LEO Digital for 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. Small businesses that have not yet chosen a direction and need a structured, low-cost assessment before spending anything.

What this scheme funds

The subsidised consultancy that produces your digital roadmap — and unlocks the Grow Digital Voucher.

  • 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

What it does not fund

These costs are routinely ruled ineligible under this scheme.

  • Software purchases
  • Implementation and development work
  • Ongoing retained advice after the programme concludes

Who is eligible

Eligibility is decided by Local Enterprise Office, not by Digital Bridge.

  • Small business within the LEO's remit, typically up to 50 employees
  • Trading business, not a pre-start concept
  • Not an Enterprise Ireland or IDA client
  • Willing to commit owner or senior manager time to the sessions

How to apply

Typical end-to-end 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.

  • Contact your Local Enterprise Office and register interest
  • Complete the intake and scheduling process
  • Work through the assigned sessions with the consultant
  • Receive and review the roadmap report
  • Use the report to apply for the Grow Digital Voucher where relevant

Evidence you will need

Applications are usually delayed by missing paperwork rather than by weak projects.

  • Basic business details and employee numbers
  • Overview of current systems and processes
  • Owner or manager availability for the sessions

Why applications get rejected

The recurring reasons assessors give under this scheme.

  • The business is an Enterprise Ireland or IDA client and should use that route
  • Pre-trading, so outside the LEO's scope for this programme
  • The office's current cohort is full — apply for the next intake

What Digital Bridge delivers under this scheme

Illustrative net cost applies the published rate (Fully or heavily subsidised mentoring, subject to your LEO) to our published engagement bands. It is arithmetic, not an offer of funding.

  • Implementation of the roadmap's software actions — list From €1,295, illustrative net cost Grow Digital Voucher may co-fund eligible lines at 50%

Do I have to do Digital for Business before the Grow Digital Voucher?

Yes. A completed Digital for Business project within the previous two years is part of the published Grow Digital eligibility criteria, so sequencing matters — start here, not at the voucher.

Will the roadmap recommend AI?

Only if AI is genuinely the right next step for your business. In our experience a good roadmap for a ten-person Irish business often recommends fixing the booking flow, the quoting process and the data hygiene first, because AI applied to a broken process simply automates the mess faster.

Source and last review

Scheme parameters checked against Local Enterprise Office — supports (https://www.localenterprise.ie/) on 2026-08-18. Reviewed quarterly. Next scheduled review: November 2026. 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.