Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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61. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when Digital Portal is expected to be launched; the funding allocated for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9138/23]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Under the National Digital Strategy, Harnessing Digital – The Digital Ireland Framework, Government has committed to driving a step change in the digitalisation of enterprise right across Ireland. Growing the use of digital technologies by businesses will help us to build the resilience of our enterprise base, particularly as we look to future-proof our economy for the years ahead.

The strategy sets out specific targets for the digitalisation of enterprise, including achieving 75% enterprise take-up of cloud, big data and AI by 2030; ensuring that 90% of our SMEs have reached at least a basic level of digital intensity by 2030; and ensuring that at least 35% of State funding for start-up and early-stage businesses is invested in innovative digital businesses from 2022 onwards. It also sets a target of at least 800 businesses supported under the Digital Transition Fund by 2026.

The Digital Transition Fund is one element of Ireland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan; it is an €85m fund that will run until 2026. Through this fund, we will increase the digitalisation of all businesses across their products, processes, supply chains and business models.

As part of the funding allocated to the Digital Transition Fund, work is under way on the Digital Portal. The portal will help to demystify digital and support businesses on the digital adoption journey. It will help businesses to self-assess their digital needs, as well as signposting to training, resources, and funding options that will help them to digitalise, and will be open to all businesses.

The tender process for the Digital Portal was initiated earlier this month. The deadline for tenders is 10 March. It is expected that the Portal will launch in 2023.