The Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, announced yesterday the 25 projects which will receive £1.95 million (#2.5 million) grant aid under the e-Commerce Corporate Infrastructure Programme.

The grants, funded by the European Economic Infrastructure Operational Programme, aim to assist in the nationwide roll out of business on the Internet. They will be supplemented by £5.85 million in private investment.

The successful projects under the programme aim to progress the development of electronic solutions for businesses by creating an infrastructure of virtual business communities.

Under the terms of the programme, funded organisations will share their knowledge of e-commerce throughout the business community.

Ms O'Rourke said: "These successful projects will have a trickledown effect on others. Through their example, other companies contemplating the e-commerce age will be able to see at first hand the benefits of doing business on the Internet." According to Ms O'Rourke, the programme is designed to draw together some of the main e-commerce practitioners in the market to help them innovate and exploit their vast experience across a broader base.

The successful companies are located in Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Kilkenny, Limerick, Monaghan, Waterford and Wexford.

Grants of up to 40 per cent of the eligible costs of the implementation of a project were offered under the programme. These were subject to a maximum amount of £118,135 for each project.

Among the successful schemes were ones setting up a centre of excellence for e-commerce, involving UCD; credit union services over the Internet; the online sale of educational toys, and a plan to provide e-kiosks in less populous centres in the south-east.

Other were targeted at specific industries, including insurance and independent vegetable-growers.