The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar, together with the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, launched the fourth Call for applications to the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) on 8 November 2021.
The Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) is a €500 million fund established under Project Ireland 2040. It is managed by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and administered by Enterprise Ireland.
The deadline for receipt of applications is Thursday, 10 February 2022 (15:00 Irish Time).
About DTIF Call 4
DTIF Call 4 is about funding collaborations that demonstrate technology-based disruptive innovation, collaborations that can:
- Alter markets;
- Alter the way business operates;
- Involve new products or the emergence of new business models.
Funding applications for Call 4 should be within the Research Priority Areas 2018-2023. We are particularly interested in projects of scale with a strong enterprise agenda to harness maximum medium-term economic impact for Ireland. Ideally, we are looking for enterprise-driven research and development challenges that can demonstrate commercial impacts within 3 to 7 years of project completion.
As with Call 3, each project must have 3 enterprise partners, at least 1 of which must be an SME. Research organisations (including colleges) can be a partner but can receive no more than 50% of the grant funding per project. All projects should be seeking minimum funding of €1.5 million.
The key amendments from Call 3 are that, to draw down funding under DTIF, project partners:
- must be a client of Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland or Údarás na Gaeltachta or an eligible Research Performing Organisation (RPO), and
- must be based in Ireland
DTIF Call 4 application process
Please see the DTIF Call 4 Guide for Applicants on DTIF Call 4 documentation to learn more about applying for the Fund.
Each project partner in a collaborative partnership will be required to complete the Consortium Agreement (see template on DTIF Call 4 documentation).
DTIF Call 4 webinar
Enterprise Ireland will be hosting a webinar in early December for those who are interested in learning more about the application process for DTIF Call 4. The questions raised, and the responses supplied, at a similar webinar for Call 3 are available on DTIF Call 3 audio for information purposes. A list of the questions raised is available on DTIF Call 3 Webinar Questions. A similar recording and set of questions will be posted after the Call 4 webinar. Call 3 links remain live for referral purposes only. The Call 4 documentation supersedes any guidance under Call 3.
Submitting applications
Applications can be submitted online via the Enterprise Ireland website from one month before the application deadline of 3pm on 10 February 2022. In the meantime, applicants can use the indicative application form on DTIF Call 4 documentation to help prepare their application.
