DTIF opens for new round of applications
The fifth round of the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) is now open for applications, with a particular focus on the advanced and smart manufacturing sector.
A €500 million fund established under the National Development Plan (NDP) in 2018, the DTIF was created to support investment in the development and deployment of disruptive technologies and applications on a commercial basis.
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.
This round is targeting the advanced and smart manufacturing sector and the development of novel and disruptive innovation in conventional manufacturing operations. It will be assessed by panels of international experts against four criteria – quality of the disruptive technology, excellence of overall approach, economic impact & sustainability, and strength of the collaboration.
In this call, each project must have at least one established manufacturing company in a consortium of three or more project partners, one of which must be an SME and one other enterprise partner. Collaborations with the Irish research sector 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 (RPO) at the application deadline. The type of eligible research is broadened from industrial research to include experimental development.
Projects must be geared towards commercialisation over a three to seven-year timeframe. In a change from previous years, they must also focus only on advanced and smart manufacturing. In previous calls, projects could align with Ireland’s other research priority areas (ICT; health & wellbeing; food; energy, climate action & sustainability; manufacturing & materials; and business services & processes).
The DTIF is managed by the Dept of Enterprise, Trade and Employment manages the DTIF with administrative support from Enterprise Ireland.
To date, the government has allocated €235 million to 72 projects approved under the previous three DTIF calls. These projects cover areas such as life sciences, medical devices, ICT, artificial intelligence, manufacturing, and environmental sustainability.
“The Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund continues to occupy a unique space in the research and innovation sector,” said Simon Harris, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation & Science. “It fosters collaboration between enterprises and research institutions where each partners’ expertise can contribute to the successful conversion of an idea for a piece of industrial research to a viable product or service. This cross-pollination of ideas, knowledge and research is key to our economic development.
“Our research sector is a fabulous resource, and the government has greatly increased its capacity in recent years as we work to build a world class innovation system. We recognise that the returns from such investment will underpin enterprise development and, in turn, help to build national competitive advantage across the economy.
“The Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund is a crucial tool in this process,” continued Minister Harris. “The Fund helps enterprises by absorbing some of the risk associated with investment in disruptive innovation projects and providing them with access to the wide range of skills and expertise available within our research sector. For the research community, it enables them to engage with pro-active enterprises that are at the forefront of their sector and, together, deliver the new goods and services that have the potential to disrupt existing markets and greatly improve our lives.”
The deadline for applications is 14 July.
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