Pictured: Ricardo Simon Carbajo and John Lonsdale, CeADAR

CeADAR to receive €5.7m funding for phase two of European programme

National Centre for AI also awarded the European Commission STEP Seal Award
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Pictured: Ricardo Simon Carbajo and John Lonsdale, CeADAR

9 January 2026

CeADAR, Ireland’s centre for AI, has confirmed it is to receive €5.675 million in funding for Phase 2 of the European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) Programme.

The funding will go towards CeADAR’s European Digital Innovation Hub Programme, a Europe-wide initiative. It is co-funded by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, via Enterprise Ireland, and the Digital Europe Programme.

CeADAR is one of Ireland’s four European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) which are at the forefront of supporting the digital transformation in Ireland.

 

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Phase Two of the EDIH programme, which runs from 2026 to 2029, was announced by the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke at the end of last month.

It will allow the significant scale up of digitalisation efforts among SMEs and public sector organisations

Through EDIH, CeADAR helps SMEs and public service organisations (PSOs) become more digitally intense by providing access to technical expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics, as well as test-before-invest solutions, skills development and support to find investment.

The EDIH funding will further support start-ups through CeADAR’s AI Accelerator programme, delivered in partnership with NovaUCD. In the next phase, CeADAR will collaborate with Irish Centre for High-End Computing (IHEC) to provide access to advanced compute capabilities and specialist expertise where this adds value to enterprise and public sector engagements.

CeADAR, which is based at UCD, allows organisations to access funded specialist training and upskilling as well as development and testing of prototypes, and scope proof of concept solutions, helping these organisations to understand how they can benefit from analytics and AI, minimising the barriers to the adoption of technology. 

CeADAR is also today announcing it has been awarded the prestigious Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) Seal award by the European Commission. This recognition marks CeADAR’s continued excellence in driving innovation and supporting businesses in Ireland.

The STEP Seal (or Sovereignty Seal) award is a quality label awarded to excellent European projects and aims to recognise top-rated innovation projects, facilitate access to European Funding and attract additional or alternative private or public investment.  

 CeADAR CEO John Lonsdale said:  “CeADAR is delighted to have had funding confirmed for the second phase of the EDIH programme, enabling us to continue to assist SMEs and Public Service Organisations across Ireland by supporting them in accelerating their digital journey with AI and data science.”

CeADAR director of innovation & development Ricardo Simon Carbajo said: “It is a great honour for CeADAR to be awarded the prestigious STEP Seal Award from the European Commission. The award is a testament to the continued hard work of everyone at CeADAR and we look forward to continuing to drive innovation through our European Digital Innovation Hub programme.”

TechCentral Reporters

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