Bank of Ireland and Google offering 10,000 AI scholarships to SMEs

Bank of Ireland and Google have announced a new partnership that will provide up to 10,000 Google AI Professional Certificate scholarships to Bank of Ireland’s SME customers.

Up to 10,000 fully funded scholarships for the Google AI Professional Certificate are available at no cost to Bank of Ireland’s SME customers through the ‘Grow with Google’ programme. The partnership marks a major step in supporting the digital capabilities of Ireland’s SMEs, equipping them with practical tools to harness artificial intelligence (AI) and compete in the digital economy.

A new ‘SME AI Academy’ will promote the scholarships on Bank of Ireland’s Thinkbusiness.ie platform. It also features practical guides for SMEs and case studies on early AI adopters.

Commenting on the new partnership, Derek McDermott, Director of Everyday Lending, Bank of Ireland said:

“SMEs need accessible, user-friendly tools to build their AI capability and confidence. By providing up to 10,000 Google AI scholarships we can ensure practical and impactful AI support for our SME customers to really boost their business. Our SME AI Academy, hosted on Thinkbusiness.ie, is designed to equip businesses with the skills and knowledge that they need to thrive with AI. We look forward to working with Google to deliver this support to businesses across Ireland over the coming months.”

Vanessa Hartley, Head of Google Ireland:

“Small and medium-sized businesses are fundamental to Ireland’s economy, creating jobs, driving innovation and strengthening communities across the country. Their success will be critical to ensuring Ireland thrives in the AI era. At Google, we’ve been supporting Irish SMEs with digital skills for more than 20 years and we are committed to helping businesses build the AI skills they need to continue to succeed. Through this partnership with Bank of Ireland, we’re making AI training more accessible, helping up to 10,000 SMEs gain the practical skills, tools and confidence to adopt AI, boost productivity and unlock new opportunities for growth.”

The new AI supports will help Irish businesses build capabilities and prepare for the evolving regulatory landscape, including compliance obligations under the EU AI Act (effective 2 August). With the EU AI Act applicable for businesses of all sizes, SMEs are under increasing pressure to understand compliance requirements and responsibly deploy their AI.

The SME AI Academy is now live on ThinkBusiness.ie, and SMEs can apply for the AI scholarship here.

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