Enterprise Ireland

Supports Irish growth by helping companies scale from early ideas to export-ready businesses through training and finance.

Enterprise Ireland is Ireland's national state development agency for Irish-owned, internationally trading businesses. It sits under the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and backs companies across the growth journey, from early start-up finance to scale-up investment. The agency reports that supported companies employ 234,454 people across Ireland, generate EUR 34.565 billion in export value, and spend EUR 39.3 billion annually in the Irish economy.

Its instruments combine grants, equity, convertible finance, and fund-of-funds capital. The main programmes in scope include the Research, Development & Innovation Fund, Innovation Voucher, Innovation Partnership Programme, New Frontiers, the Innovative HPSU Fund, PhDStart, the Digital Transition Fund, European Digital Innovation Hubs, the Pre-Seed Start Fund, the Seed & Venture Capital Scheme 2025-2029, and the Smart Regions Enterprise Innovation Scheme. Awards range from EUR 10,000 vouchers and EUR 62,000 for PhDStart to EUR 3 million for Innovation Partnership, EUR 10 million for Smart Regions, and EUR 100 million in the seed and venture scheme.

That mix makes Enterprise Ireland a central route for Irish start-ups, SMEs, researchers, and larger companies that need help with product development, digital transition, commercialisation, or export growth. It is particularly useful where the applicant can pair advice with capital and point to productivity, competitiveness, or international sales rather than pure research alone. The agency's advantage is breadth: it can support a company with a small voucher, a research collaboration, or patient capital as the business matures.