NDRC and the National Accelerator Programme: what is open now and what is changing

Where things stand on 3 October 2026

What NDRC is

NDRC stands for the National Digital Research Centre. It is backed by the Government. Dogpatch Labs in Dublin has run it since 2020, with regional hubs at PorterShed in Galway, Republic of Work in Cork and RDI Hub in Kerry.

An accelerator is a short, intensive programme that gives a very young company money, mentoring and introductions to investors, in return for a stake in the business.

NDRC looks for founders building technology products that can sell worldwide. It says it invests in teams, not industries, typically at pre-seed stage. Pre-seed means the first outside money, before a company has much revenue.

The €100,000 investment and the SAFE

NDRC invests €100,000 in each accelerator start-up. It comes in two instalments of €50,000: the first at the start, the second when the company reaches a goal set at the outset.

The investment is made through a SAFE, a simple agreement for future equity. NDRC gives the company money now. In return it gets shares later, when the company raises a funding round with a set price per share.

NDRC's SAFE is uncapped with a 20% discount. Uncapped means no upper limit is put on the company's value when the shares are worked out. The discount means NDRC gets its shares for 20% less than the new investors pay.

Accelerator companies also get 12 months of desk space at Dogpatch Labs and mentoring from experienced founders. The programme is hybrid: three weeks on site in Dublin, the rest online.

The Pre-Accelerator and Office Hours

The Pre-Accelerator is a free six-week programme for founders with a tech idea aimed at global markets. It is mostly online, with three in-person sessions, and ends with a pitch day. It pays nothing and takes no shares. Completing it does not secure a place on the accelerator.

To be eligible, the company or at least one co-founder must be based in Ireland, and technology must be at the core of the product. Gambling, adult entertainment, tobacco and military businesses are excluded. Three batches are listed for 2026, and applications for the last one have closed.

Office Hours are still open. They are free 30-minute online sessions, held weekly, where early-stage tech founders get feedback on an idea and directions to other supports. You do not need to have set up a company. You can book an Office Hours session on ndrc.ie.

The National Accelerator Programme

In June 2025 the Government extended NDRC's contract with Dogpatch Labs to the end of 2026 and said Enterprise Ireland would launch a successor. On 7 May 2026 Enterprise Ireland announced that successor: a National Accelerator Programme with €21 million over three years, as part of a wider initiative called Startup Ireland.

Enterprise Ireland says the new model will focus on specialist sectors, wider regional coverage, stronger international links and more mentoring by founders, with training for start-ups built around artificial intelligence.

The operators are being chosen by public tender. Three tenders were published between May and August 2026:

• a national accelerator for start-up companies, with a separate strand for people who have yet to found one
• regional pre-accelerators and early-stage supports, led by one coordinator
• a panel for sector-specific accelerators, starting with one for artificial intelligence

An earlier Enterprise Ireland consultation gave an outline: two six-month national programmes a year for about 30 companies, regional pre-accelerators for about 160 start-ups a year, and at least three specialist programmes a year. That outline was written for discussion with providers and may change.

When we checked on 3 October 2026, Enterprise Ireland had not named an operator and had not opened applications for founders. It has not said what investment, if any, the new accelerator will make in each company.

If you cannot wait, or it is not for you

A tech founder who needs money now has other State routes. The €50,000 or €100,000 that Enterprise Ireland lends to very young companies is open all year, and the college-based programme for first-time founders has autumn deadlines.

None of this is meant for a shop, a cafe, a trade or a local service. For those, the realistic options are Microfinance Ireland, which lends to small firms and start-ups in most sectors, and whatever grants and advice your Local Enterprise Office can offer.

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