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If you are based in Northern Ireland, Invest Northern Ireland (Invest NI) is your first point of contact for research and innovation 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ. It provides funding, advice, and connections to help businesses innovate and grow.

Invest NI also co-delivers programmes like and in Northern Ireland, helping businesses find collaboration opportunities at home or abroad.

On behalf of Invest NI, Innovate NI works to increase the number of Northern Ireland businesses engaged in innovation. The service offers innovation guidance, resources, and an Innovation Accreditation scheme to 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ new ideas, improve processes, and boost competitiveness of Northern Ireland businesses. Find out more about .

Funding for research and innovation from Invest NI

The main funding opportunities include:

Grant for Research and Development (R&D)

• Purpose: Fund costs for R&D activities, including developing new knowledge, products, processes or services
• Funding: Dependent on the company's ability to provide match funding
• Eligibility: Available to Invest NI customers or SMEs that meet the criteria
• Details: Grant for R&D

Innovation Vouchers

• Purpose: Enable businesses to access specialist knowledge for innovative solutions
• Worth: Up to £5,000
• Eligibility: Open to all sectors; no Invest NI client status required
• Details: Innovation Vouchers

Technical Development Incentive

• Purpose: Technical services expertise to help implement innovative solutions
• Funding: Up to £25,000
• Eligibility: SMEs engaged in innovation activities
• Details: Technical Development Incentive

Read more about . If you're ineligible for this funding, Invest NI advisers can direct you to other sources of 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ, including Innovate UK, Horizon Europe, other funders, or research and business partners. Call Invest NI Helpline on Tel 0800 181 4422 and speak to an innovation adviser about your R&D needs.

Innovation 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ from InterTradeIreland

InterTradeIreland offers several innovation programmes that provide funding to 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ business growth and cross-border collaboration:

Business Explorer

• Purpose: Support SMEs in solving business challenges or developing ideas
• Funding: Covers collaboration with academics or industry specialists
• Eligibility: SMEs in Northern Ireland and Ireland
• Details: Business Explorer

Innovation Boost

• Purpose: Help SMEs develop new products or processes with academic partners
• Funding: Up to £31,000/€41,100 (12 months); £44,250/€58,700 (18 months)
• Eligibility: SMEs in Northern Ireland and Ireland
• Details: Innovation Boost

Synergy

• Purpose: Foster cross-border collaboration through innovative networks
• Funding: Supports cluster and network development
• Eligibility: SMEs in cross-border partnerships
• Details: Synergy

US-Ireland R&D Partnership

• Purpose: Support joint research in health, energy, and sustainability
• Funding: Covers collaborative projects
• Eligibility: Researchers and businesses in Ireland, Northern Ireland, and the US
• Details:

Read more about .

Other innovation 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ in Northern Ireland

There are many other sources of advice and wider 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ around innovation in Northern Ireland. For example:

Techstart Proof of Concept Fund

Techstart offers proof of concept grants and seed funding, as well as 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ for early-stage innovation projects. See Techstart grants.

Local universities

and offer R&D partnerships, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, and access to research centres.

Regional colleges

Northern Ireland regional colleges offer businesses access to technical 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ, innovation hubs, and skills development. Find out more about what they do below:

Catalyst

Catalyst provides mentorship, accelerators, and investor access through initiatives like Invent, the Co-Founders programme and Springboard. See .

Collaborative networks, innovation hubs and clusters

• : Focuses on accelerating the adoption of advanced digital technologies, fostering innovation in sectors like manufacturing and creative industries.
• : Advocates for the manufacturing sector, providing 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ and resources to enhance competitiveness and innovation.
• : Serves as a hub for advanced engineering and composite materials research, promoting collaboration between industry and academia.
• : Focuses on enhancing engineering and manufacturing in the North West through collaboration, talent development, and innovation.
• : Supports manufacturing and engineering growth in Mid Ulster by addressing skills shortages and fostering industry collaboration.
• : Led by Ulster University, SMDH 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵs manufacturing SMEs to become more competitive by harnessing the power of data. The hub offers digital solutions, expert guidance, and funding to help business improve processes, save costs and reduce investment risks.

See also information on Northern Ireland science parks.

Local Enterprise Agencies

Northern Ireland has 27 Local Enterprise Agencies 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵing SMEs with advice, mentoring, and workspace. Each agency serves specific areas, helping local businesses grow and innovate. Visit  for a full list.

Matrix - the Northern Ireland Science Industry Panel

is a business-led expert panel advising on the commercial exploitation of R&D, science and technology. While it doesn't run specific 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ programmes for businesses, it produces reports to guide businesses, government, and academia.

Browse our Business Support Finder to learn about the 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ available. You can also review details of UK-wide 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ for innovation and R&D.