Company Guidelines to assist in the completion of a Research
& Development (R&D) Fund application
Note: before completing an application you should contact and discuss the
application in detail with your Development Adviser.
Introduction
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Overview of
the
Application
These guidelines are intended to assist in the completion of the
application form for Research & Development funding from Enterprise
Ireland. The R&D Fund supports company innovation in services,
products and processes. It is open to existing and potential Enterprise
Ireland and Údarás na Gaeltachta clients that are manufacturing
and/or internationally traded service companies. Full details of the
R&D Fund are specified in the Reference Document available on the
Enterprise Ireland website.
The Fund is focused on established companies which are planning to
undertake their first R&D projects and those which are significantly
developing their existing R&D activity.
This is a competitive Fund.
The approval limit of the R&D Fund Committee is €450,000. Larger
applications (applications which involve total support level of greater
than €450,000) may also be made using the R&D Fund applications
and guidelines but will be considered for approval by the Investment
Committee (of Enterprise Ireland).
The application has 3 separate elements.
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A Business Plan Summary document (Microsoft Word format)
focussed on outlining the business plan and the project(s) for which
support is being sought. Total length should be kept to a max. of 8
pages. Guidelines for the completion of the document are in Part A
below.
A R&D Fund Project Details and Costs Workbook (Microsoft Excel
format) which captures the details and the costings for the proposed
project(s). Guidelines for the completion of the spreadsheet are in Part
B below.
A Financial Data Sheet (FDS) (Microsoft Excel format). This
summarises the financial track record and projections for the
company. The guidelines to assist in the completion are included in
the FDS Excel document itself. If you need assistance completing the
FDS, please contact your Development Adviser.
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Additional
Information
Required
Additional information is required to assist in the assessment of your
application, such as:
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FDS
The company’s most recent audited and management accounts (P&L
and Balance Sheet) should be forwarded with the application.
Detailed group structure (if applicable).
Full company financial projections.
Cashflow projections.
For Technical Assessment purposes you are required to attach the
following documents at the time of application:

A project(s) plan showing key tasks, milestones and the resources
(people and equipment) required to implement the R&D project(s).

Outline of project(s) organisation and project(s) management process.

CVs of key R&D personnel (one paragraph per person).
For a full list of the additional information required, please refer to the
checklist at the end of the Business Plan Summary document.
All applications will be subject to assessment by Enterprise Ireland.
Additional information in support of your application may be requested in
the course of this assessment.
Submission of
Applications
When the application has been completed it, (the Business Plan
Summary, R&D Fund Project Details and Costs Workbook and the
Financial Data Sheet) along with the additional information required,
should be emailed to the DA and the CSU Unit at:
[email protected]
The call close for each monthly tranche is 5.30pm on the last working day
of each month.
If you don’t have soft copies of the company’s audited and management
accounts, please send hard copies of the accounts to:
The CSU Unit,
Enterprise Ireland,
The Plaza,
East Point Business Park,
Dublin 3.
Please note, for successful applicants, only eligible expenditure incurred
after the call close date for which the application is submitted will be
considered for funding by the approval committee.
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Part A: Business Plan Summary
1. Applicant Company Details
1.1.
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1.2.
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Company Details
Please supply all details as requested.
Please give exact registered company name. Where the Company trading name is
different please state both names.
Declaration by Authorised Officer of the Applicant
Please complete the declarations as requested by deleting the YES/NO prompt as
appropriate and entering the name of the Authorised Officer of the applicant company.
2. Company Profile
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2.1.
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2.2.
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2.3.
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2.4.
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Prompts/questions are provided in each section and should be used as a guide to
ensure all relevant information is captured.
Where the question is not relevant or applicable it should be omitted.
In some sections, where necessary, some additional points are noted.
Please be concise and avoid repetition.
Prompts/questions should be deleted from the completed form.
Company Overview
Max length ½ page.
The aim of this section is to provide a short profile of the applicant company. Include
any connected or related companies.
Company Ownership
Max length ½ page.
Please list the shareholders, outline the group structure and the relevant experience of
any external shareholders and directors.
Where the company is part of a group, please give details of the group structure.
Please include all shareholders on the shareholding (capitalisation) table on a fullydilute basis i.e. table to include any existing/proposed options (including any Employee
Share Option Programmes (ESOPs)), convertible loan stock and/or share warrants in
issue.
Future impacts to share ownership
Max Length ½ page.
What changes are planned to the company ownership?
Directors/Promoters Remuneration
Max length ¼ page.
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Please detail all remuneration to the directors/promoters either directly or indirectly.
3. Business Strategy
3.1.
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3.2.
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3.3.
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3.4.
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3.5.
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Market and Product/Service
Max Length ¾ page.
This section should clearly identify the basis of the market opportunity and sustainable
competitive advantage.
Market description should include estimates of market size and growth rates. Where
targeting a market which does not yet exist, please explain why you believe it will exist,
how big it is expected to be and the basis of this belief.
Describe your competition and how they might react to your company’s activities in the
market.
Business Model
Max Length ¾ page.
Describe how you bring/will bring your product/service to market now and/or in the
future. Use the prompts in the application form as a guide.
This section should clearly explain the pricing strategy, route to market, the sales cycle
and the revenue cycle.
Include detail on any marketing alliances or sales channels that have already been
agreed.
Discuss the main gaps relating to sales and marketing.
Operations (including Research & Development)
Max Length ¾ page.
Please outline the business operations under the three headings Product/Service, R&D
and Skills Capability. Use the prompts in the application form as a guide.
Management
Max Length ½ page.
It may be appropriate to provide an outline organisation chart showing key personnel
and their responsibilities.
Include detail on any plans to strengthen the management or Board over the period of
the plan.
Key Strategic Issues
Max Length ¼ page.
Describe the key strategic issues that the company is facing.
4. Proposed Development Plan
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Max length ¾ page.
Please outline the proposed actions in this development plan and how they will
contribute to the strategic objectives of the company and the economy.
Outline the risks and milestones associated with the actions.
The focus here should be on the specific projects for which EI support is sought.
A clear outline of each individual project should be included referencing for each
individual project its objective(s), level of innovation, risks associated with completion
and the strategic contribution (commercial and technical) to the overall strategy of the
company.
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5. Finance
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5.1.
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5.2.
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5.3.
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Max Length ¼ page.
Please explain any unusual items in the financial information provided in the FDS.
Historic Trading Position
Max length ¼ page.
Please outline how the company has performed against its targets over the previous 3
years in relation to sales, exports, profitability and productivity and the reasons for any
variances.
Forecast Trading Position
Max length ¼ page excl. tables.
Please comment on the expected trading position specifically in relation to the
development plan(s) that will be implemented and how these will lead to the
achievement of the sales and profit projections.
Please fully complete the sales pipeline spreadsheet.
Sources of funding
Max length ¾ page.
Please identify the intended sources of funding.
Use the prompts in the application form as a guide.
6. Benefits of and need for EI support
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Max Length ½ page.
Anticipated economic benefits could include, for example, some of the following:
increase in sales, exports, jobs, R&D spend, sales from commercialised R&D where they
result from the project(s) proposed.
See the prompts in the application form.
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Part B: R&D Fund Project Details and Costs Workbook
7. Notes on the ‘Summary’ Worksheet

The cells have been colour coded as follows:
o Cells in Yellow are to be filled in by the applicant company.
o Cells in Orange contain formulas and are calculated automatically and so do note require
an entry.
o Cells in Blue are for EI use only, please ignore them.
Programme
Start Date
and Duration

A programme duration of 3 years is normally accepted as the
maximum allowed.
Number of
Projects

Use the drop down menu to choose the number of individual projects
being submitted in the proposal.
Summary of
Total
Expenditure

This table is automatically completed by figures taken from the
individual ‘R&D Project’ worksheets.
EI Grant
Rate
The applicable grant rate is based on the type of project and the size of
the company [Small/Medium/Large Enterprise] as outlined below.
A Small Enterprise is defined as

an enterprise that has fewer than 50 employees and,

has either an annual turnover and/or an annual Balance Sheet total
not exceeding €10m.
A Medium Sized Enterprise is defined as

an enterprise that has between 50 employees and 249 employees
and,

has either an annual turnover not exceeding €50m or an annual
Balance Sheet total not exceeding €43m.
In either case, if the enterprise is more than 25% owned by one or more
enterprises or itself has a holding of more than 25% in any other
enterprise, it will be necessary to consult the full definition in the Official
Journal (For the full definition, see the "“Official Journal of the European
Commission (L 124/36) 20th May 2003 - Commission Recommendation of
6th May 2003 concerning the definition of micro, small and medium sized
enterprises".2)
Excluded from the holding company threshold in the above definition are
public investment corporations, venture capital companies and
institutional investors provided that they do not exercise control.
However, an enterprise cannot be considered as meeting either definition
if 25% or more of the capital or voting rights are directly or indirectly
controlled, jointly or individually, by one or more public bodies.
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Note - If a company is part of a group the employee, turnover, annual
balance, sheet and ownership limits apply to the group.
A company that exceeds the upper limits of the Medium Sized Enterprise
is automatically classed as a Large Enterprise.
The maximum R&D grant that a company can receive is €450,000. Companies with projects in
excess of this amount will be evaluated on a case by case basis by the Enterprise Ireland
Investment Committee using a similar approach and grant rates as the R&D Committee.
The maximum percentage grant rates are given in the table below:
Small
Medium
Maximum Funding Rates*
Co.
Co.
Innovative Projects that are technically
challenging and involve significant risk
Large
Co.
Max Project funding
Innovative Projects where there is
collaboration** between two companies
45%
+15%
35%
+ 15%
25%
+15%
Max Project funding
50%
50%
50%
* Note the funding rate for R&D Centres is assessed on a case by case basis and
applicants should consult with their Agency Development Adviser/Executive to
assess what the relevant rate would be.
* Collaboration – In a collaboration project, at least two partners participate in the design of
the project, contribute to its implementation and share the risk and the output of the project.
8. Notes on ‘R&D Project’ Worksheet(s)
8.1. General Notes
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Companies should fill out a Worksheet for each individual project.
Separate projects should only be used where the R&D is clearly different and there is a
separate team working on the project. Separate projects do not make sense where there
are separate phases or feature releases of the same basic product, or where essentially the
same R&D team are doing all of the work over the same time period.
The guidelines below apply for all worksheets.
Where the application relates to the funding of a physical R&D Centre rather than a discrete
R&D project then please fill out the R&D Centre Capital Costs Worksheet. Note the
funding rate for R&D Centres is assessed on a case by case basis, please consult
with your Agency Development Adviser/Executive to assess what the relevant
rates would be.
The cells have been colour coded as follows:
o Cells in Yellow are to be filled in by the applicant company.
o Cells in Orange contain formulas and are calculated automatically.
o Cells in Blue are for EI use only, please ignore them.
8.2. Project Description
Project Title

Give a short title for the project.
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Project
Number

Give the project a number (1-6).
Project Start
Date and
Duration
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
Please insert project start date and duration.
A project duration of 3 years is normally accepted as the maximum
allowed.
Purpose of
Project

Give a one sentence summary of the project.
(Technical)
Objectives

List the expected outcomes of the work programme.
Keep to 100 words or less.
(Technical)
Description
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Project Type
(N/A for
R&D Centre)

Describe the technical work programme.
Avoid repetition of information given in the technical objectives
section.
Keep to 300 words or less.
Click on the “Please select Project type” and use the drop down menu
to choose the most relevant type.
o Product
o Process, or
o Combined Process and Product Development.
Project
Scope
(N/A for
R&D Centre)
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
Click on the “Please select scope” and use the drop down menu to
choose the most relevant answer.
See definitions below. Use the pull down menu to pick the most
relevant project type based on the following definitions.
Project Type
Product Platform
New
Product/Process
Major Upgrade
Defensive
Redesign
Routine Upgrade
Level of
Innovation
(N/A for
R&D Centre)

Definition
A platform product is one which will likely generate
a family of new products/process.
Substantially new product/process based on original
research.
Significantly enhanced existing product/process.
A redesign of product/process for compliance with
Specific (inter) national standards, or in response to
competitors.
An upgrade based on technology changes within the
sector.
Use the pull down menu to pick the most relevant level of innovation
using the following definitions.
Innovation
Level
Very High
Definition
Highly inventive, patentable.
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High
Medium
Modest
Low
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Significant level of inventiveness, function oriented
possibly patentable.
Modest level of inventiveness, possibly patentable.
Routine redesign, feature orientated.
“Me too” copy.
Under the Comment, justify your rating in 200 words or less taking
into account the following
o How the proposed level of technology compares with current activity
within the company?
o Whether the technology has been developed elsewhere?
o Is it new to the world or new to the company?
o What are the technical uncertainties?
Level of
Technical
Risk
(N/A for
R&D Centre)

Use the pull down menu to pick the most relevant level of technical
risk using the following definitions.
Risk Level
Very High
Definition
Company is developing a totally new and advanced
technology.
High
Major advances to existing products.
Medium
Good prospects for success, e.g. upgrade involving new
functions.
Modest
Risks are low, reasonable developments (e.g. new
features) to existing products/processes.
Low
Little real development work taking place e.g. modest
upgrades.

Under the Comment, justify your rating in 200 words or less taking
into account the following:
o Steps taken to address intellectual property issues.
o Patent research for infringement of existing technologies, technical
novelty, prior art etc.
Collaboration
(if any)
(N/A for
R&D Centre)

Comment on any proposed formal collaboration with another R&D
partner. (See section 3 above for definition of Collaboration.)
8.3. Project Planning
In order to assess the achievability of the project as part of the technical due diligence, please
attach the following:

A project(s) plan showing key tasks, milestones and the resources (people and equipment)
required to implement the projects.

Outline of Project organisation and project management process

CVs of key R&D personnel (one paragraph per person)
Note that for small projects, the Gantt chart provided in the spreadsheet can be used.
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8.4. Salary Costs for Project R&D
Employee
Name

Role on
Project

Enter job role e.g. project manager, software developer, researcher
etc.
Category

Click on “Select” and use the pull down menu to select the correct
category – Existing (already in the company R&D team), New hire or
Redeployed (moved into R&D for this project).
Annual
Salary

Salary costs for personnel e.g. researchers, technicians and other
supporting staff to the extent employed on the project are eligible.
The annual salary figure eligible is normally limited to a maximum of
€80,000 (exclusive of employer’s PRSI contributions).
The salary costs of the Managing Director (MD) or Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) is not eligible with the exception of Small Enterprises
(see definition on page 7) where a maximum 30% MD or CEO time
may be eligible where it is deemed to be critical to the project.
For Small and/or Medium Sized Enterprises a portion of the cost of
the loan of qualified personnel seconded to the applicant company is
eligible. Up to a maximum of 50% of salary costs, for up to three
years, in addition to agreed recruitment costs incurred by the
Company, are eligible. Secondment describes the temporary
employment of a person by the applicant company for an agreed
period of time after which the person has the right to return to his/her
previous employer. The maximum salary on which this % is based
will be determined by the Approving Committee. The person may be
seconded from a research organisation or a large enterprise to the
SME company, and the seconded person must be employed in a newly
created function, must work on research, development and innovation
activities and must have been employed for at least two years in the
research organisation or large enterprise.
Note that pensions and bonuses are not eligible as salary costs.
Note that the costs of administration, finance and marketing are
covered under the 30% overhead allowed. The overhead is calculated
automatically and added to the salary costs in the Summary Table.
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Enter the full name of the employee.
If not known at this stage, use “TBC”.
No. Annual
leave days

Enter the correct number of annual leave days.
Daily Cost

This is automatically calculated by using the annual leave days and
annual salary figure.
The calculation subtracts the number of weekends (104) and the
number of bank holidays (10) as well as the annual leave in making
the calculation.
The available hours is based on a rate of 7.8 hours per day.
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High Level
Project Days
& Number of
Days Per
Task
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Enter the high level task name e.g. Requirements specification, high
level design, develop module xyz, etc.
Enter the number of days each employee will spend on each individual
task.
8.5. Capital Equipment Costs for Project R&D
Equipment

Enter the category of equipment e.g. developer PCs, oscilloscopes,
etc. Note that support for specific equipment items is subject to the
following criteria being met:
o That the equipment items are essential for the successful
completion of the R&D programme described in the application.
o That the equipment will not be useable in a production process or
any other commercial operation of the company.
o Eligible costs of instruments and equipment are limited to the extent
and for the period they are used in the research project. If such
instruments and equipment are not used for their full life within the
research project, only the depreciation costs corresponding to the
life of the research project as calculated on the basis of good
accounting practice are considered as eligible.
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Support for structures will not be provided other than in the context of
substantial R&D projects which will utilise the accommodation created
as a specific research facility. In such cases the R&D Capital Costs
worksheet should be completed.
Support for structures should not exceed more than 40% of the any
application to the R&D Fund.
Description
and Purpose

Give a short description of the equipment and what it will be used for.
No. of Units
and Unit Cost

Enter the number of units and the price per unit. Quotations should be
obtained.
Indicate if quotations have been obtained or give a reason as to their
absence.

8.6. Materials Costs for Project R&D
Materials

Enter the category of materials. This can include prototype tooling e.g.
copper, API, sensors or ingredients in the case of food R&D, etc.
Description
and Purpose

Give a short description of the materials and what they will be used
for.
Expected
Cost

Enter the most accurate costings available. Quotations should be
obtained.
Indicate if quotations have been obtained or give a reason as to their

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absence.
8.7. Travel and Subsistence Costs for Project R&D
Destination

Enter the destination.
Purpose of
Trips

Give a short description of why the trip is necessary e.g. attend a
particular conference, conduct Beta trials with customers etc.
Note travel and subsistence for Consultants should be included in their
daily rate (and not charged separately here).

No. Trips,
No. People,
Days per Trip
& Expected
Cost

Fill in the best estimate of how many trips are expected to take place,
for how many people and for how long.
Note the following limits apply to travel and subsistence expenses:
Ireland
 Economy Air/Rail Fares
 Mileage 60 Cents/Km
 Economy Car Hire
 Subsistence*, 24 hr period, €150 per Day
 Subsistence*, Day rate, €60
Overseas
 Economy Air/Rail Fares
 Mileage 60 Cents/Km
 Economy Car Hire
 Subsistence*, 24 hr period, €200 per Day
 Subsistence*, Day Rate €60

*For all out of pocket expenses including, hotels, meals, taxis, local
fares, incidentals etc.
Subsistence can only apply where a person is absent on business at a
location more than 8 kilometres (overnights 80km) from their work base
8.8. Technical Consultancy / Contractual Research Costs for R&D
Consultant

Enter the name of the consultant or contractor
Purpose of
Consultant/
Contractor
 The cost to the company of availing of consultancy input from third
parties is eligible in so far as it relates to the technical aspects of the
development project. Costs can be included for:
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o
o
o
o
Number of
Days and
Daily Rate
Certification and testing costs as part of the product/service
development,
Input from technical consultants,
External consultant to help implement the R&D project.
Design Costs - Industrial design costs are normally considered
an eligible cost as part of an overall development project. The
company must be able to make a clear distinction between the
proposed design input and the normal routine design activity of
the company (which are ineligible for support). The use of
designers, either internal or external to the company, will be
covered in these cases in so far as they relate to a specified
R&D programme.

Costs of contractual research (outsourcing) technical
knowledge/patents bought or licensed from outside sources at market
prices, where the transaction has been carried out at arm’s length and
there is no element of collusion involved.

Give a short description of the role of the consultant and the expertise
being provided e.g. functional food expert providing specialist
technical advice in new nutritional drinks product.

Consultants daily rate should be inclusive of all travel and subsistence
expenses. A maximum eligible daily rate limit of €900 applies to first
20 days. Where a consultancy contract exceeds 20 days a reduced
maximum fee of €700 applies for every day thereafter up to 40 days
after which a reduced rate of €600 applies.
Indicate if quotations have been obtained or give a reason as to their
absence.

8.9. Certification and/or Clinical Trial Costs for Project R&D
Item

Enter the cost item.
Description
and Purpose

Give a short description of the cost and how it is linked to the project.
Funding towards market led research/consumer focus panels/clinical
trials (phase I and II) are eligible provided that the results will be
used to develop the product/process as part of the R&D project and
will not be used solely for consumer reaction to products. Projects
focused solely on market led research/consumer focus
panels/consumer reaction to products are not eligible.
Expected
Cost


Enter expected cost.
8.10. Technology Licensing / Acquisition Costs for Project R&D
Item

Enter the cost item.
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(N/A for
R&D Centre)
Description
and Purpose
Expected
Cost
Give a short description of the cost and how it is linked to the R&D.
 Companies applying for funding for Technology Acquisition should have
carried out their due diligence and identified the technology they wish
to acquire.
 The applicant company should also know the details of the licence
agreement between the two companies and details of the costs
involved should be outlined as part of the application.
 The technology acquisition must be a component of an R&D project and
its costs should not exceed 50% of the total cost of the project.
Technology Acquisition Projects where there is no development work
required are not eligible under the R&D Fund.
 Eligible Expenditure:
o Licence cost - Down-payment and an agreed number of
phased payments for the purchase of a licence over a
maximum period of two years.
o Purchase of patents over the same period.
 Ineligible Expenditure: The following costs will not be eligible
o Patent Filing in relation to the Technology Acquisition.


o
Royalty Payments to the licensor which provide for commercial
manufacture or use of products or processes based on IP.
o
Professional fees to cover technical, commercial and legal due
diligence
o
Licences associated with the sales of products/services that restrict
sales to within the Irish market.
Enter expected cost.
8.11. Patenting Costs for the Project
Item
(N/A for
R&D Centre)

Enter the cost item.
Costs relating to the preparation, filing and validating of a patent
application as well as costs incurred in renewing the application before
the patent/right has been granted are eligible as well as translation
and other costs incurred in order to obtain the granting or validation
of the right in other appropriate countries.
Patent costs cannot exceed more than 20% of the overall project cost.
Description
and Purpose

Give a short description of the cost and how it is linked to the project
Expected
Cost

Enter expected cost.


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