Several Irish schemes can part-fund AI work. Most businesses either don't know they exist or assume they won't qualify. Here's what each one covers, who's eligible, and the one rule that catches most people out.
Last reviewed: October 2026
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| Scheme | Agency | Funding | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital for Business | Local Enterprise Office | Consultancy support | Working out what you need |
| Grow Digital Voucher | Local Enterprise Office | 50%, up to €5,000 | Buying software and training |
| Access Advice: Digital Discovery | Enterprise Ireland | Up to 80%, max €5,000 | Hiring an expert for AI advice |
| R&D Tax Credit | Revenue | Tax credit on qualifying R&D | Ongoing development work |
The LEO schemes and the Enterprise Ireland scheme serve different businesses. The Grow Digital Voucher and Digital for Business are only open to businesses that are not currently clients of Enterprise Ireland or IDA. If you are an Enterprise Ireland client, the LEO route is closed to you, and Digital Discovery is where you look.
A 30-minute call will tell you.
Most businesses start here, because the Grow Digital Voucher requires it.
Digital for Business is a Local Enterprise Office initiative where expert digital consultants work with you to analyse your existing digital systems and identify gaps, explore opportunities to optimise what you have and integrate new solutions, and give guidance on implementing them.
Who's eligible:
Small enterprises with between 1 and 50 paid employees
Not currently clients of Enterprise Ireland or IDA
Established and trading for at least six months, registered & operating in your LEO's area
Solvent, as shown in your financial statements
Current tax clearance from Revenue
routine or business-as-usual upgrades to systems already in use that wouldn't significantly improve the business.
the output tells you where digital and AI could help, and it's the gateway to the Grow Digital Voucher.
Applications are made through your Local Enterprise Office.
This is the implementation money, and the scheme most businesses have heard of.
Grant aid of 50% of eligible costs, with a minimum grant of €500 up to a maximum of €5,000 per application. Businesses can be approved for a maximum of two Grow Digital Voucher projects, up to a cumulative grant value of €5,000.
Software subscription fees for business software that is new to the business, for a maximum of one year, and off the shelf. Eligible examples include e-commerce software, CRM, online booking and payments, order management, electronic invoicing, cyber security software, cloud accounting, and analytics software including AI systems.
It also covers training and IT configuration, where you need expert help setting up or integrating new systems, or training your team to use them. Training and configuration combined can be no more than 50% of the overall project cost.
This is the part that surprises people: custom or bespoke software is not eligible for grant support. Neither are systems for regulatory compliance, expanding licences for software already in use, or bespoke website development.
So the Grow Digital Voucher will fund an off-the-shelf AI tool and the training to use it. It will not fund a custom AI system built for your business.
An application must be submitted before any project expenditure is incurred or any project activity commences. Order something first and you may be deemed ineligible.
The voucher covers off-the-shelf AI tools and the training to use them. We deliver both.
See our AI training for teamsThis is the Enterprise Ireland route, and the one most relevant if you want expert AI advice rather than software.
up to 80% grant funding to a maximum amount of €5,000.
introducing new digital technologies and solutions to grow your business, by hiring an expert to either put digital foundations in place or take the first or next step in artificial intelligence.
Enterprise Ireland lists it under capability development and funding, aimed at SMEs and start-ups.
this is an Enterprise Ireland support, so eligibility runs through your Enterprise Ireland Development Adviser. If you're not already an Enterprise Ireland client, that's the first conversation to have. Criteria are set by Enterprise Ireland and change from time to time, so confirm directly rather than relying on any third-party summary, including this one.
this is the scheme that funds advice. An AI readiness assessment or strategy engagement is exactly the kind of expert input it describes.
Start with Digital for Business through your Local Enterprise Office. That opens the Grow Digital Voucher for software and training afterwards.
The LEO schemes are closed to you. Speak to your Development Adviser about Access Advice: Digital Discovery.
Neither small scheme will fund bespoke development. Grow Digital explicitly excludes it, and Digital Discovery funds advice rather than build. For larger implementation, ask Enterprise Ireland what's currently available, and look at the R&D Tax Credit if the work involves genuine technical uncertainty.
Training is an eligible cost under the Grow Digital Voucher, subject to the 50% cap on the training and configuration element.
We help eligible clients work out which scheme fits and support the application as part of the engagement.
R&D Tax Credit. Administered by Revenue, available on qualifying research and development expenditure. If your AI work involves genuine technical uncertainty rather than implementing existing tools, this may apply. Your accountant is the right person to assess it.
European Digital Innovation Hubs. Four were established in Ireland in 2023: FactoryXChange, CeADAR, Data2Sustain and ENTIRE. They act as one-stop shops providing access to technical expertise, experimentation, innovation services and training, provided to SMEs and public sector organisations at low or no cost.
Local Enterprise Office mentoring and training. Separate from the digital schemes, and often the quickest route to a conversation. Find your office at localenterprise.ie.
The National Enterprise Hub. A central access point for grants, advice and training across agencies.
Applying after you've started. Grow Digital requires the application to be in before any expenditure or activity begins.
Assuming custom development qualifies. It doesn't, under Grow Digital.
Not realising Digital for Business comes first. The voucher requires it.
Being an Enterprise Ireland client and applying to LEO anyway. The schemes are mutually exclusive.
Forgetting the linked companies rule. If your business is part of a larger group, you must include the employee numbers and financial figures of partner and linked enterprises when working out whether you qualify as a small enterprise.
Missing tax clearance. You need a current Tax Reference Number and Tax Clearance Access Number.
all applications should be discussed with your Local Enterprise Office first. There are 31 Local Enterprise Offices in Ireland, each supporting small businesses in its own area.
speak to your Development Adviser.
Both agencies are the authority on their own schemes. Rates, caps and eligibility change, so always confirm current terms directly before committing to anything.
A 30-minute conversation about where your team is, what tools you're paying for, and what training would be worth doing. No sales pitch.
The main routes are the Grow Digital Voucher and Digital for Business through Local Enterprise Offices, and Access Advice: Digital Discovery through Enterprise Ireland. The R&D Tax Credit and European Digital Innovation Hubs are also relevant depending on the work.
Enterprise Ireland's Access Advice: Digital Discovery is the scheme most relevant to AI. It offers up to 80% grant funding to a maximum of €5,000 to hire an expert to put digital foundations in place or take a first or next step in artificial intelligence.
Not through the Grow Digital Voucher, which explicitly excludes custom or bespoke software. Digital Discovery funds expert advice rather than development. For implementation funding, speak to Enterprise Ireland about what's currently available.
50% of eligible costs, with a minimum grant of €500 and a maximum of €5,000 per application, capped at €5,000 cumulatively across a maximum of two projects.
For Access Advice: Digital Discovery, yes, eligibility runs through Enterprise Ireland. For the LEO schemes, the opposite applies: they're only open to businesses that are not Enterprise Ireland or IDA clients.
The LEO schemes are open to self-employed individuals and partnerships carrying on a trade or profession chargeable to tax under Case I or Case II of Schedule D, so potentially yes. Your Local Enterprise Office will confirm.
Analytics software including AI systems is listed as an eligible software example, provided it's off the shelf and new to the business.
That varies by office and scheme. Your Local Enterprise Office or Development Adviser can tell you current timelines.
