New projects sought for €500m Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund

The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Peter Burke, T.D., the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Patrick O’Donoghue, T.D., and Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Dara Calleary, T.D., today launched Call 7 of the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF). The aim of the Fund is to encourage collaborations by industry and research sector into the development and commercialisation of ground-breaking technologies. 

The launch took place in Mullingar, Co. Westmeath at the offices of Ostoform Ltd, the lead partner in a DTIF Call 3 project. Ostoform are working with two other project partners – Ross Polymer Ltd and Technological University Shannon – to develop an innovative ostomy pouch, used in the treatment of digestive and urinary conditions, which directs corrosive output away from the skin and improves patient wellbeing and quality of life. 

Launching Call 7 Minister Burke said: 

“I am delighted to announce the seventh Call of the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund. The Fund is an important Government initiative which is helping to future-proof Ireland at a time of geo-political turbulence, economic uncertainty and supply chain disruption.

“The Fund is seeking to encourage collaborative projects utilising cutting-edge technologies that will contribute to the achievement of Ireland’s economic growth. We want projects that will make a real difference to people’s lives, especially in helping us to improve our level of digitalisation and achieve our climate action targets. 

“The Irish enterprise and research sectors have regularly demonstrated their resilience and ability to adapt to challenges. We want to foster these capabilities by de-risking some of the costs associated with the development of truly disruptive, innovative projects."

Patrick O’Donovan, TD, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science said:

"In announcing the seventh Call for the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund, we aim to maximise the impact of our investment in Irish research institutions," explained Minister for Innovation, Patrick O Donovan.  

"The Fund can play a major role in delivering on Government research and enterprise objectives, as outlined in policy documents such as the recent Quantum Technologies Strategy and the White Paper on Enterprise.

"We're focusing on areas like quantum technologies, where breakthroughs can truly make a difference. By fostering collaboration between companies and research facilities, our goal is to not only drive innovation but also create more job opportunities for graduates in the future." 

Dara Calleary, TD, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation also welcomed the DTIF funding: 

“The Government is committed to supporting companies in improving their digital capacity through targeted investment, with a view to positioning Ireland as a leading global digital hub.  

“DTIF has already demonstrated its role as a catalyst in bringing about digital transformation by supporting projects that will develop unique applications of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence. It is notable that 46 projects involving artificial intelligence were awarded €162.5m across the six DTIF Calls to date. This significant investment in disruptive technologies is giving enterprises the support needed to incorporate digitalisation into their business processes and driving Ireland’s adoption of digital technologies.”

Leo Clancy, CEO, Enterprise Ireland, who administer the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund, said: 

‘’Enterprise Ireland is pleased to continue to support the reopening of the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund on an open rolling basis, replacing the previous closed call approach. This will enhance the user-friendliness of a fund that has already demonstrated its value in deepening innovation capability across the enterprise sector and embedding a culture of continuous innovation among Irish SMEs through collaboration with Ireland’s excellent research base. 

“We are beginning to see ground-breaking technologies and business advancement from earlier participants of the DTIF programme, such as the cutting-edge solution that Ostoform, Ross Polymer Ltd and Technological University Shannon are developing to improve the well-being and quality of life of ostomy patients.” 

The call for funding will be administered by Enterprise Ireland on behalf of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

Projects that complement the priority enterprise policy objectives on digital transformation and integrating decarbonisation and net zero commitments, as set out in the White Paper on Enterprise, are welcomed. Projects that help to drive the innovation and transformation opportunities that are needed in sectors such as construction are also encouraged. All projects will be expected to demonstrate a positive contribution to the sustainability targets in the Climate Action Plan. 

The Government has already allocated €371 million to 104 successful projects approved under the six previous DTIF calls. These projects cover areas such as life sciences, medical devices, ICT, artificial intelligence, manufacturing and environmental. 

Projects must be geared towards commercialisation over a 3 to 7-year timeframe. They must also align with Ireland’s six Research Priority Areas, namely ICT; Health and Wellbeing; Food; Energy, Climate Action and Sustainability; Manufacturing and Materials; and Business Services and Processes. 

Call 7 is a rolling call which is open for submission of applications until 30 April 2025.

 Note to Editors:

The Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) is a €500 million fund established under the National Development Plan (NDP) in 2018. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment manages the DTIF with administrative support from Enterprise Ireland. The purpose of the Fund is to drive collaboration between Ireland’s world-class research base and industry as well as facilitating enterprises to compete directly for funding in support of the development and adoption of these technologies. The aim is to support investment in the development and deployment of disruptive technologies and applications on a commercial basis. 

Each project must have at least one SME and one other enterprise in a consortium of three or more project partners. Collaborations with the Irish research sectors are encouraged. 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 Fund targets industrial research and / or experimental development projects of scale and impact. The minimum funding request must be €1.5 million for projects of up to three years’ duration. SME partners must provide matched funding while large companies must provide 60% project funding. 

All eligible applications received by the deadline of 30 April 2025 will undergo rigorous assessment by panels of independent international experts against four criteria – quality of the disruptive technology, excellence of overall approach, economic impact & sustainability and strength of the collaboration. 

Prospective applicants can obtain detailed information on the Fund and on the application process through  enterprise.gov.ie/DTIF  .

Nextgen Solution in Ostomy Care - Project summary

An ostomy is an opening created surgically on the abdomen using the patient’s own bowel for the elimination of faecal waste. This procedure requires the use of a colostomy bag to remove faecal waste from the patient’s body, the output of which can be very fluidic and corrosive, due to the presence of enzymes and proteins which can often leak onto a patient’s skin. This can increase the pain point for ostomy patients due the adhesive being placed on to broken, damaged skin, and in many cases cannot find a suitable landing point, resulting in further leaks. Currently, there is no product on the market that could prevent the corrosive stoma output from contacting the patient’s skin and direct the flow into the ostomy pouch.
 

Proposed Solution

The consortium will develop an innovative ostomy pouch that will direct corrosive output away from the skin. The Ostoform seal consists of an absorbent hydrocolloid ring, which is secured to the skin, and a non-absorbent thermoplastic spout which directs corrosive ostomy output away from having any contact with the skin. The skin is therefore kept healthy giving the patient more confidence and improved quality of life. 

Examples of other funded DTIF projects are outlined below: 

TRIDENT – University of Limerick (UL); Analog Devices International Unlimited Company; mSemicon Teoranta; ICERGi Ltd; Glantreo Ltd; TisaLabs Ltd; Smart M Power Company Ltd; Tyndall National Institute are collaborating on a low-cost, high-performance sodium-ion smart battery system using entirely sustainable materials and processes. 

PerPET – Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT); AvonCourt Packaging Ltd; Novel Plast Teoranta; and the National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) are working on a project to transform the plastics industry by drastically reducing the amount of fresh petroleum extracted virgin material used and positioning PET recyclate as a valuable, perpetually reusable resource. 

A-EYE Control Tower – Evercam Ltd; GagaMuller Technology Ltd; and Technological University Dublin (TUD) are working on a control tower for developers and contractors operating large and complex construction sites that provides full visibility of the project and enables the most natural, visual communication.  

TRANSPIRE – Corlytics Ltd; CeADAR UCD; and Singlepoint Solutions Ltd are collaborating on a project that combines human expertise with artificial intelligence to demystify laws and regulations making it easier to do business while protecting consumers. 

S-BREW – NVP Energy Ltd; Ashleigh Environmental Ltd; and the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG) are collaborating on a project to convert wastewater from the agri-food industry to clean water, using a unique, patented low temperature anaerobic digestion technology to break down organic by-products to create renewable energy in the form of biogas, while minimising waste.  

CILTER – Cilter Technologies Ltd; O'Neill Amarach Consultants Ltd; and Dublin City University (DCU) are developing child-protection software for smartphones that detects/blocks cyberbullying, grooming and suicide/self-harm content. 

ENERGISE – Trinity College Dublin, Software Radio Systems Ltd, VMware International Unlimited Company, Intel Research and Development Ireland Ltd, EMC Information Systems International Unlimited Company and Tyndall National Institute (IERC) will introduce new technology capable of making mobile networks greener reducing energy consumption in mobile networks, addressing the issue of overall energy consumption as we consume more data. 

CergenX – Cergenx Ltd, Evervault Ltd, University College Cork (UCC) will develop the Newborn Brain Screener (NBS), a novel platform to detect abnormal brain activity in infants at birth through an automated AI assessme

ENDS

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) plays a key role in implementing the Government’s policies of stimulating the productive capacity of the economy and creating an environment which supports job creation and maintenance. The Department has lead responsibility for Irish policy on global trade and inward investment and a remit to promote fair competition in the marketplace, protect consumers and safeguard workers.

For further information please contact Press Office, D/Enterprise, Trade and Employment, press.office@enterprise.gov.ie or (01) 631-2200