---
title: Portfolio - Amplify Infrastructure
description: Explore how Galway Chamber of Commerce leveraged a feasibility study to enhance SME growth in the Atlantic Economic Corridor, guiding partners toward a clear, actionable roadmap.
image: https://amplistory.com/hubfs/Blog%20banners-Jul-23-2026-11-09-18-9626-AM.png
---
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# A feasibility study for SME growth across the Atlantic Economic Corridor
### **Leading a multi-partner research project to help Galway Chamber and its project partners reach an evidence-backed direction**
## Overview
The [AEC SME Growth Cluster Feasibility Study](https://galwaychamber.com/application-for-funding-support-under-the-smart-regions/) was commissioned by [Galway Chamber of Commerce](https://galwaychamber.com/) in partnership with [DFHERIS Regional Skills West](https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-further-and-higher-education-research-innovation-and-science/services/west-regional-skills-forum/) and [University of Galway Centre for Entrepreneurial Growth and Scaling](https://www.universityofgalway.ie/cegs/).
Funded through the Enterprise Ireland Smart Regions Stream 4 programme, under the ERDF Northern and Western Regional Programme 2021–2027, the study examined how best to support SME commercial capability-building across the nine counties of Ireland’s Atlantic Economic Corridor.
A formal Growth Cluster was one possibility, but the study couldn’t assume that was the right answer. It needed to test that model alongside other options and consider what would work across businesses with very different levels of maturity, growth ambition, and commercial need.
The six-month study ran from March to August 2026. Research, specialist workstreams, and partner discussions progressed in parallel, with regular meetings and workshops throughout.
I managed the project from planning through to final delivery, coordinating the research, branding, legal, and financial work while contributing directly to the research and development of the final recommendations.
*The final recommended approach has not yet been announced publicly, so this case study focuses on the work that led to it.*
## **Bringing the strands together**
The different parts of the project were closely connected. Findings from the market research affected questions around the proposed model, brand, finance, and legal structure, so the work needed to develop as one study rather than as a set of separate specialist reports.
I managed the overall project, keeping the team and partner group aligned around the central question while managing timelines, risks, dependencies, and communication.
I was also directly involved in the research. The market researcher led the core market research and analysis, while I supported survey design, helped run focus groups, conducted interviews, and researched alternative models as the work developed.
That combination gave me a close view of both the evidence and the wider project. As new questions emerged, I could help judge what needed further investigation, what could be answered within the study, and what should be left for a later phase.
## **Developing the evidence**
As the research progressed, I worked closely with the market researcher and brand consultant to interpret the findings and explore the options taking shape.
We brought the evidence and our developing recommendations back to the partner group through regular meetings and workshops. Rather than waiting until the end of the project to present a finished answer, we were able to test the thinking, answer questions, and bring partner input back into the work as it developed.
By the time we reached the final recommendations, the partners understood the evidence behind the proposed direction because they had been part of the discussion throughout.
## Shaping the **final report and deliverables**
The feasibility report was one of the main outputs of the project. I took a lead role in shaping the final version, bringing the research and specialist inputs together into a clear account of the evidence, the options considered, and the recommendations.
Alongside the full report, I created shorter, more public-facing documents for conversations with other organisations, potential partners, and funders. This gave the partners a more accessible way to present the proposed direction without having to rely on the full technical report.
Together, the documents gave the project partners both the evidence behind the recommendations and something practical they could use to continue the work.
## The outcome
The study took an idea that had been under discussion for some time and tested what it could realistically become: what businesses needed, which approaches were viable, what the evidence supported, and what would be required to move forward.
The partners finished the project with an agreed direction, supporting evidence, a roadmap for the next stage, and materials they could use in discussions with potential partners and funders.
> .png?width=99&height=99&name=Profile%20pictures%20(13).png)
> Grace brought structure and clarity to a complex project involving multiple partners and workstreams. Communication was excellent throughout, and we always knew where the project stood, what decisions were needed, and what was coming next. She combined strong project leadership with strategic thinking, helping us turn a large body of research into a clear, practical roadmap for the next stage of the initiative.
#### 
**Elaine Murphy**, Chief Operations Officer, Galway Chamber of Commerce
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