21 April 2023
Ministers Simon Coveney, Simon Harris and Dara Calleary have announced funding details for five projects under the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF).
Two projects have been approved funding of up to €9.6m in the third tranche of awards under DTIF Call 4, and three projects have been approved funding of up to €8.2m in Call 5 of the fund.
This brings the total allocation of DTIF funding from taxpayers to €306m.
DTIF projects are collaborations between enterprises, including SMEs, and Irish research institutions.
The latest five projects are being led by SMEs in partnership with seven other larger firms and seven state-funded research institutions.
The 91 DTIF projects awarded funding across the five Calls to date contain 340 partners, of which 213 are enterprise partners.
Enterprise minister Simon Coveney claimed that the latest DTIF public funding will leverage a further €13m from the enterprise partners.
Call 4 and Call 5 applications to DTIF were assessed by panels of international experts against four criteria – quality of the disruptive technology, excellence of overall approach, economic impact and sustainability, and strength of the collaboration.
DTIF Call 6 was launched on 8 March 2023. Eligible research has been broadened to include both industrial research and/or experimental development.
Private sector applicants must be based in Ireland and be a current client of Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, Údarás na Gaeltachta, or an eligible RPO.
The minimum funding request must be €1.5m for projects of up to three years’ duration. SME partners must provide matched funding while large companies must provide 60% project funding.
Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund – Awards under Call 5 (2022)
| Project Description | Consortium Members | Research Priority Area | Regional Location | Total DTIF Award |
| The FreeForm-OPTIX project will produce affordable, high specification, low mass, freeform mirrors for new and emerging high technology markets. | 1. Mbryonics Ltd; 2. EireComposites Teo; 3. Irish Manufacturing Research Centre (IMR); 4. National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG). | Manufacturing & Materials | 1. Galway 2. Galway 3. Westmeath 4. Galway | €4.1m |
| Aerospace Disruption - Ablative surface treatment to revolutionise adhesion of composite materials. | 1. ÉireComposites Teo 2. PlasmaBound Ltd 3. Technology University Dublin (TUD) | Manufacturing & Materials | 1. Galway
2. Dublin
3. Dublin | €2.5m |
| Sustainable production using intelligent tooling | 1. iSentioLabs Ltd; 2. Croom Precision Tooling Ltd TA Croom Medical; 3. DePuy Synthes Ireland Unlimited Co; 4. Schuf Valve Technology GmbH; 5. Trinity College Dublin (TCD); 6. Irish Manufacturing Research Centre (IMR). | Manufacturing & Materials | 1. Dublin
2. Limerick
3. Cork
4. Cork
5. Dublin
6. Westmeath | €1.6m |
Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) – Third Tranche of Awards under Call 4 (2021-2022)
| Project Description | Consortium Members | Research Priority Area | Regional Location | Total DTIF Award |
| ATHENA: Migraine Therapy and Diagnostics | 1. Capri Medical Ltd; 2. Silansys Semiconductor Ltd; 3. Tyndall National Institute | Health and Wellbeing | Dublin and Cork | €7.5m |
| PRO-ACTIVE: Prostate cancer active surveillance via urinary monitoring | 1. Epicapture Ltd; 2. Eurofins Biomnis Ireland Ltd; 3. National University of Ireland, Dublin (UCD). | Health and Wellbeing | Dublin | €2.1m |
Source: Business Plus