Every Cybersecurity Grant and Funding Option Available to Irish SMEs in 2026

Most Irish SMEs know they need to improve their cybersecurity. What most do not know is that the Irish government, the EU, and several state agencies will pay for a significant portion of that work. The funding landscape has expanded considerably over the past twelve months, and a new National Cyber Security Strategy announced in February 2026 signals that more is coming.

This guide covers every current and upcoming funding option — from a €600 cybersecurity review to a €60,000 improvement grant — with honest assessments of what each one actually delivers, who qualifies, and how to apply. If you run an Irish SME and you are spending your own money on cybersecurity without checking this list first, you are leaving money on the table.

Not sure which grants you qualify for? Use our free Grants Eligibility Checker — answer 6 quick questions and get a personalised list of funding options for your business. No sign-up required.

The Two-Stage Cybersecurity Grant Pipeline

The most important thing to understand about Irish cybersecurity funding is that the two largest grants operate as a two-stage pipeline. You cannot access Stage 2 without completing Stage 1. This is deliberate — the government wants to ensure that SMEs spend improvement funding on the right things, not just the first vendor who calls.

Stage 1: Enterprise Ireland Cyber Security Review Grant

The Enterprise Ireland Cyber Security Review Grant is the entry point to Ireland's cybersecurity funding ecosystem. It provides access to a certified cybersecurity expert who conducts an independent review of your company's security posture across 14 defined areas.

The project cost is fixed at €3,000, with Enterprise Ireland covering 80%. Your company pays €600. For that investment, you receive a structured report aligned to the NCSC Cyber Fundamentals framework (CyFUN), covering software updates, data backups, access management, antivirus and anti-malware, network security, device management, cloud risk assessment, data security, website and social media security, remote working practices, third-party risk management, cyber awareness training, incident response and business continuity planning, and cyber governance.

The output is not a generic checklist. It is a prioritised action plan with named owners and a 6-to-12-month implementation timeframe. This report becomes the foundation for everything that follows — including the much larger Stage 2 grant.

Who qualifies: Enterprise Ireland client companies. If you are not currently an EI client, you can apply to become one through the Enterprise Ireland website.

Status: Open, first come first served. No deadline — but demand is high and the scheme could close when the budget is exhausted.

How to apply: Contact your Enterprise Ireland Development Advisor or apply directly through the Cyber Security Review Grant page.

Stage 2: NCC-IE Cyber Security Improvement Grant

Once you have completed the Enterprise Ireland Cyber Security Review, you become eligible for the substantially larger NCC-IE Cyber Security Improvement Grant. This grant is co-funded by the EU's Digital Europe Programme and administered by the National Cyber Security Centre through the National Coordination Centre for Ireland (NCC-IE).

The grant covers up to 80% of eligible project costs, with a minimum project cost of €25,000 and a maximum grant of €60,000. Your business contributes the remaining 20% as self-financing. The total fund for the 2024/2025 round was €2,000,000, and €1,743,513 was awarded to 50 Irish SMEs.

The critical requirement is that the improvement work must implement the priority recommendations from your Stage 1 Cyber Security Review. You cannot use this grant for general IT upgrades or unrelated projects. The grant is specifically designed to close the gaps identified in your review — which is why the two-stage pipeline exists.

Procurement rules apply. For projects under €50,000, you need three competitive quotes. For projects above €50,000, an open tender process is required. This is public money, and the NCSC takes proper procurement seriously.

Who qualifies: Irish registered, Irish/EU owned and controlled SMEs that have completed the Enterprise Ireland Cyber Security Review.

Status: The 2024/2025 round closed on 31 July 2025, with claims due by 31 October 2025. Given the new National Cyber Security Strategy announced in February 2026 — which explicitly commits to "targeted grant funding for SMEs" — a new round is widely expected in 2026. If you have not yet completed Stage 1, now is the time to do so, before the next round opens.

How to apply: Monitor the NCSC NCC-IE Grants page for the next call for applications.

Digital Transformation Grants That Cover Cybersecurity

Beyond the dedicated cybersecurity grants, several broader digital transformation programmes can be used to fund cybersecurity improvements. These are particularly useful for businesses that are not Enterprise Ireland clients or that need funding for cybersecurity tools and training rather than a full security review.

LEO Grow Digital Voucher

The Local Enterprise Office Grow Digital Voucher replaced the former Trading Online Voucher in 2025 and is specifically designed for small businesses with up to 50 employees. It covers 50% of eligible costs for software, training, and IT configuration — including cybersecurity tools and training.

The minimum grant is €500 and the maximum is €5,000 per application. You can receive up to two Grow Digital Vouchers, but the cumulative maximum is €5,000. There is a prerequisite: you must have completed a Digital for Business Project with your LEO within the previous two years.

Who qualifies: Small enterprises with 1-50 employees that are not currently Enterprise Ireland or IDA clients, have been trading for at least 6 months, and hold current tax clearance from Revenue.

What you can fund: Cybersecurity software (endpoint protection, email security, backup solutions), cybersecurity awareness training for staff, IT configuration improvements recommended by a security assessment, and multi-factor authentication deployment.

How to apply: Contact your Local Enterprise Office to discuss your needs and complete the Digital for Business prerequisite if you have not already done so.

Enterprise Ireland Innovation Voucher

The Innovation Voucher provides €10,000 worth of time with a third-level researcher or knowledge provider to explore business challenges — including cybersecurity challenges. A co-funded option is also available, covering project costs of up to €20,000 with the company contributing 50%.

This is not a grant for buying software or hiring a consultant. It is specifically for working with publicly funded knowledge providers — universities, institutes of technology, and public research bodies — to develop innovative solutions to business problems. For cybersecurity, this could include developing a bespoke incident response framework, researching zero trust architecture for your specific environment, or conducting academic-grade risk analysis.

SMEs can receive a maximum of four vouchers (three standard, one co-funded), and each voucher is valid for 18 months. You can only have one active voucher at a time.

Who qualifies: SMEs with fewer than 250 employees, registered as limited companies in Ireland with a CRO number.

Status: Open, available all year round.

Tax Incentives for Cybersecurity Investment

Revenue R&D Tax Credit (Section 766)

If your business is developing new cybersecurity tools, processes, or solutions — rather than simply implementing existing ones — you may qualify for the Revenue R&D Tax Credit. The credit rate was increased from 25% to 30% for accounting periods commencing on or after 1 January 2024, making it one of the most generous R&D incentives in Europe.

The credit applies to qualifying expenditure on research and development activities that seek to achieve scientific or technological advancement through the resolution of scientific or technological uncertainty. For cybersecurity, this could include developing proprietary threat detection algorithms, building custom security automation tools, or creating novel approaches to data protection.

The first €50,000 of the credit is payable as a cash refund even if the company has no corporation tax liability — which makes it particularly valuable for smaller companies and startups that are not yet profitable.

The honest caveat: This is a tax credit for genuine R&D, not a rebate for buying antivirus software. If you are implementing off-the-shelf security products, this does not apply. If you are building something new that advances the state of the art, it does. Talk to your accountant before claiming.

Reference: Revenue R&D Tax Credit Guidelines

Training and Skills Funding

Cybersecurity is ultimately a people problem. The most expensive firewall in the world will not protect a business where staff click on phishing emails. Several programmes provide subsidised or fully funded cybersecurity training for SME employees and leaders.

Skillnet Ireland / ICT Skillnet Subsidised Cybersecurity Courses

Skillnet Ireland received €54.2 million in Budget 2026 and supports over 23,000 SMEs annually through 70 business networks. The Technology Ireland ICT Skillnet network offers part-funded cybersecurity courses ranging from short professional development programmes to full postgraduate qualifications.

The headline offering is the MSc in Cybersecurity at the National College of Ireland, delivered part-time over two years. The Skillnet-subsidised fee is approximately €3,150 — a fraction of the full commercial cost. The programme starts in January and September each year.

Shorter courses are also available through ICT Skillnet, covering topics including cybersecurity leadership, penetration testing, security operations, and governance, risk, and compliance (GRC). Most are delivered online or in a hybrid format to accommodate working professionals.

Who qualifies: Employees of companies that are members of a Skillnet business network. Membership is straightforward and often free for SMEs.

Reference: ICT Skillnet Cybersecurity Courses

Digital4Security (EU Digital Europe Programme)

Digital4Security is a €20 million EU-funded programme led by a European consortium that includes Skillnet Ireland and Cyber Ireland. It is developing a European Master's programme in cybersecurity management and data sovereignty specifically designed for SMEs.

The programme focuses on equipping SME leaders and managers with the cybersecurity management, regulatory, and technical skills they need to prevent and respond to threats. It is distinct from purely technical cybersecurity training — the emphasis is on management decision-making, regulatory compliance (including NIS2 and GDPR), and building organisational cyber resilience.

Status: In development, with initial courses expected to launch in 2026.

Reference: Skillnet Ireland Digital4Security

European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs)

Ireland's network of European Digital Innovation Hubs provides free cybersecurity assessments, digital maturity assessments, and "test before invest" services to SMEs. Phase 2 of the EDIH programme secured €23 million in funding in December 2025, extending services through to 2029.

The Irish EDIHs include ENTIRE (focused on life sciences and healthtech), FactoryXChange (manufacturing), and CeADAR (AI and data analytics). Each offers cybersecurity-related services including initial digital maturity assessments, cybersecurity readiness evaluations, mentoring, and training — all at no cost to the SME.

The EDIH cybersecurity assessment can serve as a useful complement to the Enterprise Ireland Cyber Security Review. While the EI review is more comprehensive and structured, the EDIH assessment is free and can help you understand your baseline before committing to the formal review process.

Who qualifies: Any Irish SME, regardless of sector or existing agency relationships.

How to access: Complete a Digital Maturity Assessment through the EDIH Network portal and contact the EDIH most relevant to your sector.

What Is Coming Next

The Irish government's new Digital Ireland strategy, published on 18 February 2026 under the title "Digital Ireland — Connecting our People, Securing our Future," includes a dedicated chapter on cybersecurity investment. The key commitments are significant for SMEs.

A new National Cyber Security Strategy will be published in 2026, setting out a roadmap to deliver additional capacity for the NCSC, establish a new Cyber Security Research Centre of Excellence, and — most importantly for SMEs — provide targeted grant funding for SMEs and organisations with obligations under the EU NIS2 Directive to improve cyber resilience.

This signals that the NCC-IE Cyber Security Improvement Grant is likely to return with expanded funding, and that new grant programmes specifically targeting NIS2 compliance may be introduced. If your business falls within NIS2 scope — or within the supply chain of an organisation that does — this is directly relevant to you.

The SME Cyber Resilience: State of the Sector 2025 report, published in December 2025 and drawing on data from 894 enterprises across 11 sectors, found that 78% of Irish SMEs operate with dangerously low cyber resilience. This finding is driving policy, and more funding is the inevitable result.

The Practical Funding Roadmap

If you are an Irish SME that has not yet started its cybersecurity journey, here is the sequence that maximises your funding:

Step	Action	Cost to You	Funding Available	Timeline
1	Complete LEO Digital for Business Project	Free	Fully funded	2-4 weeks
2	Apply for LEO Grow Digital Voucher	50% of costs	Up to €5,000	4-8 weeks
3	Become an Enterprise Ireland client (if eligible)	Free	N/A	2-6 weeks
4	Apply for EI Cyber Security Review Grant	€600	€2,400 (80% of €3,000)	4-6 weeks
5	Implement priority recommendations	20% of costs	Up to €60,000 (NCC-IE grant)	6-12 months
6	Claim Revenue R&D Tax Credit (if applicable)	N/A	30% of qualifying R&D spend	Annual
7	Upskill staff via Skillnet Ireland	Subsidised	Up to 70% off course fees	Ongoing

Following this sequence, a typical Irish SME could access between €7,400 and €67,400 in direct cybersecurity funding, plus ongoing subsidised training and a 30% R&D tax credit on any qualifying development work.

What Pragmatic Security Can Help With

We help Irish SMEs navigate this funding landscape as part of our vCISO service. Specifically, we can help you understand which grants you qualify for, prepare the documentation required for applications, conduct the Enterprise Ireland Cyber Security Review as a certified provider, develop the implementation plan that forms the basis of your NCC-IE Improvement Grant application, and manage the procurement process to ensure compliance with grant conditions.

If you are unsure where to start, book a free 20-minute call and we will map out the funding options available to your specific business.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I apply for multiple grants at the same time? Yes. The grants listed here are administered by different agencies and are not mutually exclusive. You can hold an LEO Grow Digital Voucher, an Enterprise Ireland Innovation Voucher, and an NCC-IE Improvement Grant simultaneously — provided you are not double-funding the same expenditure.

My business is not an Enterprise Ireland client. Can I still access cybersecurity funding? Yes. The LEO Grow Digital Voucher, the EDIH free assessments, and the Skillnet Ireland subsidised training are all available to businesses that are not EI clients. The Innovation Voucher is also available to any Irish-registered limited company with fewer than 250 employees.

Is the NCC-IE Improvement Grant coming back in 2026? It has not been formally announced yet, but the new National Cyber Security Strategy explicitly commits to "targeted grant funding for SMEs." Given that the 2024/2025 round was oversubscribed and the government has identified SME cyber resilience as a national priority, a new round is widely expected.

Can I use these grants to pay for NIS2 compliance work? Yes. The NCC-IE Improvement Grant and the Enterprise Ireland Cyber Security Review are both aligned to the CyFUN framework, which maps directly to NIS2 requirements. Work funded through these grants will directly support your NIS2 compliance obligations.

What if I am a sole trader or partnership, not a limited company? The LEO Grow Digital Voucher is available to sole traders and partnerships. The Enterprise Ireland grants and Innovation Voucher require a limited company with a CRO number. The Skillnet Ireland training programmes are available to individuals regardless of business structure.

This article was last updated on 26 February 2026. Grant availability and terms change — always verify current status directly with the administering agency before applying.

Check your eligibility in 60 seconds: Use our free Grants Eligibility Checker to get a personalised list of every grant and funding option your business qualifies for.

Ready to find out which grants your business qualifies for? Book a free 20-minute call with Pragmatic Security. We will review your eligibility, map out the funding available, and help you build a plan that makes the most of what is on offer.