The RE RD&D Programme aims to stimulate the deployment of RE by:

• Accelerating the development and deployment in the Irish marketplace of competitive renewable energy products, processes and systems with a particular emphasis on achieving Ireland's 2020 renewable energy targets.
• Providing support for solutions that enable technical and other barriers to market uptake to be overcome.
• Establishing, where necessary, and strengthening, where possible, a national capacity to access, develop and apply international class RD&D in a way that can best meet specific Irish needs on a continuing basis.
• Supporting and providing guidance to policy makers and public bodies that facilitate renewable energy deployment.

Financial support is available in three categories:

• Category 1: Shared-cost Demonstration (grant support of up to 25% of eligible costs)
• Category 2: Shared-cost R&D (grant support of up to 45% of eligible costs)
• Category 3: Public Good Activities (grant support normally up to 75% of eligible costs) and national representation in IEA Implementing Agreements

In the case of public good activities (category 3), projects may be open to support at a rate of up to 100% of eligible costs.