Research Ireland and NCSC launch €3.9 million Cyber Security Innovation Challenge to strengthen Ireland’s digital resilience
New national funding programme will support research teams to develop innovative solutions to key cybersecurity challenges facing Ireland.
Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Catherine Ardagh TD, together with Research Ireland and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), has announced the launch of the Research Ireland-Cyber Security Innovation Challenge 2026.
The new national funding programme is designed to develop innovative solutions to strengthen Ireland’s cyber resilience, preparedness and security.
Developed through a partnership between Research Ireland, the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, and the NCSC, the challenge-based programme, totalling €3.9million, will support interdisciplinary research teams to address some of the most pressing cybersecurity challenges facing the State and society.
The programme focusses on five challenge areas:
- Advancing National Cyber Threat Detection and Response
- Securing Ireland’s Transition to Post-Quantum Cryptography
- Strengthening SME Cyber Resilience and Preparedness
- Enhancing Cyber Resilience of Critical National Infrastructure
- Disruptive Ideas Stream for transformative cybersecurity concepts
Successful teams will initially receive up to €50,000 in funding to validate their concepts and build multidisciplinary teams. Following review, teams may progress to a Seed Phase worth up to €200,000, with finalists competing for an overall €1 million Prize Award to bring their solutions closer to real-world implementation.
Announcing the programme, Minister Ardagh said:
Cybersecurity is fundamental to Ireland’s economic prosperity, national security and digital future. The threats we face are constantly evolving, requiring new approaches, fresh thinking and innovative solutions. Through this challenge programme, we are investing in Ireland’s world-class research community and empowering researchers to work across disciplines to develop practical solutions that strengthen our national resilience.
“By bringing together expertise from academia, industry and public bodies, this initiative will help ensure that Ireland remains at the forefront of cybersecurity innovation while delivering tangible benefits for citizens, businesses and critical services.
Director of the National Cyber Security Centre, Richard Browne, said:
Cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated, more frequent and more impactful. To stay ahead of these threats, we must continually invest in our ability to anticipate, detect, respond to and recover from cyber incidents.
“The Research Ireland-Cyber Security Innovation Challenge is an important opportunity to harness Ireland’s research excellence in support of national cybersecurity objectives. We are particularly interested in solutions that can address real operational challenges, strengthen resilience across society, and help us prepare for emerging technologies and future threats, including the transition to post-quantum cryptography.
Director of Research for Society at Research Ireland, Dr Ruth Freeman, said:
Purposeful, targeted and truly collaborative research is at the heart of our Challenge-focussed activities since this novel funding model was launched in Ireland. The programme prioritises interdisciplinary collaboration, stakeholder engagement, solution validation and impact. This new and distinctive Research Ireland-Cyber Security Innovation Challenge will protect and benefit the Irish State, businesses and wider society through strengthened cybersecurity capabilities and resilience.
Applications are open now and must be submitted through Research Ireland’s online grants and awards management system, SESAME. The application deadline is 19 January 2027 at 13:00, with successful projects expected to commence in June 2027.
Image caption: Left-right: Director of the National Cyber Security Centre, Richard Browne; Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Catherine Ardagh TD; and Director of Research for Society at Research Ireland, Dr Ruth Freeman. (photo: Dept. of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration)
