‘We’re delighted – the funding for our business will be there when we need it’
SELF-EMPLOYED animator Niamh Herrity is in her fourth year of business with wife Aoife Doyle and they are “delighted” with the Budget which will potentially help their business thrive.
Both women had been calling for more funding for creative companies to place Ireland on the map. And Niamh (35) feels that the Government’s move to extend the Section 481 tax relief for four years until December 2024, is a “major boost.”
Niamh, who runs Pink Kong Studio, based in Dublin Sheriff Street, with Aoife, said: “The extension of 481 is great news.
“It will help us in terms of getting funding, potential co-production and with the general running of business and developing our own IT systems. It means that there will be extra funding there when we really need it.”
Niamh said other measures introduced in the Budget, including a Future Growth Loan Scheme for SMEs providing up to €300m in funding, a Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund, making €500m available for co-funded projects involving enterprise and research partners up to 2027, were also positive steps.
Niamh and Aoife (37) recently created the awardwinning virtual reality short film, Aurora, for which they were grateful to access funding available in Ireland.
“Aurora was one of our proudest moments but we’re concerned that to do any other projects like this, we’ll have to leave Ireland,” Niamh added. But she is hopeful there will be more funding opportunities here thanks to Budget measures.