The third round of the €500 million Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF), a government-backed competitive fund to invest in cutting edge technology, has been announced.

The fund has already allocated funding of €140m to 43 ground-breaking projects under calls one and two, in a move to invest in innovation and creativity.

Projects

These successful projects covering technologies such as medical devices, cell and gene therapies, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence.

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar TD said this morning that it has never been more important for Irish businesses to adapt and innovate.

“Not only has COVID-19 fundamentally shifted many traditional ways of working, but technological change too is transforming so many aspects of our lives, having a profound impact on our society and economy.

“This fund will help maintain our position at the forefront of countries that are leading these changes. It will enable dynamic Irish companies and researchers to experiment and develop their ideas, break new ground and ultimately develop truly world-class innovations.”

Business processes

Bids for funding are being sought from companies in the fields of ICT, health and wellbeing, food, energy and climate action, manufacturing, and services and business processes, which align with Ireland’s six research priority areas.

The fund is competitive and will be assessed by an independent international panel of experts. It will drive enterprise collaborations involving firms of all sizes including a requirement for at least one SME and one other enterprise in every consortium.

The allocation process also encourages collaboration with Ireland’s third-level research base.

Enterprise partners

The Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund is available to applicants requesting funding of €1.5 million or more for projects of up to three years duration. Enterprise partners must provide matched funding.

The call for funding will be administered for the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation by Enterprise Ireland.

The application deadline is 15.00 on 17 December.

Examples of previously funded projects are:

• Omnispirant Ltd which, in collaboration with Aerogen Ltd and the Centre for Cell Manufacturing in NUI Galway, is working to develop a new stem cell-based inhaled treatment for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) which is responsible for vast majority of COVID-19 deaths,
• Pilot Photonics is working with research partners in DCU and Trinity College Dublin on the iLife (Irish Lasers for the Internet of the Future) project. The three-year project aims at developing a new type of laser technology for the communications market by creating optical microchips that use light rather than electricity to send information,
• Cellix is working with consortium partners in Trinity College Dublin and the National University of Ireland Galway’s Regenerative Medicine Institute on a project to develop a Microfluidic Gene Transfection Cell Analysis and Sorting Platform (GTCASP),
• Exertis is collaborating with Sonalake and the CeADAR Technology Centre in University College Dublin to develop a blockchain-based platform, which will transform the technology product supply chain by providing end-to-end visibility of products and components along the supply chain and proving the authenticity of products once they reach the market,
• Techworks Marine, in partnership with Dublin City University, is developing sensors to provide a holistic approach to environmental monitoring.