Digital Inclusion

The internet is a resource for everyone. It connects billions of people and offers countless ways to interact, communicate, be creative and productive. This means new opportunities in terms of how we live, work, and learn. It is vital that everyone is given the opportunity to participate fully in today’s digital world.

The first phase of the National Digital Strategy was launched in July 2013. This strategy focuses on digital engagement and how Ireland can benefit from a digitally engaged society. It sets out a clear vision and a number of practical actions to help increase the number of citizens and businesses engaging online through industry and enterprise, citizen training, schools and education.

Building on Phase 1, the government is looking to develop a new National Digital Strategy. This is in response to technological change over the years and the range of opportunities and challenges this presents to Irish society.

A public consultationon a new National Digital Strategy was held at the end of 2018. This consultation invited members of the public and interested stakeholders to make submissions that would inform the scope and delivery of the new strategy which is now being drafted.

Web accessibility ensures people can use and operate websites and mobile application based services, especially people with disabilities. When websites are correctly designed and developed, all users generally have equal access to information and functionality.

The European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020 (SI 358/2020) requires public sector bodies to ensure that their websites and apps are accessible to users, especially people with disabilities, by making them perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. The regulations came into force on 23 September 2020 and transpose EU Web Accessibility Directive 2016/2102.

All public sector bodies are required to prepare, and regularly update, a detailed, comprehensive and clear accessibility statement on the compliance of their websites and mobile applications with these Regulations, to be placed on the website or alongside their mobile application. Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/1523 contains a model accessibility statement.

The National Disability Authority is the national monitoring body under these regulations. They can advise on how to make your websites and content more accessible to users.

In a connected society, digital skills are essential if we are going to realise the full social and economic potential of the digital world. The government has introduced several initiatives and programmes to help develop the digital skills of people all over Ireland.

The internet connects billions of people all over the world, giving them continued access to new markets and products. The future of business and enterprise is reliant on digital platforms; no business now can afford to ignore the potential of digital markets.

Trading Online Voucher Scheme

For many businesses though, the question is not whether to trade online, it's how to start. Designed to assist small businesses, the Trading Online Voucher Scheme offers training and advice, along with financial assistance of up to €2,500. This programme was developed under the National Digital Strategy, funded by DECC and delivered by the nationwide network of Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs).

The scheme is aimed at businesses with limited online trading presence and:

• ten employees or less
• €2 million turnover or less
• at least six months trading

Since 1 January 2021, responsibility for this scheme has moved to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

Digital Hub Development Agency

The Digital Hub Development Agency (DHDA) was established in 2003 to oversee the Digital Hub initiative. The original decision to establish the Digital Hub was taken in light of the success of other high-tech clusters around the world and was seen as an important contributor to Government policy for the development of the digital tech industry. The DHDA property portfolio comprises a campus of circa 5.6 acres located in the Liberties area of Dublin.

The DHDA played an important role in the early development of the tech sector in Dublin and over 400 companies have progressed through the Hub since its foundation and have included Stripe, Slack and Etsy.

There are currently 31 companies employing 270 people located in the Digital Hub Campus.

The Government recently announced that the DHDA is to be dissolved and its properties are to be transferred to the Land Development Agency. The decision was made following a strategic review commissioned by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, which concluded that the digital tech sector in Dublin has developed significantly in the past twenty years, and that the Agency is no longer required in order to sustain the continued growth of the sector. The strategic review report can be found on the department's website.

The managed wind down, which will take account of the needs of the clientele and staff of the DHDA and the community, is expected to be completed by mid-2022. The Digital Hub will continue to provide office space and business support services to growing technology companies and industry organisations during the wind down period.

National Digital Research Centre

The National Digital Research Centre (NDRC), established in 2006, is a Government initiative to support early stage innovative digital enterprises start-ups through accelerator and pre-seed investment supports. The NDRC delivers a mentorship-driven accelerator with €100,000 founder-friendly pre-seed funding, and early stage supports including non-equity pre-accelerator programmes to entrepreneurs across Ireland. It invests in start-ups building “global solutions to global problems”, to create internationally scalable Irish companies.

The company was established by five educational institutions: UCD, TCD, DCU, IADT and NCAD ran the NDRC from 2006 under two concession agreements. An independent review, commissioned by the Department, concluded that the initiative had added economic value, that it would not be provided by the private sector in the absence of State support and should be continued. Following a public procurement process, the contract to deliver the NDRC services was awarded to a consortium led by Dogpatch Labs on 30 November 2020.

The principal services, which are provided under the NDRC name, include:

1. Accelerator Programmes and capital investments in early stage digital enterprises

2. Regional services: pre-accelerator programmes and “training the trainer” services

3. Investment portfolio management.

There is a strong regional dimension to the services which are delivered through Dogpatch Labs, based in Dublin and its regional hub partners at the Republic of Work, Cork, RDI Hub in Kerry and Portershed in Galway. The regional partners all play a central role in the design and the delivery of the early stage supports and pre-accelerator programmes. Through a ‘hub and spoke’ model each hub has relationships with other emerging hubs, universities and incubators in its region to maximise entrepreneurial support across every county in Ireland.

The Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) is designed to support the digital transformation of Europe’s society and economy and forms part of the Multiannual Financial Framework running from 2021 to 2027. With a planned budgetary allocation of €7.5 billion, it aims to shape the digital transformation of Europe’s society and economy. €2.2 billion will be dedicated to supercomputing, €2.1 billion to artificial intelligence, €1.7 billion to cybersecurity, €1.1 billion to encouraging the use of digital technologies and €580 million to advanced digital skills. DIGITAL provides strategic funding which aims to increase European competitiveness globally under the five identified key areas: Artificial Intelligence, High Performance Computing, Cybersecurity and Trust, Advanced Digital Skills and Interoperability.

The Work Programme 2025-2027 for DIGITAL was agreed end of March 2025 and new calls for proposals for funding are expected to be announced in May.

Interested applicants are advised to check on the EU Commission's web portal informing of calls and all application material.

Read more about a Digital Europe

Connecting Europe Facility

The EU’s Connecting Europe Facility 2 (CEF2) Digital programme (2021-2027) has a planned budget of €258 million and aims to improve digital connectivity infrastructures, in particular Gigabit and 5G networks, across the EU, and contribute to Europe's digital transformation.

In the 2nd Work Programme (2024-2027) there will be a budget of €542 million for Digital Global Gateways, €205 million for 5G large-scale pilots and €90 million for quantum communication infrastructure - the EuroQCI initiative.

EuroQCI Call 4 closed on 27 March 2024, with results due in the autumn of 2025.

We wish to point out to the FAQs section in the Funding & tender opportunities portal, as it is always useful to find further information.

For any questions related to the CEF Digital calls in general, we invite you to use the following point of contact: HADEA-CEF-DIGITAL-CALLS@ec.europa.eu

Contact Points

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in contact.

Digital Europe Main and Cybersecurity Work Programmes 2025-2027

On 28 March 2025 the European Commission published the Work Programme 2025-2027 of the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) and the Digital Europe Cybersecurity Work Programme 2025-2027.

This Work Programme 2025-2027 of the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) continues to further the EU’s goals in digital transformation as defined in the communication 2030 Digital Compass: The European way for the Digital Decade and in the Path to the Digital Decade policy programme.

The Work Programme also reflects a few new actions and responds to contemporary challenges identified in the political priorities of the new Commission around tech sovereignty, democracy and security, and linked notably to the implementation of the Chips Act, the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act and the AI Innovation package communication and the objective to make Europe an AI continent thriving on development, integration and adoption of AI thanks to the forthcoming Apply AI Strategy, the EU Digital Identity Wallet, the Cyber Solidarity Act and the Cyber Resilience Act, as well as the Interoperable Europe Act.