Ministers Announce extension for the National Digital Research Centre (NDRC)
- Published on: 17 June 2025
- Last updated on: 17 June 2025
Enterprise Ireland to launch new National Accelerator in 2026
Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan T.D., and Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke T.D, have announced that the Government today has approved the option to extend the NDRC with current service provider, Dogpatch Labs, and for NDRC services to continue to provide supports for early-stage digital enterprise ecosystem until the end of 2026.
Enterprise Ireland, under its strategy ‘Delivering for Ireland, Leading Globally’ has an ambitious target to support 1,000 new startups by 2029 and will launch a successor National Accelerator Platform in 2026, building on the success of the NDRC. The new National Accelerator Platform, which is in an advanced stage of development, will reflect the new and evolving needs of founders, enhance sectoral diversification and international connectivity, as well as responding to the findings of the recent OECD report on the Irish Startup Ecosystem.
Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport Patrick O’Donovan T.D., said:
"The NDRC has been a high-performing support for Ireland’s digital start-ups; providing mentoring, training, and investments in early-stage start-ups and entrepreneurs and helping with the creation of high-value jobs. I am happy to extend the NDRC contract until the end of 2026 in support of the rollout of the Enterprise Ireland’s successor programme, which is being developed in the context of the Programme for Government’s NDRC commitment.”
Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke T.D., said:
“This decision ensures continuity of service, supports the continuation of regional innovation, and provides a stable foundation for the rollout of a new long-term successor National Accelerator programme being developed by Enterprise Ireland based on the needs of Irish Startups and Scaleups. We must continue to back the global ambition of Irish-founded innovation-led startups, particularly in a challenging global economic climate. To do so, my Department through Enterprise Ireland will develop a system-wide approach that accelerates startup growth, internationalisation, and scaling.”
Notes
- Awarded to Dogpatch Labs in 2020, the NDRC operates a hub-and-spoke model, partnering with regional innovation hubs in Kerry (RDI Hub), Cork (Republic of Work), and Galway (PorterShed), to embed trained teams within local ecosystems.
- From a national perspective, the NDRC is focussed on creating high-value jobs in the Digital Sector, promoting digital innovation and digital entrepreneurship through the delivery of a suite of services. The NDRC is required to prioritise investments with the greatest potential for having a “high impact” from an economic perspective. In the context of these strategic objectives the NDRC provides:
- Accelerator Programmes;
- Capital investment in Start-ups;
- Regional Services; and
- Portfolio Management