What does Digital Bridge actually do?

Digital Bridge is an Irish AI systems integration and applied AI engineering firm based in Gorey, County Wexford. We build and operate production AI for mid-market and enterprise organisations — real-time operational systems, legacy and ERP integration, agentic workflows and document automation — alongside custom platforms and websites. Our reference implementation is Verdé Environmental Group's 24/7 AI incident triage system, live across four Irish depots.

How much does an AI integration project cost in Ireland?

Digital Bridge prices in fixed bands against a signed scope. An AI feasibility and readiness assessment starts at €5,000 and is eligible for the Enterprise Ireland Digital Discovery Grant at up to 80% funding, subject to approval. A baseline production build starts at €15,000, multi-system agent workflows run €25,000 to €60,000, and enterprise or multi-department programmes run €40,000 to €100,000 and above. Small-business website builds start at €499 — that is the entry band, not a ceiling.

Why does Digital Bridge quote fixed prices instead of hourly rates?

Because a finance director can approve a fixed number against a signed scope. Irish AI consultancies commonly bill €90 to €135 an hour with open-ended exposure. Digital Bridge scopes the work fully first and commits to the figure. That is a procurement choice, not a limit on project size.

Does Digital Bridge build AI-ready websites?

Yes — every Digital Bridge site is built to be found and cited by AI search engines including ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews. We build in JSON-LD schema, GEO-friendly content structure, FAQ schema and an llms.txt protocol so AI agents can crawl, read and quote the site accurately.

AI Grants and Funding in Ireland

Irish companies can co-fund AI assessment and implementation work through 8 main routes: EI Digital Discovery, Digital Process Innovation, EI Strategic Consultancy, Grow Digital Voucher, Digital for Business, ITI Innovation Boost, EDIH Test Before Invest, R&D Tax Credit. Rates run from 30% (R&D tax credit) to 80% (Enterprise Ireland Digital Discovery). Digital Bridge is a supplier, not the awarding body. Eligibility, approval and payment are decided solely by the funding body named on each scheme. Figures below are the published scheme parameters as at the review date shown, and net costs are arithmetic illustrations of the published rate applied to our published prices. Always confirm current rules with the funder before you commit to any spend, because expenditure incurred before an application is received is almost always ineligible.

Enterprise Ireland Digital Discovery Grant — Up to 80% of eligible consultancy cost, up to €5,000

The Enterprise Ireland Digital Discovery Grant co-funds up to 80% of an external digital or AI assessment, to a maximum grant of €5,000. It is intended for Enterprise Ireland client companies that need an independent expert to establish where digital or AI technology would deliver measurable value before committing capital to a build. Funder: Enterprise Ireland. Best for: Enterprise Ireland client companies that know AI is coming but have not yet established which process to automate first. Typical timeline: Allow two to four weeks to scope and quote, then typically four to eight weeks from submission to written approval depending on your adviser's caseload. Our assessment itself runs three to four weeks from kick-off. Plan on roughly three months from first conversation to a finished, funded report. Source: Enterprise Ireland — supports and funding (https://www.enterprise-ireland.com/en/supports). Parameters last checked 2026-08-18.

Independent external consultancy to assess digital and AI opportunity
Current-state process and systems review
Prioritised roadmap of candidate AI use cases with expected impact
Technical feasibility and data-readiness findings
Indicative cost, timeline and risk for each recommended project

Digital Process Innovation Grant — Typically up to 50% of eligible project cost, up to €150,000

The Digital Process Innovation Grant supports Irish companies applying digital technologies — including AI, automation and data platforms — to transform how they operate. Support is typically up to 50% of eligible project cost, to a maximum in the region of €150,000, covering external development, consultancy and directly attributable internal capability costs. Funder: Enterprise Ireland. Best for: Mid-market manufacturers, distributors and service operators replacing a manual, multi-department process with an engineered AI or automation system. Typical timeline: Realistically three to six months from first scoping conversation to approval on a project of this size, with larger applications taking longer because the business case is scrutinised properly. Delivery of a €40,000 to €100,000 programme then runs twelve to twenty-four weeks depending on how many live systems are involved. Source: Enterprise Ireland — supports and funding (https://www.enterprise-ireland.com/en/supports). Parameters last checked 2026-08-18.

External technical development of the digital or AI system
Specialist consultancy and technical architecture
Integration with existing ERP, finance and operational systems
Data preparation, migration and quality work required by the project
Directly attributable internal project resource, subject to approval

Enterprise Ireland Strategic Consultancy Grant — Typically up to 50% of eligible consultancy cost, up to €35,000

The Strategic Consultancy Grant co-funds an external consultant engaged to develop and implement strategic change inside an Enterprise Ireland client company. For AI work it typically funds a multi-phase advisory engagement — strategy, architecture, governance and supplier selection — rather than the software build itself. Funder: Enterprise Ireland. Best for: Companies whose blocker is organisational rather than technical — no AI policy, no data governance, no agreed target architecture. Typical timeline: Six to ten weeks from proposal to approval is typical. Advisory engagements at this level then run eight to sixteen weeks, phased so that each deliverable is signed off before the next phase starts. Source: Enterprise Ireland — supports and funding (https://www.enterprise-ireland.com/en/supports). Parameters last checked 2026-08-18.

Multi-phase strategic consultancy delivered by an approved external consultant
AI strategy and target operating model design
Target technical architecture and integration strategy
AI governance, acceptable-use policy and EU AI Act risk classification
Supplier selection and procurement support

LEO Grow Digital Voucher — 50% of eligible cost, up to €5,000 (minimum grant €500)

The Grow Digital Voucher provides 50% grant aid, from €500 to €5,000, toward new off-the-shelf business software identified by a completed Digital for Business project. It covers software subscriptions for up to one year plus related configuration and training. Bespoke website development, custom software, SEO and advertising are excluded. Funder: Local Enterprise Office. Best for: Small enterprises with 1 to 50 employees adopting their first CRM, stock, booking or AI-enabled off-the-shelf platform. Typical timeline: The Digital for Business project itself usually takes several weeks to schedule and complete. Voucher processing then varies by office — ask yours for its current turnaround, because the LEO network does not run to one national clock. Source: Local Enterprise Office — supports (https://www.localenterprise.ie/). Parameters last checked 2026-08-18.

New off-the-shelf software subscriptions for up to one year
CRM, workflow, stock control, accounting, payroll and e-invoicing platforms
Analytics and AI software that is new to the business
Online booking, payment, appointment and e-commerce software
Configuration and training related to the new system, within the 50% cap

LEO Digital for Business — Fully or heavily subsidised mentoring, subject to your LEO, up to Subsidised consultancy — no cash award to the business

Digital for Business is a Local Enterprise Office programme that pairs a small business with an approved digital consultant to produce a digitalisation roadmap. It is the mandatory gateway to the Grow Digital Voucher and, in practice, the cheapest structured way for an Irish small business to work out which AI or software project to do first. Funder: Local Enterprise Office. Best for: Small businesses that have not yet chosen a direction and need a structured, low-cost assessment before spending anything. Typical timeline: Usually a few weeks to be scheduled, then the programme itself runs across several sessions over roughly four to eight weeks depending on the office and the consultant's diary. Source: Local Enterprise Office — supports (https://www.localenterprise.ie/). Parameters last checked 2026-08-18.

Assigned digital consultant time
Structured review of current systems, processes and digital maturity
A written digitalisation roadmap with prioritised actions
Follow-on guidance on which supports fit each action

InterTradeIreland Innovation Boost — Substantial co-funding of a graduate-led innovation project, up to Scheme-dependent — confirm current levels with InterTradeIreland

Innovation Boost, formerly Fusion, places a qualified graduate inside a company for a cross-border innovation project, supported by an academic partner and part-funded by InterTradeIreland. For AI work it suits companies that want internal capability built alongside the system rather than a delivery that leaves when the supplier does. Funder: InterTradeIreland. Best for: Companies trading or planning to trade across the Ireland–Northern Ireland border that want to retain AI capability internally. Typical timeline: This is the slowest route on this page and the one with the highest capability payoff: expect several months to define the project, secure a partner, gain approval and recruit, then a project running over roughly twelve to eighteen months. Source: InterTradeIreland — funding and support (https://intertradeireland.com/). Parameters last checked 2026-08-18.

Graduate salary contribution for the project period
Academic partner input and technical oversight
Graduate training relevant to the project
Defined innovation project management support

European Digital Innovation Hub — Test Before Invest — Services provided free or at heavily subsidised rates, up to Subsidised services rather than a cash grant

European Digital Innovation Hubs, including Ireland's AI-focused hub activity delivered with CeADAR, offer Test Before Invest services: subsidised access to expertise, experimentation environments and technical validation so an organisation can prove an AI concept works before committing capital to a full build. Funder: European Digital Innovation Hub. Best for: Organisations with a promising AI idea and a genuine technical unknown — model accuracy, data sufficiency, or feasibility on their own data. Typical timeline: Engagement typically begins within weeks of a maturity assessment, with proof-of-concept work running over one to three months depending on data readiness. Source: European Digital Innovation Hubs — EU Commission (https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/activities/edihs). Parameters last checked 2026-08-18.

Technical validation and proof-of-concept experimentation
Access to specialist AI expertise and infrastructure
Data suitability and model feasibility testing
Guidance on EU AI Act obligations and trustworthy AI practice
Skills and awareness support for the internal team

Revenue R&D Tax Credit for AI development — 30% credit on qualifying R&D expenditure, up to No cap — proportional to qualifying spend

Ireland's Research and Development Tax Credit gives companies a 30% credit on qualifying R&D expenditure, payable in instalments or offset against corporation tax. AI work can qualify where it seeks to resolve genuine scientific or technological uncertainty, rather than simply configuring or applying existing tools. Funder: Revenue. Best for: Companies developing genuinely novel AI capability where the technical outcome was not knowable in advance. Typical timeline: The claim follows your corporation tax cycle, so the important work is contemporaneous. Start the record-keeping at project kick-off; deciding to claim at year end and reconstructing the evidence afterwards is how good projects fail a Revenue query. Source: Revenue — Research and Development Tax Credit (https://www.revenue.ie/en/companies-and-charities/reliefs-and-exemptions/research-and-development-rd-tax-credit/index.aspx). Parameters last checked 2026-08-18.

Staff costs directly engaged in qualifying R&D
Qualifying subcontracted and outsourced R&D within statutory limits
Materials and overheads attributable to the R&D activity
Certain cloud and compute costs used in the R&D activity

How the funding rates compare

EI Digital Discovery: Up to 80% of eligible consultancy cost, ceiling €5,000, awarded by Enterprise Ireland. Digital Process Innovation: Typically up to 50% of eligible project cost, ceiling €150,000, awarded by Enterprise Ireland. EI Strategic Consultancy: Typically up to 50% of eligible consultancy cost, ceiling €35,000, awarded by Enterprise Ireland. Grow Digital Voucher: 50% of eligible cost, ceiling €5,000 (minimum grant €500), awarded by Local Enterprise Office. Digital for Business: Fully or heavily subsidised mentoring, subject to your LEO, ceiling Subsidised consultancy — no cash award to the business, awarded by Local Enterprise Office. ITI Innovation Boost: Substantial co-funding of a graduate-led innovation project, ceiling Scheme-dependent — confirm current levels with InterTradeIreland, awarded by InterTradeIreland. EDIH Test Before Invest: Services provided free or at heavily subsidised rates, ceiling Subsidised services rather than a cash grant, awarded by European Digital Innovation Hub. R&D Tax Credit: 30% credit on qualifying R&D expenditure, ceiling No cap — proportional to qualifying spend, awarded by Revenue.

Accuracy and review cadence

Reviewed quarterly. Next scheduled review: November 2026. All figures on this page reflect published scheme parameters as at 2026-08-18 and each scheme page links to the official source. Digital Bridge is a supplier, not the awarding body. Eligibility, approval and payment are decided solely by the funding body named on each scheme. Figures below are the published scheme parameters as at the review date shown, and net costs are arithmetic illustrations of the published rate applied to our published prices. Always confirm current rules with the funder before you commit to any spend, because expenditure incurred before an application is received is almost always ineligible.