Call for Expressions of Interest under the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund

The Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation is inviting Expressions of Interest from consortia wishing to apply for funding under the Government’s new Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund. This is one of four funds in the National Development Plan 2018-2027 and was launched at the Project Ireland 2040 Funds Announcement.

€500 million is available for co-funded projects involving enterprises and research partners over the period to 2027. The first Call relates to projects that will be funded from 2019. Projects can be funded for up to 3 years. It is envisaged that the first tranche of successful projects will be confirmed by November 2018.

The type of projects that will receive funding will be:

Collaborative enterprise-driven partnerships that will develop, deploy and commercialise disruptive technologies to transform business
Impactful projects seeking at least €1 million in funding over 3 years and involving enterprises and research partners
SME participation is an essential requirement in every consortium
Focussed on “industrial research”.

The National Development Plan (NDP) under Project Ireland 2040 confirms the establishment of a €500 million Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) that will:

Be implemented through the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation (DBEI) and its agencies, working with other Government Departments and agencies;
Have a resource allocation of €0.5bn over the period 2018-2027 consisting of an initial Exchequer allocation of €180 million to 2022;
Be competitive and see investment in the research, development and deployment of disruptive technologies and applications on a commercial basis;
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.

What do we mean by Disruptive Technologies Innovation?

Disruptive technology is that which has the potential to significantly alter markets and their functioning and significantly alter the way that businesses operate. While it involves a new product or process, it can also involve the emergence of a new business model. Disruption is about the combination of technology and business model innovation.

The combination of science, technology and innovation and this targeted funding mechanism is the manner in which disruptive technology will help achieve the National Strategic Outcomes (NSOs) set out in Project Ireland 2040, in particular National Strategic Outcome 5 (A Strong Economy supported by Enterprise, Innovation and Skills).

Proposals are expected to address the development, deployment and commercialisation of one or more disruptive technologies to deliver new solutions through investment in the development and implementation of new products and services. Ultimately, the projects funded will create the jobs of the future.

Scope of the Call – Research Priority Areas 2018-2023

The Scope of the first call under the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund is informed by the Government-approved Research Priority Areas 2018-2023 and applications should align with the following:

Themes	Priority Areas
ICT	Future Networks, Communications and Internet of Things Data Analytics Management, Security, Privacy, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence (including Machine Learning), Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Digital Platforms, Content and Applications
Health and Wellbeing	Connected Health and Independent Living, Medical Devices, Diagnostics, Therapeutics
Food	Food for Health, Smart and Sustainable Food Production and Processing
Energy, Climate Action and Sustainability	Decarbonising the Energy System and Sustainable Living
Manufacturing and Materials	Advanced and Smart Manufacturing, Manufacturing and Novel Materials
Services and Business Processes	Innovation in Services and Business Processes

How to Apply

Potential applicants should read the Reference Document for Applicants carefully to ascertain whether or not they are eligible to apply and whether or not their proposed projects fit the criteria set out.

All applicants must complete and submit the Expression of Interest Form by email only to dtif@dbei.gov.ie by 15.00 on 17 August 2018.

Failure to submit an expression of interest on the DTIF EOI Template, will render that EOI ineligible.

Key Dates

Deadline	Date
Deadline for Receipt of Expression of Interest	15.00 (GMT), 17August 2018
Applicants Invited to Submit Full Application	September 2018 (date TBC)
Ministerial Announcement of Successful Applications	End 2018
Receipt of Funding	From 2019