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

L-R: Laura Lynch, Group Chief Marketing Officer, Bank of Ireland; Vanessa Hartley, Head of Google Ireland; Alex Buckley, Business Development Administrator, McNally Family Farm; Karen Stolberg, Vice President, Google Customer Solutions, UK & Ireland; and Derek McDermott, Director of Everyday Lending, Bank of Ireland, pictured at the announcement of a new partnership between Bank of Ireland and Google to provide up to 10,000 fully funded Google AI Professional Certificate scholarships to Bank of Ireland SME customers through the new SME AI Academy on ThinkBusiness.ie. McNally Family Farm is one of the Irish SMEs featured as a case study in the new SME AI Academy.

L-R: Laura Lynch, Group Chief Marketing Officer, Bank of Ireland; Vanessa Hartley, Head of Google Ireland; Alex Buckley, Business Development Administrator, McNally Family Farm; Karen Stolberg, Vice President, Google Customer Solutions, UK & Ireland; and Derek McDermott, Director of Everyday Lending, Bank of Ireland, pictured at the announcement of a new partnership between Bank of Ireland and Google to provide up to 10,000 fully funded Google AI Professional Certificate scholarships to Bank of Ireland SME customers through the new SME AI Academy on ThinkBusiness.ie. McNally Family Farm is one of the Irish SMEs featured as a case study in the new SME AI Academy.
 
  • Up to 10,000 fully funded scholarships for Google AI Professional Certificate
  • ‘SME AI Academy’ launches on Thinkbusiness.ie
  • AI supports will help SMEs in advance of new EU AI Act

9 July 2026: 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, said: “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.

ENDS

Note to Editors

Google AI Professional Certificate

The Google AI professional certificate, delivered via the online platform Coursera, has been designed for busy SMEs. There is under 10 hours total learning commitment, delivered in manageable one-hour modules through a flexible, self-paced format hosted on Coursera. Learners complete 20 hands-on projects, leaving the course with a tangible, ready-to-use digital toolkit tailored to their specific business. The training introduces teams to new abilities such as “vibe coding”, the ability to build apps using simple conversational English rather than complex software code.

Participants will also receive three months’ extended access to Google AI Pro, supporting continued experimentation and adoption.

Bank of Ireland

Bank of Ireland is a diversified financial services group serving more than four million customers across Ireland, the UK, and the EU. Its services span consumer, business and corporate banking, wealth management, life and pensions, specialist finance, and asset finance and contract hire. The Group includes Davy, New Ireland Assurance, Northridge Finance and Marshall Leasing. Bank of Ireland operates a full‑service retail bank in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. In the UK, it provides mortgages through the intermediary market and is the largest provider of consumer foreign exchange through its partnership with the UK Post Office.

ThinkBusiness.ie.

ThinkBusiness.ie, Bank of Ireland’s dedicated platform for SMEs, offers practical guidance on starting, growing, and running a business. The new SME AI Academy hub strengthens guidance and support for businesses at a critical time for digital transformation. The platform features case studies on SMEs successfully adopting AI including McNally Family Farm (Dublin), OpenHive Bee Conservation (Wicklow) and Lahinch Surf Shop (Clare).