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Funded programmes · Ireland & UK

Consultancy support you may not have to pay for in full.

Eighteen programmes across Ireland and the UK can pay for part of an Assessment, a Diagnostic, or the training that follows. We checked every one against the agency’s own pages in September 2026, and we confirm the current terms with the agency before you commit to anything.

Check eligibility on a callSee pricing
Irish programmes in euro, UK programmes in sterling · Terms change; every figure below is verified with the agency before an application
The short version

Which programme pays for which piece of work

The Revenue Leakage Assessment
£4,500 · 14 days
EI Digital & AI Discovery — 80%, up to €5,000
EI LeanStart — 80%, up to €5,000
EI Small Strategic Consultancy — up to €5,000
LEO Lean for Business — up to 90% (1–50 staff, not EI/IDA clients)
Invest NI Business Innovation Grant — 70% (next call; NI non-clients)
The Diagnostic
£20,000 · three months
EI Strategic Consultancy Assignment — 50%, up to €35,000
EI LeanPlus — 50%, up to €50,000
Made Smarter Adoption — 50%, up to £20,000 (English manufacturers)
IDA Business Development Programme — case by case
Flex and larger builds
£5,000 a month · or a multi-team rebuild
EI Digital Process Innovation — 50%, up to €150,000
EI LeanPlus — the remaining months
Skillnet networks and Invest NI Skills Advancement — for the training step
Made Smarter — software and specialist advice
Grants are paid to you against the agency’s rules, on the agency’s timetable, usually after the work is invoiced. Eligibility depends on which agency you are a client of, your headcount and, for LEO, a 50-employee cap. Percentages are the maximum published; the agency decides the rate. Agencies fund by consultant-day, so we provide the day-rate breakdown they ask for — your price stays fixed. Typical net cost of an Assessment under Digital & AI Discovery: about €1,000.
Ireland

Twelve routes to support, depending on who you are a client of

Enterprise Ireland clients have the deepest options. Local Enterprise Office supports now run to 50 employees but exclude EI and IDA clients. Everything below is in euro.

Enterprise Ireland
Source ↗
Strategic Consultancy Assignment
WhoEI client companies with more than 10 full-time employeesCoversAn external consultant to create and implement a plan for the future of the businessFundingUp to 50%, max €35,000
With FounderProof:The closest fit for the Diagnostic. At €35,000 of eligible cost, half of the Diagnostic and the first months of Flex can be supported. Apply through your EI Development Adviser before the start date.
Enterprise Ireland
Source ↗
Access Advice: Digital & AI Discovery
WhoEI clients with 10+ FTE; HPSU clients with 5+; and non-agency Irish manufacturers or international-services firms with 10+ staffCoversUp to 7 days of external consultancy on process flow, data for decision-making and digital/AI foundations (not implementation)Funding80%, max €5,000 (consultant rate capped at €900/day)
With FounderProof:Built for the Revenue Leakage Assessment: fourteen days of journey and data work, of which the discovery days qualify. Once per company; repeatable after 18 months.
Enterprise Ireland
Source ↗
Access Advice: LeanStart
WhoEI and Údarás clients, and potential clientsCoversUp to 7 days with a Lean provider to start a productivity improvement programmeFunding80%, max €5,000
With FounderProof:We are process engineers, so the Assessment is a Lean diagnostic of the customer journey. LeanStart is the natural route for it — and the gateway to LeanPlus.
Enterprise Ireland
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LeanPlus
WhoEI clients and potential clients with 10–249 staff who have completed LeanStartCoversA 6–9 month Lean programme: external provider (≤€900/day) plus up to ten staff salariesFundingUp to 50%, max €50,000 (on up to €100,000 of spend)
With FounderProof:Maps to the three-month Diagnostic plus the first six months of Flex — the five steps are a Lean programme applied to the customer journey.
Enterprise Ireland
Source ↗
Access Advice: Small Strategic Consultancy
WhoEI client companiesCoversShort external expertise on organisation development, strategic or financial planningFundingMax €5,000 (one claim)
With FounderProof:An alternative route for the Assessment where Digital Discovery has already been used.
Enterprise Ireland
Source ↗
Digital Process Innovation
WhoEI clients trading two or more years, internationally trading or with potentialCoversDigital projects including new digital customer experiences; external consultancy, staff time and overheads eligibleFunding50%, max €150,000 (minimum €100,000 project)
With FounderProof:For the larger builds that follow a Diagnostic — a full customer-journey and CRM rebuild across several teams. Not for routine change.
IDA Ireland
Source ↗
Business Development Programme
WhoIDA client companiesCoversA consultant-led strategic digital transformation programme: goals, IT assessment, roadmap, data cleansing, change managementFundingMax grant €300,000; consultant rate up to €1,500/day; percentage case by case
With FounderProof:For IDA-supported subsidiaries fixing the journey in an Irish operation. Applied for at any time through your IDA Project Executive.
Local Enterprise Office
Source ↗
Digital for Business + Grow Digital Voucher
WhoBusinesses with 1–50 employees, turnover ≤€10m, not EI or IDA clientsCoversAbout three free consultant days and a digital report; then 50% of software subscriptions, set-up and trainingFundingDigital for Business free; Grow Digital Voucher 50%, €500–€5,000
With FounderProof:For the smaller end of our range. Digital for Business pays for a light read of the journey; the voucher can fund the CRM subscription and set-up after an Assessment. Note the 50-employee cap.
Local Enterprise Office
Source ↗
Lean for Business
WhoBusinesses with 1–50 employeesCoversA workshop plus up to five half-day visits from a Lean provider, or one-to-one with your own providerFundingUp to 90%
With FounderProof:The Assessment, delivered as a Lean engagement, for businesses under 50 people.
InterTradeIreland
Source ↗
Trade Export Pathway (successor to Elevate)
WhoSMEs under 250 staff, turnover €116k–€46.5m, trading 12+ months, with under 40% cross-border salesCoversFully funded specialist support: market research and cross-border sales, marketing and finance strategyFundingFully funded specialist days
With FounderProof:Where the leak is a single source of business and the fix is a second market across the border. Innovation Boost and Business Explorer exclude general consultancy.
Skillnet Ireland
Source ↗
Skillnet Business Networks + MentorsWork
WhoAny private-sector business; MentorsWork for 1–250 staffCoversSubsidised training through ~70 sector and regional networks; MentorsWork is a free 12-week one-to-one mentoring programmeFundingSubsidy varies by network; MentorsWork free
With FounderProof:Step 4 of the Diagnostic — training the team on the new standard — can run through a Skillnet network. Membership is usually free.
Údarás na Gaeltachta
Source ↗
Consultancy Services, Feasibility and Digital supports
WhoEnterprises in Gaeltacht regionsCoversConsultancy services, feasibility studies (consultant costs eligible), Digital for Business and Grow Digital Voucher mirrors; Údarás clients are also eligible for EI Lean offersFundingTerms on request from Údarás
With FounderProof:Gaeltacht clients get the same Assessment and Diagnostic; Údarás confirms the route on a call. eolas@udaras.ie · 091 503100.
United Kingdom

Fewer cash grants, more free advice — and one strong route for manufacturers

The UK funds external consultancy less generously than Ireland. Made Smarter is the exception for English manufacturers; Northern Ireland has Invest NI. Everything below is in sterling.

Made Smarter (England)
Source ↗
Made Smarter Adoption
WhoManufacturers with under 250 staff and a manufacturing site in England (nine regional programmes)CoversFree digital specialist advice and roadmap, a leadership programme, and match-funded grants for software, hardware and specialist advice to implement projectsFundingUp to 50%, max £20,000
With FounderProof:The best UK fit for a manufacturer: the Diagnostic and the CRM/journey build may qualify as digital adoption — confirmed by your regional Made Smarter adviser before you commit. You register, pay the supplier and claim.
Invest NI
Source ↗
Business Innovation Grant
WhoNorthern Ireland SMEs that are not already Invest NI clients and have had no Invest NI grant in five yearsCoversInnovation projects; consultancy and subcontract eligible at up to £700/dayFunding70%, £5,000–£20,000 (competitive calls; the 2026 call closed 4 Sep)
With FounderProof:Can cover most of an Assessment or part of a Diagnostic for a first-time NI applicant. We watch for the next call.
Invest NI
Source ↗
Skills Advancement Grant
WhoInvest NI clients with up to 50 staff and turnover ≤£10.2mCoversExternal trainingFunding50%, up to £15,000
With FounderProof:Step 4 of the Diagnostic — training the team on the new standard.
Small Business Charter
Source ↗
Help to Grow: Management
WhoUK SMEs with 5–249 staff, trading a year or more; a senior leaderCoversA 12-week, 50-hour leadership programme with ten hours of one-to-one mentoringFunding90% government-funded; £750 per person
With FounderProof:Not a consultancy grant, but the best-value programme for the founder or MD themselves — and a good companion to a Diagnostic.
Business Growth Service / Growth Hubs (England)
Source ↗
Free advisers and diagnostics
WhoAny English SMECoversHelpline, free webinars and referral to local Growth Hub advisers; some hubs run local grantsFundingFree (grants vary locally)
With FounderProof:Worth a call to your local hub before you commit: a handful still run consultancy grants. Innovate UK Business Growth is paused to new requests.
Scottish Enterprise · Business Wales
Source ↗
Account management, digital specialist advice, Accelerated Growth Programme
WhoSMEs in Scotland (10–250 staff) and WalesCoversFully funded advisers on strategy, productivity, digital and IT — no cash grant for external consultantsFundingFree advisory time
With FounderProof:Useful for the founder’s own thinking and for validating a Diagnostic before you buy one; they will not fund us directly.
How it works with FounderProof

Three steps, and the paperwork is mostly ours

1
Eligibility on the first call

We ask which agency you are a client of, your headcount, what you have used before and what the engagement would cover — and tell you plainly which programmes are worth applying for.

2
We help with the application

A scoped proposal in the format the agency expects, a defined deliverable and a fixed price. You submit; we supply whatever the agency asks of the consultant, including the day-rate breakdown.

3
Support approved, we start

Nothing grant-funded starts before the approval is in writing — allow four to eight weeks for most agencies. If you would rather not wait, the Assessment can start at your own cost and the Diagnostic can be the funded piece. Grant support is paid to you against the agency’s terms; we invoice as normal.

What has closed or changed — so you do not chase it
Enterprise Ireland’s Digitalisation Voucher closed in 2022 (replaced by Digital & AI Discovery). InterTradeIreland’s Co-Innovate is closed and Elevate has been replaced by the Trade Export Pathway. The LEO Trading Online Voucher has been superseded by the Grow Digital Voucher. Innovate UK Business Growth is paused to new requests. Invest NI’s 2026 Business Innovation Grant call closed on 4 September. Verified 8 September 2026.
An invitation

Find out on one call whether the Diagnostic could be part-funded

Bring the name of the agency you work with and your headcount. We will tell you which programme fits, what it is likely to cover, and what the engagement would cost you net.

Book a callSee pricing
FounderProof

We show you where revenue is being lost and help you fix it. A process-engineering practice for founder- and leader-led businesses in the UK and Ireland at £5–20m revenue: the customer journey mapped from first enquiry to long-term customer, then process, HubSpot and AI to make it run without relying on any single point of failure.

calvin@founderproof.comCork & Dublin, Ireland · London, UK
ServicesThe Revenue Leakage AssessmentThe DiagnosticFounderProof FlexWho we helpFunded programmes
ProofThe £2.2m caseThe Architecture mapHow we measureWhat we fix — 50 signalsBusinesses Calvin has worked in
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