Funding Agencies

Enterprise Ireland is the state agency responsible for supporting the development of
manufacturing and internationally traded services companies. They provide funding and supports for companies – from entrepreneurs with plans for a high potential start-up through to large companies expanding their activities, improving efficiency and growing export sales. They also provide funding and supports for college based researchers to assist in the development, protection and transfer of technologies into industry via licensing or spin-out companies.

If you own or manage a small limited company with a company registration number and you have a business opportunity or problem that you want to explore, why not apply for an Innovation Voucher worth €5,000? The objective of the Innovation Voucher initiative is to build links between Ireland’s public knowledge providers and small businesses and create a cultural shift in the small business community’s approach to innovation.

The Irish Research Council manages a suite of inter-linked research schemes, funding scholars at various career stages, from postgraduate study to senior research project-based awards. For early stage researchers these include the Government of Ireland Post-Graduate Scholarships and Government of Ireland Post-Doctoral Fellowships, which fund research at pre- and post-doctoral levels, and the Research Development Initiative Scheme, which allows researchers and research teams to expand their activities into new research areas by way of stimulus project grants and knowledge transfer initiatives

Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) is the national foundation for investment in scientific and engineering research. SFI invests in academic researchers and research teams who are most likely to generate new knowledge, leading edge technologies and competitive enterprises in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).The Foundation also promotes and supports the study of, education in, and engagement with STEM and promotes an awareness and understanding of the value of STEM to society and, in particular, to the growth of the economy.

Effective management of the environment is increasingly science-driven. Through their research and development programme, the Environmental Protection Agency is
generating the knowledge and expertise needed to protect and manage Ireland’s
environment.

The HRB supports research that will create new knowledge and evidence to benefit people’s health through clinical research, patient-oriented research, population health sciences research and health services research. The HRB supports researchers and health professionals through career development awards, project and programme awards, and infrastructure initiatives supporting health research.

The EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation for Research and Technological Development is the European Union’s main instruments for supporting collaborative research. The priorities in Horizon 2020 are contained within several specific programmes. Horizon 2020 is the financial instrument implementing the Innovation Union, a Europe 2020 flagship initiative aimed at securing Europe’s global competitiveness. Running from 2014 to 2020 with an €80 billion budget, the EU’s new programme for research and innovation is part of the drive to create new growth and jobs in Europe.