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Minister Burke announces €23 million for European Digital Innovation Hubs, including Data2Sustain, to support SME digitalisation
Peter Burke TD, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, has announced €23 million in additional funding for Ireland’s four European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) to enable the hubs to continue supporting eligible enterprises and public service bodies in adopting AI and other cutting-edge digital technologies.
Ireland’s four EDIHs — CeADAR, Data2Sustain, ENTIRE, and FactoryXChange — help drive digital transformation and AI adoption across all sectors, providing one-stop-shop services including technical consultancy, ‘Test Before Invest’ innovation, financial and business advice, as well as workshops and ecosystem events to advance enterprise and sectoral digitalisation skills and AI Adoption.
Ireland’s successful progression into Phase 2 of the EDIH Programme, running from 2026 to 2029, will significantly scale up digitalisation efforts among SMEs and public sector organisations. The national programme will deliver over 3,000 engagements, 1,100 ‘Test Before Invest’ projects, and more than 200 training courses nationwide.
The Data2Sustain EDIH consortium, led by Atlantic Technological University (ATU), focuses primarily — though not exclusively — on clients across all sectors in Ireland’s Western and Northwestern regions.
The Data2Sustain Phase 2 core partners are Atlantic Technological University (ATU), University of Galway, WestBIC, Advancing Innovation in Manufacturing (AIM) Centre, European Regions Network for the Application of Communications Technology (ERNACT), Údarás na Gaeltachta (ÚnaG), and the Local Enterprise Offices (LEO) in the West and North-West. Phase 2 commences 1st May 2026.
Data2Sustain also provides EDIH funded access to engineering, scientific, and business expertise and services from hosted technology gateways, AI research centres, and AI innovation studios within its core partners.
The nine associate partners in Data2Sustain Phase 2 are Alpha Innovation, CREW Digital, Future Cast, Innovation Technology AtlanTec Gateway (ITAG), MSL Education and Training Board (MSLETB), Platform94, PorterShed, Western Development Commission (WDC) and Northern and Western Regional Assembly (NWRA). Together, they form a vibrant network of hubs and organisations collaborating with Data2Sustain and the wider EDIH network to support enterprise development and public services.
Speaking about the national EDIH Phase 2 announcement, Peter Burke TD, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, said:
Extending the European Digital Innovation Hub programme in Ireland into Phase 2 ensures that our SMEs will continue to access world-class digitalisation support. Our four hubs have already delivered transformative results, helping businesses adopt AI, automation and sustainability practices.
By maintaining this momentum, we are increasing Ireland’s competitiveness and enabling enterprises across Ireland to future-proof their operations. This continued investment reflects our commitment to making advanced digital technologies accessible for every region and sector.
Enterprise Ireland CEO, Jenny Melia added:
“Enterprise Ireland is proud to support the continuation of Ireland’s European Digital Innovation Hubs into Phase 2 of the programme. These hubs are delivering real, practical supports that help SMEs and public service bodies understand, test and adopt advanced digital technologies with confidence.
By scaling up access to ‘Test Before Invest’ facilities, specialist expertise and targeted training nationwide, we are helping businesses accelerate productivity, build resilience and remain competitive in an increasingly digital global economy.”
Dr Orla Flynn, President of ATU:
ATU is proud to work closely with our Data2Sustain consortium partners to advance digitalisation levels, AI and advanced technology adoption across a broad range of sectors – regionally and nationally. Phase 2 builds on the many EDIH achievements to date and will further leverage the technology and business capacity of the consortium partners to scale high-impact service delivery through 2026–2029. We are working to maximise synergies with the national EDIH network and wider Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) investments across the consortium for the broadest regional and national economic impact.
Mike Conroy, Data2Sustain Director and Programme Co-Ordinator: “Working across our consortium, the EDIH programme has proven to be a flexible mechanism to complement company or client journeys in digitalisation, AI innovation, advanced technology adoption, and accessing wider business supports. With this Phase 2 support from DETE and Enterprise Ireland, we will evolve and scale our consortium services in partnership with our updated partner network and in collaboration with national EDIH colleagues. We will further increase sectoral relevancy, ecosystem engagement, and regional reach and in particular, strengthen the ecosystem collaboration in enterprise AI skills development and innovation in SMEs, priority sectors, and across the wider region.”
The EDIH national programme leverages co-funding from the EU’s Digital Europe Programme to deliver these essential supports to Irish enterprise.
Further information
DETE EDIH Press Release | Minister Burke announces €23 million to extend digitalisation services for SMEs – DETE
Enterprise Ireland and EDIHs | European Digital Innovation Hubs – Enterprise Ireland.
Data2Sustain EDIH | www.data2sustain.ie
Data2Sustain and EDIH Contact | Mike Conroy – Director mike.conroy@atu.ie
Aidan Haughey
Communications Manager
Tel: +353 87 961 8355
