The Louth County Enterprise Board (LCEB) exists to stimulate economic and entrepreneurial activity in County Louth, an administrative region of Ireland and to develop local indigenous enterprise potential in the micro-business sector. LCEB seeks to harness collective effort across a broad spectrum of the local community with a view to generating a local economy of real strength and durability, through growth in employment and wealth as well as improved competitiveness. In order to achieve its objectives, the LCEB has a range of support instruments, both financial and non-financial, at its disposal to assist viable proposals for business start-up and expansion projects.

The specific mission of the LCEB is to:

• Stimulate and support the creation of economically sustainable niche micro-enterprise opportunities in the manufacturing, internationally traded services and highly innovative local traded services sectors through the promotion of an enterprise culture.
• Provide information, advice, mentoring, management development and business counseling.
• Initiate the formation of partnerships and alliances.
• Foster economic development and to make available the provision of direct financial supports.

The Board has initiated a number of focused support programmes for groups within the SME sector – among them a Womens Business Programme, a programme for Creative Enterprises and Craft Business support structure. One of the primary development tools developed and employed by LCEB for over ten years is the Plato business Development network. LCEB is intimately involved in all aspects of the network’s development and success. PLATO has become the European best-practice network for regional business support communities built around knowledge exchange between SME owner managers and large "parent" companies, and has won the European “Job Challenge Award” 2002. PLATO provides SMEs with facilitated group learning, specialist expertise and advice, networking opportunities, business development training, and cross border activities. PLATO networks include over 7000 SMEs and 800 parent companies in 10 European countries and 40 regions.