InterTradeIreland has introduced significant changes to the Trade Export Pathway eligibility criteria and approval process. These changes affect how businesses in Northern Ireland and Ireland access cross-border export support, and how consultants prepare and position applications.
This article explains what has changed, why it matters, and how businesses and advisers should respond.
Why the Trade Export Pathway has tightened
InterTradeIreland is now operating in the final delivery year of the current Trade Export Pathway framework. Demand for cross-border export support has increased, while available budgets and programme capacity have reduced. As a result, InterTradeIreland has moved from a largely eligibility-led model to a more competitive, evidence-based assessment approach.
This reflects wider enterprise funding trends across Northern Ireland and Ireland. Recent Invest NI and Enterprise Ireland data consistently shows that while SMEs make up over 99 percent of businesses on the island, a far smaller proportion export cross-border in a sustained way. Public funding bodies are therefore concentrating resources on firms that can demonstrate export readiness, scalability and near-term impact.
Approval is no longer about whether a business broadly fits the programme. It is about whether the business is likely to convert public funding into measurable cross-border export outcomes within a defined timeframe, particularly between Northern Ireland and Ireland where market access is already structurally open.
This shift aligns with wider public funding trends across Belfast, Dublin and regional enterprise offices, where export support is increasingly tied to demonstrable impact, readiness, and value for money.
Updated eligibility criteria explained in plain terms
To be considered for Trade Export Pathway support, a business must now clearly meet all of the following criteria at Export On-boarding stage, not just at application stage.
Business size and trading history
The business must:
- Employ fewer than 250 people
- Have a minimum of 12 months trading history
- Be based in Northern Ireland or Ireland
These thresholds are not flexible. Early-stage businesses without a full trading year are no longer suitable candidates.
Turnover thresholds
The last full financial year turnover must be:
- More than £100,000 or €116,200
- Less than £40 million or €46.5 million
Crucially, businesses must now submit their most recent full financial accounts at Export On-boarding stage. These accounts are reviewed by an InterTradeIreland panel that meets monthly. Businesses that cannot evidence turnover at this point will not progress.
Sector eligibility and tradable services
Eligible businesses must operate in manufacturing or tradable services. This distinction is now being actively enforced.
Generally ineligible sectors include:
- Retail, wholesale and distribution
- Hospitality and tourism
- Personal services
- Professional business services
For service-based companies, the key test is whether the service can be sold and delivered across the border at scale, without requiring the provider to be physically present in the target market. This has implications for agencies, consultants, and digital service providers in Belfast, Derry, Dublin and border counties who previously assumed eligibility.
In practice, InterTradeIreland is now looking for evidence that the service can generate repeatable revenue from clients in the target market, rather than being tied to local delivery, local relationships, or time-based billing models.
Cross-border sales exposure
A business must have less than 40 percent of total sales in the target cross-border market during the last or current financial year.
This criterion is designed to prioritise genuine new exporters or early-stage cross-border traders. Businesses already heavily trading cross-border may be redirected to other InterTradeIreland supports or declined entirely.
Product or service uniqueness
The business must demonstrate that its product or service is sufficiently unique and does not simply displace existing products or services in the target market.
This requirement has become more prominent. It is no longer enough to state that a business is better, faster or cheaper. Applications must show differentiation, market gap, or innovation, supported by evidence rather than assertion.
Export On-boarding is now the main approval gate
One of the most important procedural changes is the role of Export On-boarding.
Previously, Export On-boarding was often treated as a follow-up administrative step. Under the revised approach, it is now the primary decision point.
At Export On-boarding stage:
- Full financial accounts must be submitted
- Eligibility is reassessed by an InterTradeIreland panel
- The panel decides which stage of the Pathway, if any, the business can access
This means a business can be approved in principle but still fail to progress if Export On-boarding does not demonstrate readiness, fit or impact.
Research, Plan and Implement are no longer sequential by default
The Trade Export Pathway consists of three stages:
- Cross-border market research
- Cross-border export sales and marketing plan
- Implement support
Progression through these stages is no longer assumed.
InterTradeIreland now assesses which stage is appropriate based on the evidence provided at Export On-boarding. Some businesses may be approved for research only. Others may move directly to planning or, in fewer cases, implementation.
Implement stage requirements have tightened significantly
The Implement stage is now the most restricted and competitive part of the Pathway.
To access Implement support, a business must already have a clearly defined cross-border sales and marketing plan in place. This plan must be submitted at Export On-boarding stage and assessed by the InterTradeIreland panel.
A business cannot access Implement support on the basis that a plan will be developed later. Without a credible, structured plan, Implement will not be approved.
This reflects InterTradeIreland’s focus on funding execution rather than exploration at this stage of the programme.
No automatic progression and limited places
InterTradeIreland has been explicit that approval at one stage does not guarantee access to subsequent stages.
Progression depends on:
- Demonstrated impact
- Evidence of implementation
- Business readiness
- Budget availability
The Trade Export Pathway is now operating as a competitive programme. Where demand exceeds resources, additional assessment criteria may be applied, and management decisions are final.
What this means for Northern Ireland and Ireland businesses
For businesses seeking cross-border export support in Northern Ireland or Ireland, the changes mean preparation matters more than ever.
SMEs in Belfast, Dublin and across border counties such as Louth, Monaghan, Armagh and Donegal are increasingly competing for the same limited public funding supports. InterTradeIreland is therefore prioritising businesses that can show clear commercial intent, realistic sales targets, and an understanding of how the two markets differ in procurement, pricing and buyer behaviour.
Businesses should:
- Review eligibility honestly before applying
- Ensure financial accounts are ready and available
- Be clear on cross-border sales percentages
- Define differentiation in practical, commercial terms
- Align expectations with the correct Pathway stage
Applying too early or with weak evidence increases the risk of rejection and delays future support, particularly where panel capacity is limited to monthly review cycles.
What this means for consultants and advisers
Consultants supporting Trade Export Pathway applications are now expected to act as filters as well as facilitators.
This reflects a broader shift across publicly funded programmes in Northern Ireland and Ireland, where advisers are expected to demonstrate value by steering unsuitable businesses away from premature applications.
This includes:
- Pre-qualifying clients before application
- Advising on realistic Pathway stages
- Strengthening Export On-boarding narratives with commercial evidence
- Avoiding generic language and unsupported claims
Export On-boarding should be treated as a structured business case rather than a formality, particularly for SMEs operating in highly competitive sectors such as digital services, advanced manufacturing and B2B supply chains across Belfast and Dublin.
Further Advice
The revised Trade Export Pathway reflects a broader shift in public export support towards accountability, readiness and measurable outcomes. Businesses and advisers who adapt to this reality will be better positioned to secure support in the final year of the programme.
As an accredited InterTradeIreland mentor, I have worked with a wide range of SMEs across Northern Ireland and Ireland, supporting them through eligibility assessment, Export On-boarding and Pathway progression. If you are considering an application and want an honest view on readiness, positioning or next steps under the revised criteria, you can contact me directly on 07855 488452 or by email at in**@***************ng.com.
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