While such tax supports can apply to all Irish companies, due to lack of take-up in the sector, they have become more targeted at SMEs - most recently with the announced increase in the R&D tax credit to 30% for such entities.
Foreign funds can be complex. If this is not for you, then a regulated Irish fund may be the answer - the Irish tax compliance should be taken care of by the Fund itself, this needs to be checked
An investment in a fund has many advantages such as convenience and diversification. However, the Irish tax regime here can result in inefficiencies, which at least would need to be understood before any investment decision is made.