Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 February 2025
233. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to outline his Department’s approach to ensuring that small businesses are helped to achieve basic digital intensity, towards the target of 90% by 2030. [4067/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Digital Strategy, Harnessing Digital - The Digital Ireland Framework, outlines the government’s goals for enterprise digital transformation, particularly among SMEs. It aims for 90% of SMEs to achieve at least a basic level of digital intensity by 2030.
My department and the enterprise agencies continue to make concerted efforts to make digital adoption for businesses much more simplified and straightforward. The Grow Digital Portal, funded by the Digital Transition Fund (DTF), highlights digital opportunities while offering advice and supports to businesses. It has a case study catalogue with digital success stories showcasing how different (non tech) businesses have embraced digital solutions to boost their operations. The case studies are promoted across social media to reach as many businesses as possible.
The Local Enterprise Offices offer a range of digitalisation supports to eligible businesses, including the Grow Digital Voucher, which offers businesses with up to 50 employees financial support of 50% of expenditure up to €5,000. This can be used to invest in technology such as online booking, stock control, AI, customer insights, payroll software, and cyber security. Also, the LEOs Digital for Business initiative provides digital consultants to help businesses identify potential gaps and explore opportunities to optimise existing systems.
The Digital Transition Fund (DTF) is one element of Ireland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRF) and will run until 2026 and sets a target of at least 800 businesses supported. Through this fund, we are increasing the digitalisation of all businesses across their products, processes, supply chains and business models.
This work will be complemented by Ireland’s four European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs). These hubs serve as one-stop-shops for business, providing access to technical expertise, innovation services and skills development to help businesses become more competitive using digital technologies including Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, and High-Performance Computing.
Enterprise Ireland makes a suite of supports available to eligible businesses, to help them develop a strategic roadmap for digital transition and to support companies seeking to invest in the implementation of new or significantly improved production and service delivery.
