R&D and the application of knowledge are critical to the survival of Irish industry.
The R&D Fund is designed to provide support for research, development and technological innovation relevant at all stages of company development, and which will enable companies to progress from undertaking an initial research project to high level innovation and R&D activity.

Aim of the R&D Fund
Do I qualify?
How do I apply?
What is the maximum funding level?

Aim of the R&D Fund

The aims of the R&D Fund are to:

• Help manufacturing and service firms to develop innovative products, processes and services.
• Increase the number of companies performing effective R&D in Ireland.
• Increase the scale of the investment in R&D in Ireland.
• Increase the number of companies doing R&D for the first time.
• Ensure Irish based companies, particularly Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs), protect their futures by helping them reach and exceed European and international norms for R&D investment.
• Increase the quantity and quality of the R&D linkages between companies, and between companies either in Ireland or internationally, through collaborative research programmes such as EUREKA etc.

The R&D Fund will help companies to achieve the following:

• A significant ongoing/established R&D budget
• A demonstrable connection between R&D and the overall business objectives
• A culture of innovative thinking throughout the company which aims to harness the creativity of all the staff towards defined business goals.
• An established R&D team with high level skills
• High quality facilities for R&D
• Good quality R&D management systems and procedures

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Do I qualify?

You are eligible to apply if your company is an Irish based manufacturing or Internationally Traded Services company which can show adequate cash resources to implement the proposed R&D project.  All applications will be subject to assessment.

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How do I apply?

Applications for funding will be considered on a competitive monthly tranche basis.  All applications will be subject to an assessment process.  The call close for each monthly tranche is  5.30pm on the last working day of each month.

Please note, eligible expenditure can only be incurred from the Call Close date.

	Company Guidelines for R&D Fund Application (MS Word format; Size: 583KB)		R&D Fund Company Guidelines
	Business Plan summary for R&D Fund (MS Word format; Size: 498KB)		R&D Fund Business Plan Summary
	Project Details and Costs for R&D Funding (Excel format; Size: 449KB)
	Financial Data Sheet (FDS) (Excel format; Size: 3327KB)

Clients are advised to consult website for most recent version of applications as documents are continuously being updated.

It is advisable to discuss your project ideas with your local agency adviser prior to submitting a completed application.

The R&D Fund Reference document contains full detail on the projects and activities eligible for support and criteria on which applications will be assessed.

R&D Fund Reference Document (MS Word format; Size: 144KB)

R&D Fund Reference Document

Call close dates up to and including December 2010

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What is the maximum funding level?

The maximum R&D grant that a company can receive is €450,000. Companies with projects in excess of this amount will be evaluated on a case by case basis by the Enterprise Ireland Investment Committee using a similar approach and grant rates as the R&D Committee.

The maximum grant rates are given in the table below:

For further information contact

Maura Shields Tel: + 353 1 727 2224