote Ireland as a Green Finance Centre and continue to attract funding and boost the Irish sustainability sector.