AI grants for Donegal & Derry businesses — and how to get your AI training funded
Most of the businesses we work with don't pay the full price. Donegal and Derry SMEs can access four different funding routes for AI training and implementation, and the right one depends on your size, your location, and whether you're already an Enterprise Ireland client.
We'll tell you honestly which one you qualify for, and what's involved in getting it. No jargon, no grant-speak.
Which funding route is yours? Answer three questions
1. Are you currently a client of Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland?
If yes, you're on the Enterprise Ireland route — see AI Discovery and Digital Discovery below.
If no, you're likely on the LEO route. Go to question 2.
2. Do you employ between 1 and 50 people, and have you been trading and registered for at least 6 months?
If yes, the LEO route is open to you: Digital for Business (free), then the Grow Digital Voucher (50% funded).
If you're a sole trader or just starting out, the LEO route can still be open to you in many cases — PAYG customers are within scope of the Grow Digital Voucher. Talk to us or to your Local Enterprise Office.
3. Are you training a team of staff, and are you based in the Republic of Ireland with 2–250 employees?
If yes, you can stack the Skillnet Upskill SME Training Grant on top of the LEO route, which contributes €204.30 per training day per employee towards salary costs.
Trading across the border, or based in Derry or Northern Ireland? See the InterTradeIreland section below — cross-border businesses often have access to more routes, not fewer.
The funded pathway, end to end
The short version: Digital for Business is free and comes first. It produces the report that unlocks the Grow Digital Voucher, which funds 50% of eligible costs up to €5,000. That grant covers software and the training and IT configuration to get it working — which is exactly what we do.
The six supports, in plain English
1. Digital for Business
Cost to you: free
An expert digital consultant appointed by your Local Enterprise Office reviews how your business currently runs, identifies gaps, and produces a written report with recommendations. It's designed for LEO clients with 1–50 paid employees, trading at least 6 months, registered in the LEO area, and not currently a client of Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland.
Why it matters more than it sounds: this report is the required first step for the Grow Digital Voucher. If it doesn't identify AI as an opportunity, the funded route stays closed. We can sit with you before or alongside the process so the report captures the AI opportunities we can actually deliver.
Your LEO appoints the consultant — it isn't us. We'll help you get the most out of it.
Subject to eligibility and approval by the funding body.
2. Grow Digital Voucher
Grant: 50% of eligible costs, minimum €500 to a maximum of €5,000 per application
Open to small enterprises with 1–50 paid employees who have completed a Digital for Business project within the previous two years. Covers software and training/IT configuration. You can be approved for up to two projects, with a cumulative grant value of up to €5,000.
You'll need to be established and trading at least 6 months, registered within your LEO's area, solvent as shown in your financial statements, and hold current tax clearance — with a Tax Reference Number and Tax Clearance Access Number for verification.
What it can't be used for: the scheme excludes primary agriculture, fishery and aquaculture, coal and steel, gambling, adult entertainment, tobacco, commercial semi-states, trade associations and Chambers of Commerce, and companies with charitable status that don't meet the trading criteria.
Where we come in: we help you prepare the application, quote the work correctly so it's eligible, and deliver the training and configuration the voucher pays for.
Subject to eligibility and approval by the funding body.
3. Skillnet Upskill SME Training Grant
Grant: €204.30 per training day, per employee
A flat-rate contribution towards the salary cost of employees attending approved training, available to Republic of Ireland SMEs with 2–250 employees. Training must be selected from approved programmes delivered through a Skillnet network. Individuals and sole traders cannot claim this one.
Be clear on this: it rebates salary costs to the employer. It does not reduce our fee. Combined with the LEO route it can bring the real cost of a training day close to nothing — but the two work differently.
Subject to eligibility and approval by the funding body.
4. AI Discovery and Digital Discovery
Grant: up to 80% of project cost, capped at a €5,000 grant
For Enterprise Ireland client companies. You choose a suitable consultant, agree the project outline, and apply. It's the lowest-risk way for an EI client to bring in expert help on AI or digital strategy.
Subject to eligibility and approval by the funding body.
5. InterTradeIreland
Cost to you: fully funded programmes
If you trade, or want to trade, across the border, InterTradeIreland runs fully funded programmes for SMEs on the island — including one-to-one digital and innovation mentoring and cross-border growth support. For a business working in both Donegal and Derry, this is often the most under-used route available.
Subject to eligibility and approval by the funding body.
6. Other supports worth knowing about
Varies by programme
- AI Works for Ireland — a partnership between the Local Enterprise Offices, Google and Enterprise Ireland, running free regional events that give SMEs practical AI skills.
- AIReady.ie — free, bite-sized AI courses from the Government of Ireland, built for small businesses, sole traders, farmers and older adults. Genuinely good, genuinely free.
- Enterprise Ireland Mentor Grant — up to 10 mentoring sessions to a total of €1,750, paid directly to the mentor, for EI clients.
- AIM Centre AI Accelerator (Sligo) — a six-week hybrid programme with 80% funding available through De Minimis, aimed at manufacturing and professional services SMEs in the region.
Subject to eligibility and approval by the funding body.
What this looks like in practice
Take a Donegal business wanting AI set up properly: a training day for four staff, plus tool configuration, with a project value of €3,000.
| Step | What happens | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Complete Digital for Business | Free. Produces the report naming AI as an opportunity |
| 2 | Apply for Grow Digital Voucher | Grant of 50% of eligible costs, up to €5,000 |
| 3 | We deliver training and configuration | Client pays the remaining 50% |
| 4 | Claim the Skillnet training grant, if eligible | €204.30 × training days × staff, towards salary |
| Net | Illustrative only | Often a small fraction of the headline price |
Illustrative example only. Actual funding depends on your eligibility, the project, and approval by the funding body. We can't guarantee any amount.
What we won't tell you
We'd rather you trust us than be surprised later, so:
- Grants are claimed by you, not by us. We help you prepare and deliver the work; the application and the claim are yours.
- Approval is never guaranteed. Eligibility is decided by the Local Enterprise Office, Enterprise Ireland or Skillnet Ireland — not by AI Fusion.
- We're not a grant agency. We're an AI training and consultancy business that knows how these schemes work.
- Amounts and terms change. Schemes open, pause and close. We'll check the current position with you before you rely on anything on this page.
- We'll tell you if you're not eligible. If the funded route isn't open to you, we'll say so, and we'll show you the lowest-cost way to start anyway.
Scheme details checked: October 2026.
Grant questions we get asked
Can I get funding for AI training in Donegal?
Yes, usually through the Local Enterprise Office route: Digital for Business, which is free, followed by the Grow Digital Voucher, which funds 50% of eligible costs up to a maximum grant of €5,000. Grow Digital covers software and training or IT configuration.
Do I have to be a Local Enterprise Office client?
For the LEO route, yes — and you must not be a current client of Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland. If you are an Enterprise Ireland client, the AI Discovery and Digital Discovery grants apply instead.
Can a grant pay for your training, or only for software?
Grow Digital explicitly covers software and training/IT configuration, where it supports the digitalisation set out in your Digital for Business report. That's why the sequence matters.
I'm a sole trader — is anything available to me?
In many cases yes. PAYG customers are within scope of the Grow Digital Voucher. Skillnet's training grant is not open to individuals, but the LEO route often is.
I'm based in Derry or Northern Ireland — what can I get?
InterTradeIreland runs fully funded programmes for SMEs across the island, including digital and innovation mentoring. Cross-border businesses in Donegal and Derry often have access to more routes, not fewer.
How long does it take?
Digital for Business takes a matter of weeks, depending on your Local Enterprise Office's schedule. A Grow Digital application comes after the report is complete. We'd rather plan around realistic timing than promise a date that slips.
Is AI Fusion a grant agency?
No. We're an AI training and consultancy business. We help you prepare your application and we deliver the funded work — but all decisions on eligibility and approval rest with the funding bodies.
Where this fits with our other services
Funding usually supports our workplace and staff AI training and AI consultancy and implementation. We also run community and funded programmes, and work with schools and young people across Donegal and Derry.
Ready to find out what your business would actually pay?
Tell us your size, your county and what you want to fix. We'll come back with the routes you qualify for and what the net cost looks like.
Book a free 15-minute call