Available Funding
Speco Sustainability will guide you in identifying the most suitable funding options for your business.
We’re here to guide you through every step of the grant process from application to approval.
Take a look at the different funding opportunities outlined below.
Enterprise Ireland Grants
1. Sustainability & Decarbonisation
(Up to €1,800 Funded)
What it Covers: Up to 2 days of independent training or advisory services to develop an initial sustainability strategy, decarbonisation plan, or circular economy roadmap.
Maximum Grant Amount: Up to €1,800 (100% funded, capped at €900/day).
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Typically awarded once per eligible company as an entry-level support.
Who Should Apply:
- Start-ups
- SMEs
- Large Companies
What it Covers: Funds the cost of hiring a sustainability consultant to introduce environmental management systems, circular economy practices, and carbon footprinting.
Maximum Grant Amount: Up to €5,000 (covers 80% of eligible project costs up to €6,250).
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Maximum of 1 claim per approved grant offer.
Who Should Apply:
- Start-ups
- SMEs
- Large Companies seeking to embed basic environmental systems
What it Covers: Hiring external environmental experts to execute multi-annual sustainability projects, gain ISO environmental certifications, and implement deep decarbonisation strategies.
Maximum Grant Amount: Up to €50,000 (50% co-funding of eligible costs).
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Granted on a multi-annual strategic project basis.
Who Should Apply:
- Start-ups
- SMEs
- Large Companies preparing comprehensive environmental strategies
What it Covers: Capital grants to decarbonize industrial manufacturing combustion processes, including fuel switching, heat recovery systems, industrial heat pumps, and electric boilers.
Maximum Grant Amount: €20,000 to €1,000,000 per project.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Subject to project scale and EU State Aid threshold limits per capital investment cycle.
Who Should Apply:
- Enterprise Ireland Manufacturing Clients
- IDA Ireland Clients
- Údarás na Gaeltachta Clients
What it Covers: Purchasing and installing sub-metering hardware, energy tracking software, and emissions monitoring systems.
Maximum Grant Amount: Co-funded capital grant support (up to 50% of eligible costs).
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Dependent on facility scale and project milestones.
Who Should Apply:
- Start-ups
- SMEs
- Large Companies with substantial energy demands
What it Covers: Facilitates large-scale environmental protection investments, major energy efficiency upgrades, and renewable energy integration under EU GBER state aid rules.
Maximum Grant Amount: Varies according to company size, location, and applicable EU State Aid intensity caps.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Case-by-case strategic application per major capital development.
Who Should Apply:
- SMEs
- Large Companies undergoing major environmental overhauls
What it Covers: Industry-focused sustainability research and green technology innovation in collaboration with Irish research institutions.
Maximum Grant Amount: Project-dependent co-funding.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Open per eligible research call/project proposal.
Who Should Apply:
- Start-ups
- SMEs
- Large Companies engaging in green R&D
2. Research, Development, Innovation & Digitalisation - Enterprise Ireland
What it Covers: Enables small and medium businesses to collaborate with registered publicly funded knowledge providers (universities/institutes) to solve technical or product challenges.
Maximum Grant Amount: €10,000 voucher.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Maximum of 4 vouchers over a 5-year rolling period (with only 1 active voucher at any given time).
Who Should Apply:
- Registered Irish SMEs (<250 employees)
- Early-stage companies seeking technical innovation solutions
What it Covers: Supports new product development, service design, and manufacturing process innovations over short-to-medium lifecycles.
Maximum Grant Amount: 35% to 50% co-funding dependent on company size and location.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Multiple times per distinct R&D project lifecycle.
Who Should Apply:
- Start-ups
- SMEs
- Large Companies carrying out formal R&D
What it Covers: Assists businesses in assessing the technical/commercial feasibility of an R&D project and structuring a formal R&D strategy.
Maximum Grant Amount: Co-funded grant support (up to 50% of eligible costs).
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Typically once per major R&D project exploratory phase.
Who Should Apply:
- Start-ups
- SMEs
- Large Companies new to formal R&D projects
What it Covers: Collaborative R&D projects carried out between Irish businesses and Irish Higher Education Institutes.
Maximum Grant Amount: Up to 80% funding of total research project costs.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Per distinct collaborative research project.
Who Should Apply:
- Start-ups
- SMEs
- Large Companies seeking academic research partnerships
- Researchers
What it Covers: Converts academic research outputs from higher education institutions into commercially viable products, services, or spin-out businesses.
Maximum Grant Amount: High-intensity academic R&D grant (up to 100% of eligible academic costs).
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Per eligible technology commercialisation proposal.
Who Should Apply:
- Academic Researchers in Irish HEIs and RPOs
What it Covers: Implementing new digital technologies, automated production lines, enterprise software systems, and advanced operational workflows.
```Maximum Grant Amount: Up to €150,000 (calculated as up to a 50% grant rate on €300,000 maximum eligible expenditure).
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Project-based application tied to digital transformation milestones.
Who Should Apply:
- Start-ups
- SMEs
- Large Companies driving operational automation
What it Covers: EU-backed support aiding businesses with digital discovery, technology adoption, and enterprise digital roadmaps.
Maximum Grant Amount: Combined advisory and grant funding package.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Subject to scheme call availability.
Who Should Apply:
- SMEs seeking end-to-end digital transformation
What it Covers: Financial assistance to help businesses evaluate, manage, defend, and strategically protect their Intellectual Property assets.
Maximum Grant Amount: Advisory and co-funded grant support (Access Advice: IP Start provides up to €5,000).
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Per strategic IP framework evaluation.
Who Should Apply:
- Start-ups
- SMEs
- Large Companies with proprietary technology or designs
What it Covers: Financial support for international collaborative R&D projects (Eurostars) and global market feasibility assessments (Innowwide).
Maximum Grant Amount: Project-dependent European partnership co-funding.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Per open European partnership call.
Who Should Apply:
- Start-ups
- SMEs
- Large Companies
3. Startup & Early-Stage Growth (HPSU) -Enterprise Ireland
What it Covers: Early-stage investment for innovative start-ups to reach technical milestones, prototype development, and investor readiness.
Maximum Grant Amount: Up to €100,000 (issued via convertible equity instruments).
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Once per early-stage pre-seed funding round.
Who Should Apply:
- Early-stage High Potential Start-ups (HPSUs)
What it Covers: Helps early-stage start-ups conduct international market research, validate prototypes, and develop investor-ready business plans.
Maximum Grant Amount: Up to €15,000 to €30,000+ (50% co-funding).
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Typically once per business concept validation phase.
Who Should Apply:
- High Potential Start-ups (HPSUs)
What it Covers: Main equity investment mechanism to help high-growth Irish export start-ups scale internationally.
Maximum Grant Amount: Up to €1.2 Million (via equity / co-investment).
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Tied to company funding rounds and scaling milestones.
Who Should Apply:
- High Potential Start-ups with export expansion capacity
What it Covers: Enterprise Ireland's flagship entrepreneur development program providing incubator space, training, mentoring, and financial stipends.
Maximum Grant Amount: Up to €15,000 financial stipend (Phase 2) plus complete incubator support.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Once per participant founder.
Who Should Apply:
- Early-stage entrepreneurs
- Founders with scalable business ideas
What it Covers: Accelerator program tailored specifically to empower women-led start-ups to validate, build, and scale internationally.
Maximum Grant Amount: Accelerator funding, mentorship, and development package.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Once per cohort call.
Who Should Apply:
- Women founders of early-stage scaling start-ups
What it Covers: Matches commercially experienced entrepreneurs with scientist and researcher co-founders to commercialize technology spin-outs.
Maximum Grant Amount: Matching program and network support.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Open access for participating commercial leaders.
Who Should Apply:
- Commercial Executives
- Researchers seeking commercial partners
What it Covers: Peer-to-peer networking, executive education, and leadership development for founders of scaling start-ups.
Maximum Grant Amount: Network access and forum membership support.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Ongoing participation for eligible active HPSU founders.
Who Should Apply:
- Active HPSU Founders
4. International Market Access & Export Development - Enterprise Ireland
What it Covers: Financial support for evaluating, visiting, and conducting market research in foreign target export markets.
Maximum Grant Amount: Up to €35,000 (50% co-funding).
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Case-by-case per new target export market project.
Who Should Apply:
- Start-ups
- SMEs
- Large Companies entering new export markets
What it Covers: In-depth funding support to test product-market fit, validate customer demand, and establish entry strategies in new overseas markets.
Maximum Grant Amount: Up to €150,000.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Dependent on international market expansion plans.
Who Should Apply:
- Start-ups
- SMEs
- Large Companies expanding internationally
What it Covers: A 5 or 10-day intensive management advisory program designed to map out strategic growth routes and global export channels.
Maximum Grant Amount: 50% co-funded advisory program support.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Periodic strategic review cycles.
Who Should Apply:
- SMEs developing or expanding export operations
What it Covers: Practical tools, diagnostic frameworks, and entry assistance to help SMEs build export plans and secure initial export sales.
Maximum Grant Amount: Diagnostic, training, and grant support package.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Once during export initiation phase.
Who Should Apply:
- Start-ups
- SMEs taking their first export steps
What it Covers: Financial assistance to build e-commerce channels, optimize international SEO, and enhance digital marketing strategies.
Maximum Grant Amount: Grant assistance (up to €35,000 grant; integrated under Build Capability).
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Subject to capability development approval.
Who Should Apply:
- Exporting SMEs
- Large Companies aiming to grow online global sales
5. Productivity, Lean, Operations & Capability Training - Enterprise Ireland
What it Covers: Short advisory assignment introducing continuous improvement, lean principles, waste elimination, and process mapping.
Maximum Grant Amount: Up to €5,000 (covers 80% of eligible project costs up to €6,250).
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Typically once as an introductory lean support.
Who Should Apply:
- Start-ups
- SMEs
- Large Companies
What it Covers: Mid-scale operational productivity projects aimed at driving measurable cost savings and process improvements over several months.
Maximum Grant Amount: Up to €50,000 (50% co-funding).
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Multiple times as company lean maturity progresses.
Who Should Apply:
- SMEs
- Large Companies focusing on operational excellence
What it Covers: Large-scale operational transformation projects, including major digital process innovation, plant redesign, and capability upgrades.
Maximum Grant Amount: Up to 50% grant rate on up to €300,000 maximum expenditure for Digital Process Innovation, plus capital asset and training grant aid.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Reserved for major organizational transformations.
Who Should Apply:
- SMEs
- Large Companies executing site-wide overhauls
What it Covers: Co-funding the purchase of productive capital machinery, advanced plant equipment, and process automation.
Maximum Grant Amount: Co-funded capital investment grant (against an agreed development plan).
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Tied to multi-annual capital investment plans.
Who Should Apply:
- Manufacturing SMEs & Internationally Traded Services clients
What it Covers: Non-routine strategic training for management and staff across four drivers (Operations, Leadership, Market Development, Product Innovation).
Maximum Grant Amount: Grant of up to €70,000 per project (up to 50%–70% grant rate on €100,000 maximum eligible expenditure).
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: 1 claim per approved grant offer.
Who Should Apply:
- SMEs
- Large Companies expanding workforce capabilities
What it Covers: Co-funds hiring external strategy consultants to tackle specific strategic or short-term tactical challenges in functions such as organizational development or financial planning.
Maximum Grant Amount: Advisory grant up to €5,000 (covers 80% of eligible project costs up to €6,250).
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Per approved strategic challenge assignment.
Who Should Apply:
- Start-ups
- SMEs in manufacturing or internationally traded services with 10+ employees
6. Talent Acquisition & Leadership - Enterprise Ireland
What it Covers: Salary grant support to help growing enterprises attract and hire senior key managers or strategic leadership talent.
Maximum Grant Amount: Up to €150,000 (up to 50% salary support over 1–2 years).
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Dependent on strategic expansion planning approvals.
Who Should Apply:
- Start-ups
- SMEs
- Large Companies filling critical executive roles
What it Covers: Grant aid linked directly to executing a growth plan that creates new, long-term full-time employment.
Maximum Grant Amount: Per-job creation grant rate (varies by company size and location).
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Based on multi-year employment expansion targets.
Who Should Apply:
- SMEs expanding workforce headcount
What it Covers: Financial assistance to recruit high-caliber graduates for defined 2-year innovation or development projects.
Maximum Grant Amount: 50% to 70% graduate salary support.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Based on annual graduate intake projects.
Who Should Apply:
- Start-ups
- SMEs
- Large Companies
What it Covers: Assists companies in hiring PhD-level researchers to lead advanced industrial R&D projects.
Maximum Grant Amount: Co-funded employment grant aid.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Per qualified R&D project placement.
Who Should Apply:
- Start-ups
- SMEs
- Large Companies pursuing advanced research
What it Covers: Executive immersive innovation fellowship training focused on driving sector-specific breakthroughs.
Maximum Grant Amount: Immersive fellowship training funding & stipend.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Per fellowship call.
Who Should Apply:
- Mid-career professionals
- Enterprise innovation managers
What it Covers: Provides early-stage business leaders with 10 dedicated one-to-one mentoring sessions with an experienced corporate executive.
Maximum Grant Amount: 10 fully funded mentoring sessions.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Assigned based on strategic advisor recommendations.
Who Should Apply:
- Start-ups
- SMEs
7. Regional & Sectoral Infrastructure Development
What it Covers: Conduct feasibility assessments and market validation for regional economic, sectoral, and collaborative infrastructure initiatives.
Maximum Grant Amount: Up to €15,000 (covers 50%–60% of eligible costs).
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Per regional feasibility project proposal.
Who Should Apply:
- Regional Entities
- Enterprise Hubs
- SMEs driving regional impact
What it Covers: Capital and operational grants to develop enterprise innovation hubs, incubators, and collaborative infrastructure across regional Ireland.
Maximum Grant Amount: Large-scale regional project co-funding.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Subject to open competitive regional call deadlines.
Who Should Apply:
- Regional Consortia
- Innovation Hubs & Accelerators
IDA Grants
What it Covers: Medium-scale training project over 12 months. Can cover part of salary costs for a “green project team” (up to €200 per day).
Maximum Grant Amount: IDA Ireland: This grant offers a higher maximum amount of up to €60,000 for eligible projects. The funding rate is up to 50% of the total project costs. For a €120,000 project, the grant would be €60,000, and the net cost to the client would be €60,000.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Up to 3 times (for projects that are a “significant step up”).
Who Should Apply: Existing IDA clients exploring sustainability reviews and climate action plans.
GRANT INFORMATIONWhat it Covers: Includes Green Start Grant for audits, Green Plus Grant for extensive projects, and support for large-scale decarbonisation projects.
Maximum Grant Amount: Green Start up to €5,000; Green Plus up to €60,000.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Details not specified.
Who Should Apply: Existing IDA Ireland client companies (foreign-owned).
GRANT INFORMATIONÚdarás na Gaeltachta Grants
What it Covers: Medium-scale training project over 12 months. Can cover part of salary costs for a “green project team” (up to €200 per day).
Maximum Grant Amount: The maximum grant amount is €50,000, and projects are funded up to 50% of the total eligible costs. If a project costs €100,000, the grant would be €50,000, and the net cost to the client would be €50,000.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Up to 3 times (for projects that are a “significant step up”).
Who Should Apply: Existing or potential clients developing high-level environmental management.
GRANT INFORMATIONWhat it Covers:
- Climate Planning Fund (advisory services).
- Enterprise Emissions Reduction Fund (capital investment in decarbonisation and R&D).
Maximum Grant Amount:
- Climate Planning: €1,800.
- GreenStart: up to €5,000.
- GreenPlus: up to €50,000.
- Strategic Consultancy: up to €35,000.
- Capital Investment: up to €1 million.
- Energy Metering: up to €50,000.
- R&D: up to €250,000.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: Programs run until 2026; number of applications not specified.
Who Should Apply: Companies in the Gaeltacht region (existing or potential Údarás clients).
GRANT INFORMATIONSEAI Grants
What it Covers: Energy auditor provides technical assessment and recommendations for energy savings.
Maximum Grant Amount: €2,000 paid by SEAI.
How Many Times a Company Can Apply: 1 time for SMEs. Large companies must conduct one every 4 years.
Who Should Apply: Any company seeking an energy-specific audit.
GRANT INFORMATIONWhat it covers:
- A review of your current fleet, including mileage and fuel consumption.
- Recommendations on which routes / vehicles are suitable for electrification.
- A charging plan to support the proposed changes.
- Identification of the charging infrastructure required.
Who the Grant Is For:
- Large industries, SMEs, and semi-state bodies looking to electrify their fleet.
- Organisations that want to decarbonise transport but don’t know where to start.
Grant Amounts:
- Fleets of 5–50 vehicles — up to €4,000.
- Fleets of 51+ vehicles — up to €8,000.
Eligibility:
- Must have a minimum of 5 company vehicles.
- Not open to public sector bodies.
What it Covers: Financial assistance to help businesses and other sectors install solar PV panels to generate electricity on site. This reduces electricity costs, increases security of supply, and enhances sustainability credentials.
Maximum Grant Amount: Grant funding is available for systems up to 1000kWp, with a maximum grant of €162,600. Grant value is based on system size:
- 1kWp – €900
- 2kWp – €1,800
- 3kWp – €2,100
- 4–6kWp – €2,400
- 7–20kWp – €300/kWp
- 21–200kWp – €200/kWp
- 201–1000kWp – €150/kWp
Who Should Apply: Businesses, agricultural sector, public sector bodies, schools, community centres, and non-profit societies installing solar PV.
GRANT INFORMATIONWhat it Covers: Financial support for businesses to move from fossil fuels to renewable heating systems, including:
- Operational tariff for biomass and biogas heating systems, supporting system operation for up to 15 years based on usable heat output.
- Heat pump installation grant: up to 40% of investment in air, ground, or water source heat pumps.
Who Should Apply: Commercial, industrial, agricultural, district heating, public sector, and other non-domestic heat users who can demonstrate:
- Conversion from fossil fuel
- Eligible heat use (space or process)
- Compliance with eco-design standards
- Heating system design according to building regulations and relevant standards
- Use of qualified designers and installers
- Solvency and tax clearance requirements