The National Digital Research Centre (NDRC) is set to close next year as its contract ends. The Dublin-based organization, backed by the government, was founded in 2006 under a concession agreement. The NDRC operates accelerator programmes and capital investment initiatives for early-stage digital enterprises.
It also provides training services and manages an investment portfolio. In a statement on its website, the NDRC confirmed that it will cease operations in 2025. The decision not to renew the NDRC’s contract was made after the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, in consultation with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Enterprise Ireland, concluded that the enterprise ecosystem has evolved significantly since the NDRC’s inception.
As a result, no new service contract will be procured for the NDRC beyond its current expiration. Operations will continue as usual until November 2025, with plans in place to manage and support ongoing investments. A report produced earlier this year indicated that start-up companies in the NDRC’s portfolio had created 650 jobs in the previous three years and had raised more than €56 million in the same period.
Notable companies that benefited from its accelerator program include GreyScout, Examfly, and Cytidel.
Government ends NDRC funding program
Several start-up founders have called on the Government to reconsider its recent decision to stop funding the NDRC.
In an open letter penned by Paul Sheridan of Lynq and Will O’Brien of Ulysses, and signed by 200 entrepreneurs, the founders expressed that the closure comes at the “worst possible time.”
The letter argues that Ireland needs to build a more resilient, self-sufficient economy and reduce its dependence on foreign multinationals, which account for more than 80% of its corporation tax revenue. The founders emphasized the importance of creating high-impact indigenous Irish start-ups and warned that the decision to close NDRC threatens to dismantle a proven success model for building homegrown businesses. They stated that the NDRC is the only tech-focused start-up programme in Ireland, while other initiatives being touted as replacements are “generalist” and fail to provide the unique value an entrepreneur-led accelerator offers to technology start-ups.
The founders called for greater transparency about the decision to cease funding and urged the Government to reconsider. Dogpatch Labs CEO, Patrick Walsh, described the closure as “a big loss for the Irish start-up ecosystem.” Several stakeholders expressed their dismay online, including Paul Finlay, founder and CEO of Hiiker, and Conor Moules, co-founder and CEO of Barespace, who both credited NDRC with significantly aiding their businesses. The final NDRC contract, worth €17 million, was awarded in 2020 to a network of regional innovation hubs including locations in Dublin, Galway, and Cork.
According to the organisation, NDRC has helped portfolio companies raise €500 million since its inception, with more than €200 million of these funds secured in the last four years alone. The founders concluded the letter by urging the Government to reconsider the closure to avoid jeopardizing the success and growth of Ireland’s tech start-ups. So far, neither the Department of the Environment nor the Department of Enterprise has responded to requests for comment on the situation.
