There is now half a billion euro available in state funding for disruptive technology projects, and three ministers have hit the trail to ask research groups and tech businesses to apply for a slice of the cake. 

The ‘Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund’ was announced by ministers Heather Humphreys, John Halligan Pat Breen, who also published their department’s report on Project 2040, which sets out its role in delivering targets in the government’s strategy for the next quarter century.

Minister Humphreys said: “This fund is not about business as usual. We’re living in the technological revolution, and we’re looking for proposals for truly game-changing technologies. The world around us is changing and we can’t afford to stand still. The fund is about ensuring that Ireland can stay ahead of the curve.

“We’re looking for ideas in areas like robotics, artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, advanced manufacturing and smart and sustainable food production. We’re lucky in Ireland to have companies, both multinational and indigenous, that are doing very exciting things in technology. We also have top-class researchers so we want to see proposals that involve collaboration between industry, research bodies and the public sector.”

Interested organisations can find full information on the new fund, plus application details, at the department website. Projects must be collaborative in nature and involve a number of partners. The focus will be on projects that can be commercialised, with a real impact on the jobs of the future.

In Association with

The first successful projects to be funded in 2019 will be announced by the end of this year. SME participation in each project is an essential requirement to receive funding from the DTIF.

Photo: Ministers Heather Humphreys, John Halligan and Pat Breen with local TD Fergus O’Dowd and Cllr Oliver Tully at The Mill Enterprise Hub in Drogheda. (Pix: Joe Keogh)