Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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143. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if his Department will reverse plans to close the National Digital Research Centre (NDRC); his Department’s plans to support early-stage digital enterprises and start-ups here if the NDRC ceases operations in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26973/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government contains the commitment that the Government will support the National Digital Research Centre (NDRC) and transfer responsibility to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

As NDRC is primarily a set of supports for early-stage digital businesses and enterprise delivered under a commercial contract, and start-up ecosystem supports are closely aligned with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE), officials from my Department and DETE are currently in discussions on how best to act on this commitment. In this regard, I understand that DETE and Enterprise Ireland are reviewing policy for incubators and accelerators and that it is envisaged that a successor to the NDRC will be designed as part of this process.