Which Enterprise Ireland Funding Fits Your Stage?

Enterprise Ireland runs several supports for innovation and R&D, and the right one depends on where your project is today, not just how ambitious it is. The range runs from an Innovation Voucher worth €10,000, through the R&D Fund covering up to 60% of your eligible costs, to research partnerships funded at up to 80%.

This guide takes them in the order a project usually matures: an idea, a feasibility question, a development project, a research partnership, and a large collaboration. That way you can see which support you should be looking at now, and which ones to leave for later.

Enterprise Ireland R&D supports at a glance

You have an idea you want to test: the Innovation Voucher

The Innovation Voucher is the entry point. A standard voucher is worth €10,000, and co-funded vouchers can reach €20,000. Vouchers are valid for 18 months and available all year round, and they're open to start-ups and SMEs.

You use a voucher to bring in outside expertise on a specific business challenge before you commit your own team's time and budget. It suits early questions that you can't answer internally.

For example:

An Irish food manufacturer wants to extend the shelf life of a product without artificial preservatives, but it doesn't have the microbiology expertise in-house. A voucher lets it work with an outside expert to find out whether the idea holds up before anything is built.

You need to know whether it's technically possible: the Exploring Innovation Grant

The Exploring Innovation Grant funds up to €35,000 to investigate the technical feasibility of a research, development and innovation project. It's open to start-ups, SMEs and large companies.

The €35,000 cap means it suits a focused piece of feasibility work rather than a full development programme. It makes the most sense where a specific technical unknown stands between your idea and a development project. The answer either gives you a clear technical case to build on, or saves you from spending on a project that won't work.

You're ready to build: the RD&I Fund

Once the technical question is answered, the RD&I Fund supports Irish companies developing new products, processes or services. It can cover up to 60% of your eligible costs, with the rate depending on your company size and whether you're collaborating with another company or a research institution. Applications split into Small Projects (a grant request of up to €150,000) and Standard Projects (above €150,000), which follow different review routes.

Three conditions shape whether the fund is right for you:

• The project must involve resolving a technical challenge, be non-routine, or represent a step-up for your company.
• At least 40% of your eligible costs need to be salary costs for in-house work.
• You can't start the project before you submit your application.

For example:

A Cork-based medical device manufacturer scopes a nine-month project to develop a new sensor housing, with total costs of €280,000. As a small enterprise working alone, it qualifies for a 45% rate, which puts its grant request at €126,000. That's below the €150,000 threshold, so it applies as a Small Project.

You need research capability you don't have: the Innovation Partnership Programme

The Innovation Partnership Programme funds up to 80% of the cost of research work when you partner with an Irish research institute. It's open to start-ups, SMEs and large companies.

It suits problems that need laboratory facilities, specialist academic expertise or research capacity you can't hire. If you're also claiming the R&D tax credit, it's worth understanding how university research partnerships are treated before you set up the arrangement.

For example:

A Galway software company needs a new approach to analysing medical images, and the research skills sit in a university group rather than in its own team. A partnership lets that group carry out the research, with Enterprise Ireland covering up to 80% of the research cost.

Your project is large and collaborative: DTIF

The Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund is designed for projects on a different scale. Applications need a consortium of at least three partners, including at least one SME and one other enterprise, and the minimum funding request is €1.5 million. The projects it supports are collaborative research and commercial development projects spanning three to seven years.

DTIF Call 8 makes €40 million available. Applications open on 1 October 2026 and close on 31 January 2027. For the full detail, see our article on DTIF Call 8.

DTIF is supported administratively by Enterprise Ireland, but is managed by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment.

Can you move from one support to the next?

Read as a sequence, these supports line up with how most R&D projects mature: a question, a feasibility test, a development project. Each scheme has its own eligibility conditions and rules on when you can start spending, so confirm them before you commit any costs.

How do these supports affect your R&D tax credit?

Grant funding and the R&D tax credit can both apply to the same project, but not to the same money. Expenditure covered by a grant has to come out of your R&D tax credit calculation, so it's worth tracking the two separately from the start. We cover this in our articles on claiming R&D tax credits on a grant-funded project and choosing between R&D tax credits and grants.

Key takeaways

• Match the support to your stage. An Innovation Voucher tests an idea, the Exploring Innovation Grant tests feasibility, and the RD&I Fund pays for development.
• The Innovation Partnership Programme funds research partnerships. It covers up to 80% of the research cost when you work with an Irish research institute.
• DTIF suits large consortia. It requires at least three partners and a minimum request of €1.5 million.
• Timing matters. Check each scheme's start-date rules before you commit spend, as the RD&I Fund doesn't allow you to start before you apply.
• Grants and the R&D tax credit need separate tracking. Grant-funded costs can't also be claimed for the credit.
• Choosing the right support first saves time on the wrong application. Knowing where your project sits is the quickest way to shortlist.

If you're deciding which Enterprise Ireland support fits your project, or you'd like help preparing an application, contact Myriad to discuss your specific situation.