Grants and Funding to Help Irish Businesses Adopt Robotics

There is no single "robot grant" in Ireland. Instead, several general business supports can help with an automation project if it meets their rules. Three things are true of nearly all of them:

• Which agency you deal with depends on your company. Enterprise Ireland works with its client companies, which are mostly manufacturers and internationally traded services firms. Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) work with smaller businesses that are not Enterprise Ireland or IDA clients.
• You must apply before you spend. Costs incurred before an application is submitted are generally not eligible.
• Funding is not automatic. Agencies assess value for money, company need and impact, and they may offer less than the maximum.

The figures below were checked on official Enterprise Ireland and LEO pages in October 2026. Schemes change with each budget and some LEO terms vary by county, so always confirm current terms with your adviser.

Read the sections below before relying on any of these. The detail matters.

This is the support most directly aimed at automation. Enterprise Ireland's reference document (January 2024 revision) says the offer supports new or significantly improved digital production, service delivery or organisational methods, and names robotics and automation among the technologies it expects companies to adopt.

Who can apply. The company must be registered in Ireland, in business for 2 years or more, engaged in manufacturing or an eligible services industry, internationally trading or close to it, and an Enterprise Ireland client with an assigned Development Adviser. It normally needs 10 or more full-time staff, which may be reduced to 5 in some cases, such as high potential start-ups.

How much. Up to 50% of eligible costs for small, medium and large companies, although Enterprise Ireland may offer a lower rate. Applications for grant support under €20,000 are not accepted. For large companies the grant counts as de minimis aid.

What it pays for. Salaries of staff working on the project, consultancy, materials and project overheads (capped at 20% of salary costs). The document lists the cost headings as salaries, consultancy, materials and overheads. It is an implementation grant: it funds the work of bringing in a new process rather than simply buying equipment, and "simple capital replacement or extension" is excluded.

What it expects. A real step change for your company, measurable gains in at least two areas such as quality, delivery and cost, and in-house capability building. At least 40% of expenditure must be in-house, so the project cannot simply be handed to a consultant.

LEOs offer several grants to smaller businesses. Not every type of business qualifies: the national LEO guidance says retail, personal services, professional services, construction and local services businesses are not eligible for these grants. The main focus is manufacturing and internationally traded services.

Business Expansion Grant. For businesses with up to 10 staff in their growth phase, after the first 18 months of trading. The grant can be up to 50% of the investment, generally capped at €80,000, with up to €150,000 possible in exceptional cases. County LEO pages list capital items, salaries, consultancy and marketing costs, and overheads as expenditure headings. Equipment such as a robot would normally be discussed under capital items, but confirm this with your LEO.

Priming Grant. A start-up grant for micro businesses with up to 10 staff within their first 18 months, on similar terms of up to 50% of the investment.

Feasibility Grant. Helps small businesses research market demand for a new product or service, up to €15,000. The rate is 50% in the Southern and Eastern region and 60% in the Border, Midlands and Western region.

Grow Digital Voucher. For small businesses with 1 to 50 paid employees that have completed a Digital for Business project in the previous two years. It covers 50% of eligible costs, up to €5,000, but it funds new off-the-shelf software subscriptions plus training and configuration. Hardware is not listed as eligible, so do not plan to buy a robot with it. It could help with, for example, new booking or stock software that a robot connects to.

Funding for advice can be as useful as funding for equipment, because the hardest part of a robot project is often deciding what to automate.

• Lean programmes. Enterprise Ireland's Lean Business Offer has several levels. LeanPlus offers a grant of up to €50,000 towards an external Lean coach and process changes. LEOs also run Lean programmes for smaller businesses. A Lean review often shows which tasks are worth automating and which should simply be removed.
• Digital for Business. LEOs run Digital for Business, consultant-led support that helps small firms plan their digital needs. Completing it is a condition for the Grow Digital Voucher.
• European Digital Innovation Hubs. Ireland has four, listed by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. They act as one-stop shops offering technical expertise, experimentation, innovation services and training. FactoryxChange, led by Irish Manufacturing Research, focuses on manufacturing. ENTIRE, led by Tyndall National Institute, covers IoT and sensors. CeADAR focuses on AI and Data2Sustain on SMEs in the Northern and Western region.

Ask the hub that suits your sector what support is available for testing an automation idea before you invest.

Agencies fund projects with a clear problem, a credible plan and measurable results. Prepare:

1. The problem in numbers. Hours spent on the task, error or scrap rates, missed orders, staff turnover.
2. The option you chose and why. A comparison of two or three robots or approaches shows you have done the work. Our comparisons of delivery, cleaning and cobot options can help.
3. Expected results against measures such as quality, speed and cost.
4. Who will run it in-house, and what skills your team will gain.
5. A realistic budget that includes integration, training and safety work, not just the robot.
6. Evidence from a trial, if you have it. Results from a short rental or demonstration make a business case far more convincing.

And above all: talk to your LEO or Enterprise Ireland adviser before you sign anything or pay a deposit.

Rentabot does not administer grants or apply for them on your behalf, and we cannot tell you whether a project will be funded. What we can do is help you gather evidence.

• Rent from our Dublin fleet: the Dreame X60 Pro Ultra Complete, Unitree Go2 Pro and Bambu Lab P1P. Pricing is on quote.
• Request a trial of other robots: for robots listed on our site to buy, we source rental units through reseller partners case by case.
• Buy outright through Robots International, which Rentabot is an affiliate of, once you know what works.

Our rent versus buy guide helps weigh the options. Contact us and we will get back to you promptly.