The funds will allow for the significant scale up of digitalisation efforts among SMEs and public sector organisations.

CeADAR, which is Ireland’s centre for AI and one of Ireland’s four European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs), has announced it is to receive €5.7m in funding in line with phase two of the European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) Programme. 

CeADAR enables organisations to access funded specialist training and upskilling as well as work on the development and testing of prototypes and scope proof of concept solutions. This helps organisations to understand the benefits  of analytics and AI, minimising the barriers to tech adoption. 

Co-funded by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, via Enterprise Ireland and the Digital Europe Programme, the EDIH programme runs from 2026 to 2029 and was announced by the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke, TD, at the end of last month.

The funds raised will enable the scaling of digitalisation efforts among SMEs and public sector organisations as well as further support start-ups through CeADAR’s AI Accelerator programme which is delivered in partnership with NovaUCD. CeADAR will collaborate with the Irish Centre for High-End Computing (IHEC) to provide access to advanced compute capabilities and specialist expertise. 

Commenting on the announcement, CeADAR ,CEO John Lonsdale, said, “CeADAR is delighted to have had funding confirmed for the second phase of the EDIH programme, enabling us to continue to assist SMEs and Public Service Organisations across Ireland by supporting them in accelerating their digital journey with AI and data science.”

CeADAR also announced it has been awarded the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) Seal, which is given by the European Commission. This is awarded to European projects considered excellent and aims to recognise top-rated innovation, facilitate access to European funding and attract additional or alternative private or public investment.

The director of innovation and development at CeADAR, Ricardo Simon Carbajo, added, “It is a great honour for CeADAR to be awarded the prestigious STEP Seal Award from the European Commission. The award is a testament to the continued hard work of everyone at CeADAR and we look forward to continuing to drive innovation through our European Digital Innovation Hub programme.”

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