Research, Development & Innovation Fund

Research, Development & Innovation Fund

Provides Irish enterprises planning support for innovation programmes that strengthen global markets.

Enterprise Ireland's Research, Development & Innovation (RD&I) Fund is the agency's core mechanism for grant-funding innovation in Irish-based companies that trade internationally in manufacturing or eligible services. The programme operates on a rolling submission basis, with applications submitted through the Enterprise Ireland online portal at any time after prior discussion with an assigned Client Adviser or Development Adviser. Eligible cost categories include salaries, technical consultancy, contractual research, certification and clinical trials, patent advisory costs, equipment rental and capital, materials, and overheads calculated under one of two approved methods.

Grant rates are set by company size and collaboration status under EU state-aid rules. For experimental development — the most common project type — small enterprises receive up to 45 percent, medium enterprises up to 35 percent, and large enterprises up to 25 percent of eligible costs. Where a project involves effective collaboration between independent undertakings (for large enterprises, this must be cross-border or include at least one SME), rates rise to 60, 50, and 40 percent respectively. The agency may offer a grant at a lower rate than the stated maxima based on value-for-money and incentive-effect assessments. Eligible companies must be EI, Local Enterprise Office, or Údarás na Gaeltachta clients, must be EBITDA-positive in the prior accounting period (or for at least nine months prior to application), and must have adequate cash resources to implement the project. LEO and Údarás clients must employ a minimum of five full-time staff in Ireland at the time of application.

Project scope must involve genuine technical challenge: work must be non-routine, must require resolution of a technical problem, and must represent a step-up in the company's RD&I capability. The fund explicitly excludes routine or incremental improvements and commercially ready products. Under Ireland's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (2021–2026), projects supporting digital transformation or emissions reduction may attract EU co-funding, though environmental exclusions apply to fossil-fuel and ETS-benchmark-breaching activities. Prospective applicants are strongly advised to complete the optional Outline Proposal form before submitting a full application, as it confirms eligibility and allows EI to indicate likely support levels.