Digital Process Innovation

Embedding digital technologies across your business can increase efficiency, improve productivity, and give you a competitive edge. It’s also better for the planet, with greater energy efficiency and lower emissions. With this offer, we are supporting investment that will accelerate your business’ digital transition and introduce new ways of working.

Who is it for?

Businesses seeking greater integration of digital technology for improved productivity.

What is provided?

For SMEs and Large Companies, 50% of the eligible costs, up to a maximum grant of €150,000.

What can it be used for?

• Support a step-change in the company capability and operational effectiveness.
• Implementing an innovative new way of working to increase quality, speed, dependability or flexibility of the company’s operations.
• Introducing new digital technology systems or customer experiences
• Implementing new production methods for enhanced sustainability
• Can be used to cover salary costs for the time staff are working on the project, overheads costs, specialised staff training, external consultancy costs and costs for project materials.

How do I apply?

Eligibility

Who is eligible?

To be eligible to apply, the company must

• be registered in Ireland,
• be in business for 2 years or more,
• be engaged in manufacturing or an eligible services industry [1],
• be internationally trading or have the potential to do so in the short term.
• be a client of Údarás na Gaeltachta with an assigned Client Advisor.
• employ 10 or more full time staff at the time of application. This requirement may be reduced to 5 or more in certain cases such as for Údarás na Gaeltachta high potential start-up clients.
• Be able to show adequate cash resources to implement the proposed project.

Approval will be based on such criteria as Údarás na Gaeltachta may deem to be appropriate such as the company need and value for money for the state. As such, there is no automatic entitlement to funding for valid applications, but rather a strategic decision by Údarás na Gaeltachta to support a project based on the goals of the organisation.

 

[1] https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2010/si/81/made/en/print

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What costs are eligible?

• Salary costs for the time staff are working on the project
• Reasonable external consultancy costs
• Materials costs
• Defined Overheads costs

What activities are eligible?

• Staff time in design, specification, development, configuration or implementation of new production, delivery or organisational methods
• Consultancy time for design, specification or implementation of the process innovation(s)

Note* The project must involve some level of innovation and risk and must not be focused on routine operational changes or responding to changes in regulation.

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Ineligible Projects

• Sales or Business Development activities
• Routine business operations
• Outsourced IT installations – such as installing new accountancy systems

Some additional terms and conditions apply – for more information, please refer to the Digital Process Innovation Reference Document.

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Legislation

Ireland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) (2021-2026)

Under Ireland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) (2021-2026), projects supporting the digital and climate transition of enterprise are being funded through the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility. This covers projects that will:

• facilitate emissions reductions, or
• support the digital transformation of the company, driving increased adoption and diffusion of digital technology

 

Environmental Compliance and Do No Significant Harm

Projects supported under the NRRP must comply with relevant EU and national environmental legislation and in particular with the ‘Do no significant harm’ Technical Guidance (2021/C58/01). Specifically, the following projects are not eligible:

• activities related to fossil fuels, including downstream use¹;
• activities under the EU Emission Trading System (ETS) achieving projected greenhouse gas emissions that are not lower than the relevant benchmarks²;
• activities related to waste landfills, incinerators³ and mechanical biological treatment plants⁴; and
• activities where the long-term disposal of waste may cause harm to the environment.

 ¹ Except projects under this measure in power and/or heat generation, as well as related transmission and distribution infrastructure, using natural gas, that are compliant with the conditions set out in Annex III of the ‘Do no significant harm’ Technical Guidance (2021/C58/01).

² Where the activity supported achieves projected greenhouse gas emissions that are not substantially lower than the relevant benchmarks an explanation of the reasons why this is not possible should be provided. Benchmarks established for free allocation for activities falling within the scope of the Emissions Trading System, as set out in the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/447.

³ This exclusion does not apply to actions under this measure in plants exclusively dedicated to treating non-recyclable hazardous waste, and to existing plants, where the actions under this measure are for the purpose of increasing energy efficiency, capturing exhaust gases for storage or use or recovering materials from incineration ashes, provided such actions under this measure do not result in an increase of the plants’ waste processing capacity or in an extension of the lifetime of the plants; for which evidence is provided at plant level.

⁴ This exclusion does not apply to actions under this measure in existing mechanical biological treatment plants, where the actions under this measure are for the purpose of increasing energy efficiency or retrofitting to recycling operations of separated waste to compost bio-waste and anaerobic digestion of bio-waste, provided such actions under this measure do not result in an increase of the plants’ waste processing capacity or in an extension of the lifetime of the plants; for which evidence is provided at plant level.