DTIF Call 8 Is Now Open: Dates, Eligibility and How to Apply

Call 8 of the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) opened for applications on 1 October 2026, with €40 million available for collaborative research and development projects. Applications close at 3pm on 3 February 2027.

This guide covers the dates that matter, who can apply, how much of your costs DTIF can fund, and what the mandatory pre-eligibility check involves.

What is DTIF Call 8?

DTIF is a government-backed fund, administered by Enterprise Ireland, that supports industrial research and experimental development at Technology Readiness Levels 3 to 9. Across the seven previous calls, the fund has awarded over €530 million to 131 projects, with awards averaging around €4 million.

The fund's focus areas include ICT, health and wellbeing, food, energy, climate action and sustainability, manufacturing and materials, and services and business processes. Your project needs to involve industrial research, experimental development, or both.

What are the key dates for DTIF Call 8?

Applications are made through the online submission system, and there are three dates to put in your diary:

• 1 October 2026: Call 8 opens for applications.
• 20 October 2026, 11am: Enterprise Ireland hosts the Call 8 information session webinar.
• 3 February 2027, 3pm: applications close.

Enterprise Ireland is also running regional information and matchmaking events during September and October 2026, which are useful if you're still looking for a consortium partner. From opening to closing, you have roughly four months to agree a consortium, scope the project and write the application, so the earlier you start, the better.

Who can apply for DTIF Call 8?

DTIF funds collaborative projects, not solo applications. Your project needs to meet all of the following:

• At least three independent partners seeking funding from DTIF, including at least one SME and one other enterprise.
• All partners based in Ireland, and registered as clients of Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland or Údarás na Gaeltachta, or recognised as eligible research organisations.
• A minimum funding request of €1.5 million over three years.
• Work that falls within industrial research and/or experimental development, at Technology Readiness Levels 3 to 9.

Collaboration between Irish companies and the research sector is actively encouraged, so a university or research institute is a natural fit as one of your partners. If your consortium isn't complete yet, that doesn't rule you out; it simply means partner-building is the first job on your list.

How much of your costs can DTIF cover?

Each type of partner has a different ceiling on the share of eligible costs it can claim:

• SMEs: up to 50% of eligible costs.
• Large companies: up to 40% of eligible costs.
• Research organisations: up to 100% of eligible costs, but no more than 50% of the total DTIF grant aid for the project.

In practice, this means an SME funds at least half of its own eligible costs, and a large company funds at least 60% of its own.

For example:

A consortium has three partners: a medical device SME with €2,000,000 of eligible costs, a large manufacturer with €3,000,000, and a university with €1,000,000. At the maximum rates, the SME can receive €1,000,000 (50%), the manufacturer €1,200,000 (40%) and the university €1,000,000, giving total grant aid of €3,200,000. The university's share is around 31% of that total, comfortably below the 50% limit. The SME and the manufacturer fund the remaining €1,000,000 and €1,800,000 themselves.

Now suppose the university's eligible costs were €4,000,000. At 100%, it would be entitled to €4,000,000, which is far more than half of the total. The cap limits its grant to €2,200,000, which matches the combined grant aid of the other two partners.

What is the DTIF pre-eligibility check?

Before you submit an application, you must consult the Enterprise Ireland DTIF team for a pre-eligibility check. This is a requirement for every applicant, and it needs to happen before you submit your proposal. You can contact the team at DTIF@enterprise-ireland.com

The check is your opportunity to test your consortium structure and project scope against the eligibility rules before you invest time in the full application. Get your check sorted from the start, because everything else in your proposal depends on the consortium and the scope being settled.

How are DTIF applications assessed?

Applications are assessed by independent international expert panels against four criteria: the quality of the disruptive technology, the strength of your approach, economic impact and sustainability, and the strength of the collaboration between partners. Projects are then ranked by their weighted evaluation scores.

Collaboration is scored in its own right, so the consortium agreement and the role each partner plays deserve the same attention as the science. For a closer look at shaping a proposal around these criteria, see our guide to preparing for DTIF Call 8.

Can you claim R&D tax credits on a DTIF-funded project?

Yes, but only on the part of the project that isn't grant-funded. Expenditure met directly or indirectly by State grant aid doesn't qualify for the R&D tax credit, so the costs DTIF covers come out of your computation. The portion you fund yourself, such as the 50% an SME contributes, can still qualify as long as it meets the usual R&D conditions.

Track DTIF funding at project and cost level from the outset, rather than reconstructing it when your tax return is being prepared. For more details on how the two interact, see our guide: Can You Claim R&D Tax Credits on a Grant-Funded Project?

How should you prepare before the deadline?

We suggest the following steps to keep you on track:

1. Confirm your consortium. Have at least three partners, including an SME and another enterprise, and that each is registered with the right agency. If a partner is missing, Enterprise Ireland's regional events are the obvious place to find one.
2. Complete the pre-eligibility check. Contact the DTIF team early, so any issue with your structure or scope surfaces while there is still time to fix it.
3. Read the Call 8 documents. The Call 8 Guide for Applicants, the indicative application forms (Part A and Part B) and the consortium agreement template are all available. The 20 October webinar is a good time to put your questions to Enterprise Ireland.
4. Agree costs and funding shares. Settle each partner's eligible costs and contribution, and decide how grant funding will be recorded for R&D tax credit purposes.
5. Submit ahead of the deadline. Applications close at 3pm on the final day, so aim to submit before then.

We've supported DTIF applicants since the fund's early calls, and you can read about the projects we helped secure funding in Call 7.

Key takeaways

• Applications are open. The window is roughly four months, so consortium building and the pre-eligibility check need to start now.
• Your consortium structure decides eligibility. You need at least three Ireland-based partners, including an SME and another enterprise.
• Funding shares depend on partner type. SMEs, large companies and research organisations each have a different ceiling on the share of eligible costs they can claim.
• The pre-eligibility check is mandatory. Complete it with the Enterprise Ireland DTIF team before you submit.
• Grant-funded costs can't also earn the R&D tax credit. The part of the project you fund yourself still can.

If you're putting together a consortium for DTIF Call 8, or you'd like help positioning your project against the assessment criteria, contact Myriad to discuss your project.