Call 5 of the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) is inviting funding applications, with a particular focus on the Advanced and Smart Manufacturing sector.
The aim of the €500m DTIF is to encourage collaborations between industry and the research sector on the development of ground-breaking technologies.
The government has already allocated €235m to 72 projects approved under the previous three DTIF calls.
Applications received under Call 4 are currently undergoing evaluation and details of the successful projects under that call will be announced later this year.
For Call 5 applicants, each project must have at least one established manufacturing company in a consortium of three or more project partners, one of which must be an SME and one other enterprise partner.
In Association with
All partners must be based in Ireland and be a client of Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, Údarás na Gaeltachta or an eligible Research Performing Organisation.
The type of eligible research is broadened from “industrial research” to include “experimental development”.
Call 5 is targeting the Advanced and Smart Manufacturing sector and the development of novel and disruptive innovation in conventional manufacturing operations.
This is the first time the fund will focus on a specific sector, with the aim of delivering radical enhancement in manufacturing systems or supply chains.
The DTIF targets disruptive and innovative research projects of scale and impact. The minimum funding request must be €1.5m for projects of up to three years’ duration, and the enterprise partners must provide matched funding.
Enterprise minister Leo Varadkar commented: “The story of Irish manufacturing is one of incredible transformation and progress. We want this level of innovation and adaption to continue.
“The manufacturing sector employs over 260,000 people across the country. We want to grow the industry further, and the sector will now need to rise to a new set of challenges.”
Leo Clancy, CEO, Enterprise Ireland, added: “For this call, applicants can now submit projects utilising experimental development research as well as industrial research.
“I would expect to see companies involved in manufacturing and in associated supply chains exploiting the opportunity to give themselves a competitive advantage in their sector.
“On their own, many SMEs may not have the capacity to take on the broad range of activity required to maximise their investment in industrial research or experimental development.
“However, they can use the fund to collaborate with other SMEs or with larger enterprises and research institutions to share the workload and achieve their objectives.”
The Call 5 deadline for applications is 14 July 2022. Enterprise Ireland is in charge of administration.
