Three different projects, two of which are agri-related, involving SMEs from Tralee, Dundalk, Navan and Dublin/Galway, will receive funding of between €0.5m and €2.5m to bring products from pilot-phase to the market.
This announcement brings to 15 the total number of Irish SMEs to be selected for funding so far under the second phase of the SME instrument since 2014.
The EU instrument offers business innovation support and access to a wide range of innovation support services.
The Irish SMEs are:
Paul Mullions from Brandon Bioscience welcomed the funding announcement saying, "We are delighted to win EU support through the Horizon 2020 program for our Sea More Yield project. This support will allow us accelerate the commercialisation of a novel biotech solution to yield losses in oil seed crops using native Irish seaweed."
Diarmaid Heussaff of GM Steel commented that the lean meat yield scanner will offer a low-cost grading solution for pork processors, initially targeting the European market and then worldwide market penetration. "This funding is vital to enable independent certification and commercialisation of the scanning machine," he said.
Overall 45 SMEs from 19 countries have been selected in the latest round of the Horizon 2020 SME Instrument. Each project, 30 in total, will receive between €0.5m and €2.5m (€5m for health projects) to bring their product from pilot-phase to the market.