Fresh call for €500m Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund

Call 6 under Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund broadened to include industrial research and experimental development.

The Irish Government has issued Call 6 of the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund aimed at encouraging the commercialisation of ground-breaking technologies from the industry and research sector.

The Fund targets industrial research projects of scale and impact. The minimum funding request must be €1.5m for projects of up to three years’ duration. SME partners must provide matched funding while large companies must provide 60% project funding.

“We are beginning to see ground-breaking technologies and business advancement from earlier participants of the DTIF programme”

“The Disruptive Technologies Fund is an essential tool in ensuring we have enterprise driven research,” said Simon Harris, TD, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

“Our research strategy – Impact 2030 – clearly sets out the need for collaboration between enterprises and the research sector.”

Prospective applicants can obtain detailed information on the Fund and on the application process through the enterprise.gov.ie/DTIF webpage.

Enterprise collaborations

To drive enterprise collaborations, each project must have at least one SME and one other enterprise in a consortium of three or more project partners. Collaborations with the Irish research sector are encouraged. All partners must be based in Ireland and be a client of Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, Údarás na Gaeltachta or Science Foundation Ireland.

All eligible applications received by the deadline of 3pm on 31 May 2023, will undergo rigorous assessment by panels of independent international experts.

The call for funding will be administered for the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment by Enterprise Ireland.

“This Call will provide an opportunity for our enterprise and research sectors to demonstrate their ability to respond to the twin green and digital transitions,” said the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Simon Coveney, TD.

“These two major global transformations will provide major opportunities for new firms to emerge and for existing Irish firms to gain market share in new technologies and industries. Investment in areas like decarbonisation and digitalisation is crucial to meeting our commitments under the EU Green Deal and facilitating our transition to a low carbon, sustainable economic model which is why I was delighted to see today the Call 2 project funded by DTIF to deliver a next generation heat pump.”

The Government has already allocated €288m to 86 successful projects approved under the previous four DTIF calls, with further funding under DTIF Calls 4 and 5 to be announced in the coming weeks. These projects cover areas such as life sciences, medical devices, ICT, artificial intelligence, manufacturing and environmental sustainability.

“Enterprise Ireland is pleased to continue to support the latest call under the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund,” said Leo Clancy, CEO of Enterprise Ireland.

“We are beginning to see ground-breaking technologies and business advancement from earlier participants of the DTIF programme and I expect similar cutting-edge developments from companies availing of this new call, in particular within priority sectors for development such as construction, climate and sustainability.”

John Kennedy
Award-winning ThinkBusiness.ie editor John Kennedy is one of Ireland's most experienced business and technology journalists.

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