Resource
AI Grants and Digital Supports for Irish SMEs.
Some Irish SMEs may be able to access digital supports for practical technology projects. The key is to define a clear business problem, implementation plan, cost, and expected benefit.
Important note
This guide is not grant advice.
This guide does not guarantee eligibility or approval. Funding rules can change. Always confirm requirements with your Local Enterprise Office, Enterprise Ireland, or the relevant support body before making decisions.
Why digital supports matter for AI projects
Many AI projects fail because the business does not define the workflow clearly. A good support application or internal business case should explain what process is being improved, what tool or workflow will be built, who will use it, what business benefit is expected, and how risk will be managed.
Digital for Business
A Local Enterprise Office support aimed at small enterprises (1–50 paid employees) that meet eligibility requirements. It is designed to help businesses assess digital readiness and identify how digital tools could improve performance.
Verify the latest eligibility on the official LEO page before applying.
Grow Digital Voucher
Financial support for small and medium businesses with up to 50 employees, with funding up to €5,000 and 50% grant aid for eligible costs, subject to eligibility and completion of a Digital for Business project.
Cite the official LEO page; do not present this as guaranteed.
Project scope template
What a strong AI project scope should include.
Use this structure before approaching a support body, adviser, or implementation partner.
| Section | What to include |
|---|---|
| Business problem | Describe the current workflow and why it creates cost, delay, risk, or missed opportunity. |
| Current process | Explain how the work happens today. Include the tools, people, handovers, documents, and manual steps involved. |
| Proposed digital improvement | Describe the tool, automation, dashboard, portal, training, or workflow you want to introduce. |
| Business benefit | Explain how the project could improve productivity, customer service, reporting, follow-up, quality, sales, or competitiveness. |
| Users | Identify who will use the system: staff, managers, customers, clients, suppliers, referral partners, or administrators. |
| Implementation steps | Outline audit, design, build, testing, training, launch, and support. |
| Risk and data notes | Explain whether the workflow involves private, financial, customer, employee, legal, medical, or commercially sensitive data. Describe the human review and access controls that will be used. |
| Budget and timeline | Include a realistic quote and expected project timeline. |
| Success measure | Define how the business will judge whether the project worked. |
Stronger vs weaker project descriptions
Specificity is the difference.
Weak
"We want to use AI in the business."
Stronger
We want to reduce the time our team spends answering repeated customer enquiries. The proposed project will map our enquiry process, build an AI-assisted triage workflow, prepare suggested replies for staff review, route requests to the right team member, and produce a monthly report on common questions.
Weak
"We want a dashboard."
Stronger
We currently prepare weekly management reports by copying data from spreadsheets and our CRM. The proposed project will build a dashboard showing open quotes, follow-up tasks, revenue by source, overdue jobs, and a weekly plain-English summary for management review.
Weak
"We want to automate quotes."
Stronger
We want to capture quote requirements consistently, reduce back-and-forth with customers, prepare draft proposals faster, and create follow-up reminders after each quote is sent. The project will include a quote intake form, internal review step, proposal draft, and quote status dashboard.
Examples of practical digital projects
Good digital support projects may include quote automation, customer enquiry workflows, dashboards, client portals, document collection systems, CRM automation, reporting tools, internal apps, and staff AI training. The key is that the project improves a business process rather than simply buying software for its own sake.
How an AI Opportunity Audit can help
An AI Opportunity Audit can produce a practical workflow map, opportunity list, priority score, recommended first project, risk notes, and fixed-price quote. That can be useful when discussing digital supports, because it turns a vague AI interest into a more concrete implementation plan.
What not to claim
Do not claim that a project will definitely be funded. Do not imply that AI tools alone will solve business problems. Do not present training or software purchases as eligible without checking current rules. Do not apply with a vague scope that lacks measurable business benefit.
How to prepare before speaking with your LEO
Write down the problem, estimate the time or cost involved, list the current tools, describe the desired improvement, and gather a realistic quote. Be ready to explain how the project will improve productivity, customer experience, reporting, sales, or operations.
Avoid wasting a support opportunity
Three common pitfalls.
Don't use funding to buy software nobody owns.
Assign a business owner for the project. Make sure staff have time to test the workflow. Include training and support in the plan. A useful technology project is finished when people use it to improve work, not when software is installed.
Don't ignore the current process.
A new tool built around a bad workflow can make the bad workflow faster but not better. Review the process first, remove unnecessary steps, then decide what should be automated.
Don't overpromise AI outcomes.
AI can assist with summarising, drafting, classifying, and preparing information, but the business should remain responsible for quality, customer communication, data handling, and final decisions.
Where Tús AI fits
Tús AI can help before, during, and after the project. Before the project, an AI Opportunity Audit can identify the right use case and produce a clear scope. During the project, we can build the workflow, dashboard, portal, automation, or custom tool. After launch, we can support staff, improve the system, review usage, and plan the next practical step.
The goal is not to chase funding for its own sake. The goal is to define a digital project that genuinely improves the business. If a support programme helps make that project easier to invest in, the business is in a stronger position because the scope is already clear.
FAQs
Common questions about AI grants and digital supports.
Can you apply for grants for us?
This service is positioned as project scoping and implementation support, not a grant application guarantee. Confirm available supports with the relevant body.
Can an AI project be eligible for support?
It may be, depending on the programme, applicant, project type, and current rules. Always verify eligibility with official sources.
What documents help?
A clear scope, quote, implementation plan, expected benefit, and risk/training notes can help clarify the project.
Should we start with an audit?
Yes, if your AI idea is vague. An audit helps define what should be built first.
Where should official links go?
Link to the official Local Enterprise Office and Enterprise Ireland support pages, not third-party summaries, where possible.
Get started
Find the first AI project that will actually help your business.
Tell us where your team is losing time. We will help you identify one workflow that can be improved with AI, automation, a dashboard, or a custom tool, then show you the practical path to build it.