Innovation Partnership Programme

Overview

The Innovation Partnership Programme can help you to take your business to the next level. Enterprise Ireland can help your company to access the latest skills and expertise from research institutes throughout Ireland.   

The Innovation Partnership Programme can provide up to 80% of the cost of research work towards the development of new and improved products, processes or services, or generate new knowledge and know-how.

In an independent survey of companies that participated in the Innovation Partnership Programme:

• 96% of respondents would be willing to recommend the Programme to other businesses.
• 71% of participant companies surveyed said that their objectives were largely or fully achieved.
• Each €1 of funding invested by Enterprise Ireland in Innovation Partnerships delivered €7.71 Net Turnover Impact at the company side.

Am I eligible?

The company must be a registered client of one of the following state development agencies: Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, Local Enterprise Office, Údarás na Gaeltachta. 

The company must have the full support of their assigned Development Adviser/Agency Contact to participate in the programme. This support must be confirmed before any application forms are submitted. Clusters of companies and/or research institutes are welcome to apply to the programme.

Maximum funding available

Innovation Partnership Programme brochure provides the essential details on funding, eligibility and key dates.

Identifying a Research Partner

Whatever sector that your company is in, from Big Data to Medical Devices and beyond, you can find research partners through the Research Map of Ireland.

How to apply

• Our Guidelines (published below) help you through the application process and our Frequently Asked Questions aim to answer any additional queries that you may have. Our application forms are below.
• Contact the Innovation Partnership Team to discuss your idea.

Call close dates

• Outline Proposals and Feasibility Proposals can be submitted at any time.
• FULL Innovation Partnership Proposals can be submitted following a review of an Outline Proposals or a positive outcome of a Feasibility Study.

Below is the schedule for FULL Innovation Partnership Proposals for 2023.

Innovation Partnership Schedule 2023

IPP Capital Funding

If an IPP project requires the purchase of a large item of capital equipment, a new IPP Capital Funding support may be available to the RPO to 100% fund this capital equipment outside the IPP project budget. The approval is subject to, but not limited to, the following conditions being satisfied:

• The piece of equipment is critical to the successful completion of the project
• The equipment is not readily available locally
• A formal justification being provided outlining a continued industrial need for the equipment and a financial plan showing how the equipment would be serviced and maintained by the institution into the future
• The equipment is reserved for industrial use
• Upon completion of the funded project, the cost of maintenance, service, insurance and all other operational costs are borne by the institution
• The applicant company (and all subsequent users) to be charged a fair commercial rate for the use of the equipment.

Please consult with the Innovation Partnership team before submitting the IPP Capital Funding Application. Please see the Innovation Partnership Capital Funding Guidelines & Business Case Form (.doc) for further details.

Covid-19 Impact on Current IPP Projects - Exceptional Budget Funding Extension

Enterprise Ireland is introducing an exceptional funding mechanism for cost extensions applicable to ongoing Innovation Partnership projects seeking funding due to the Covid-19 closedown. Only projects in their final stage, (within 3 months of their end date) or in exceptional circumstances, can apply and only Covid-19 related justifications will be considered.

To be eligible for the personnel cost extension, the personnel involved should not have been officially deployed to undertake other tasks during the time originally allocated to the Innovation Partnership project throughout the impacted period.

The company partner(s) will have to agree to an additional contribution (cash or in-kind) in order to maintain the overall Enterprise Ireland funding rate as originally approved.

Applications, with endorsement from the company partner(s), are to be submitted to Enterprise Ireland by the Principal Investigator. Download the Application Form (.docx).

Contact us

For more information on the Innovation Partnership Programme, please email ipp@enterprise-ireland.com