27th December 2025
Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke T.D. today announced €23m in additional funding for Ireland’s four European Digital Innovation Hubs to continue working with SMEs, as well as public service bodies, to support their uptake of AI and other cutting edge digital technologies.
The 4 Irish European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) – FactoryXChange, Data2Sustain, ENTIRE and CeADAR – are at the forefront of supporting the digital transformation in Ireland, providing a one-stop-shop of services from technical expertise and experimentation to financial advice, training and skills.
Ireland’s successful progression into Phase 2 of the EDIH Programme, which will run from 2026 to 2029, aims to significantly scale up digitalisation efforts among SMEs and public sector organisations, delivering over 3,000 engagements, 1,100 ‘Test Before Invest’ projects, and more than 200 training courses nationwide.
This programme leverages co-funding from the EU’s Digital Europe Programme to deliver these essential supports to Irish enterprise.
Speaking about the announcement, Peter Burke T.D., Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, said:
“Extending the European Digital Innovation Hub programme in Ireland into Phase 2 ensures that our SMEs will continue to access world-class digitalisation support. Our four Hubs have already delivered transformative results, helping businesses adopt AI, automation and sustainability practices.
By maintaining this momentum, we are increasing Ireland’s competitiveness and enabling enterprises across Ireland to future-proof their operations. This continued investment reflects our commitment to making advanced digital technologies accessible for every region and sector.”
Enterprise Ireland CEO, Jenny Melia added:
“Enterprise Ireland is proud to support the continuation of Ireland’s European Digital Innovation Hubs into Phase 2 of the programme. These Hubs are delivering real, practical supports that help SMEs and public service bodies understand, test and adopt advanced digital technologies with confidence.
By scaling up access to ‘Test Before Invest’ facilities, specialist expertise and targeted training nationwide, we are helping businesses accelerate productivity, build resilience and remain competitive in an increasingly digital global economy.”
Minister Burke also welcomed FactoryXChange and CeADAR being awarded the prestigious STEP Seal by the European Commission. This recognition marks their excellence in driving innovation and supporting businesses to adopt advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and automation.
Ireland’s two remaining EDIHs – Data2Sustain, led by Atlantic Technological University in Sligo, and ENTIRE, led by Tyndall National Institute in Cork – are currently undergoing the STEP Seal evaluation process. These 2 Hubs play a critical role in supporting SMEs with sustainability, Internet of Things, and cybersecurity solutions, as well as ensuring regional and sectoral reach across the country.
Additional Information:
As part of the Digital Europe Programme, the European Commission together with EU Member States established a network of European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs). These Hubs support digital transformation in SMEs and public sector organisations by encouraging the adoption of the latest advances in the three DIGITAL key technologies of Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence and High-Performance Computing.
EDIHs help companies (notably SMEs) and public sector organisations to become more competitive in their business/production processes through digital transformation by acting as “one stop shops” providing the following services:
- access to technical expertise and experimentation,
- financing advice,
- training and skills development necessary for a successful digital transformation, and
- Information on the innovation ecosystem and networking opportunities.
The services provided by EDIHs are free or at a significantly reduced cost for SMEs and Public Sector Organisations. Ireland’s four EDIHs established in 2023 are:
- CeADAR led by Ireland’s EI/IDA Technology Centre in Applied Data Analytics and Machine Intelligence (based in UCD) and specialises in supporting Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption.
- FactoryXChange led by the EI/IDA Technology Centre IMR (Irish Manufacturing Research) in Mullingar, focuses on accelerating factories to become ‘Factories of the Future’ embracing the ecological, digital, and societal challenges.
- ENTIRE led by Tyndall National Institute in Cork to help SMEs and start-ups to become more competitive in their business/production processes using digital technologies such as Internet of Things and sensors as well as cybersecurity (provided through its partnership with Munster Technological University).
- Data2Sustain led by Atlantic Technological University Sligo, which aims to increase the transformation capacity of SMEs in the Northern and Western Region with a focus on circular economy, operations and sustainability areas.
FactoryXChange and Data2Sustain were established in January and February 2023 respectively, followed by ENTIRE in May 2023, and CeADAR in September 2023. Under Phase 1 FactoryXChange and CeADAR are co-funded by both the Digital Europe Programme and the National Recovery and Resilience Programme while Data2Sustain and ENTIRE are funded 100% by the NRRF.
Under Phase 2 FactoryXChange and CeADAR are co-funded by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment via Enterprise Ireland and the Digital Europe Programme while Data2Sustain and ENTIRE will be funded 100% by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment via Enterprise Ireland.
Further information is available through: European Digital Innovation Hubs | Enterprise Ireland
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