Name

South East Technological University

Legal name

South East Technological University

Website

https://setu.ie

Company type

Public

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Universities with Computing, Data & AI Focus (EDAHAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Applied Research & Innovation Universities (EDAHAEAE), Polytechnic & Applied Sciences Universities (EDAHAEAB)

Keywords

• Higher education programs
• Applied research services
• Corporate training partnerships
• Startup incubation programs
• Technological university education

Headquarters

HQ city

Waterford

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees: Fee income from domestic and international students for undergraduate and postgraduate programs. EU and non-EU student fees vary by program level and residency status.
2. Government Funding (HEA): Core funding from Higher Education Authority for designated institutions under the Technological University Act.
3. Research Grants: Competitive research funding from Enterprise Ireland, EU Horizon Europe, and other national/international funding bodies. Over €155M+ secured in competitive research funding.
4. Industry Partnerships and Training: Corporate training programs and industry-sponsored research collaborations with companies including Iarnród Éireann, ESB Networks, and InsurEvo.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

South East Technological University (SETU) is a public technological university delivering undergraduate, postgraduate, part-time, and international degree programmes across disciplines such as Agriculture, Business, Computing, Engineering, Health Sciences, Law, and Science through campuses in Waterford, Carlow, and Wexford. It also conducts applied research via the Walton Institute (ICT, AI, quantum technologies, cybersecurity) and runs corporate training, industry partnerships, and startup incubation programmes including New Frontiers and Elevate.

Product overview

South East Technological University (SETU) is a higher education institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational programmes and research services across multiple campuses (Waterford, Carlow, Wexford) in Ireland. The university's core offerings include CAO Undergraduate Courses, Postgraduate Courses (taught and research-based), Part-time/Flexible Learning options, and International Courses across disciplines spanning Agriculture, Business, Computing, Engineering, Health Sciences, Law, Media, Science, and Sports. The institution operates the Walton Institute as its flagship ICT research centre, contributing to three of Ireland's seven new Research Ireland centres with €460M investment. Supporting innovation ecosystems, SETU delivers the New Frontiers startup incubation programme and the Elevate digital resource for micro-enterprises. Research infrastructure includes the IrelandQCI quantum communication project and various enterprise-partnered research initiatives through technology gateways and incubation centres.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Walton Institute: SETU's leading research institute for ICT research, digital transformation, AI, quantum technologies, and telecommunications. Celebrated 30 years of ICT research and five years as a recognised research institute in 2026.
• SETU Xcelerate
• New Frontiers Programme
• Elevate

Products and services

• CAO Undergraduate Courses
• Postgraduate Courses
• Part-time Courses
• International Courses
• Add-on Undergraduate Courses
• Walton Institute Research Services
• New Frontiers Programme
• Elevate Digital Resource
• IrelandQCI Project

Quantifiable outcome

• Over €155M+ in competitive research funding secured
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• KIMO InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Memorandum of Understanding signed for international collaboration in research and academic exchange. KIMO International is an international knowledge and innovation organization.
• Iarnród ÉireanncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Cybersecurity training partnership including workshop delivery and the €220M Rosslare Europort infrastructure investment. SETU provides cybersecurity training to Iarnród Éireann staff supporting this major infrastructure project.
• ESB NetworkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining partnership delivering specialized skills programs for ESB Networks workforce. Part of broader industry-academia collaboration.
• InsurEvocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInsurEvo operates from SETU Carlow campus hub, creating 22 new positions. Corporate client partnership bringing industry presence directly onto campus.
• IrelandQCI ConsortiumflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational quantum communications infrastructure project in partnership with ESB Telecoms and HEAnet. IrelandQCI develops and deploys quantum communications technology across Ireland.
• ESB TelecomscoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner in the IrelandQCI quantum communications project. Provides infrastructure and technical expertise for national quantum network deployment.
• HEAnetcoreTechnology or IntegrationNational education network provider partner in IrelandQCI project. Provides network infrastructure and connectivity for quantum communications trials.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• University of Limerick: Established Irish university with a strong technological/applied research tradition (Lero, UL ITS) that competes with SETU for research funding, postgraduate students and ICT talent, while also serving as a comparator for technological university outcomes.
• University College Dublin (UCD): Largest Irish university by enrolment and research income, with comprehensive programmes across disciplines that compete with SETU for domestic CAO applicants, postgraduate demand and corporate research partnerships.
• University College Cork (UCC): Comprehensive research university in Ireland's southern region with established ICT, quantum and life sciences research, competing with SETU for talent, EU funding and industry-linked programmes such as those in pharma and food.
• Trinity College Dublin: Ireland's most research-intensive university and a primary competitor for top-tier research grants, postgraduate students and ICT faculty; a benchmark for SETU's research ambitions despite the very different institutional scale.
• Dublin City University (DCU): Established Irish university with deep ICT, computing and data science research strength (Insight, ADAPT), competing directly with SETU for Horizon Europe funding, postgraduate enrolment and industry partnerships in AI/cybersecurity.
• Maynooth University: Irish public university with growing ICT and data science research capabilities (MU Hamilton Institute), serving as a comparator for SETU's strategic ambition to scale postgraduate and research outputs.

Regional players

• University of Galway: Western Ireland research university with comparable regional economic development mandate and broad STEM/ICT research portfolio; competes with SETU for regional industry partnerships and Horizon Europe funding.

Direct peers

• Atlantic Technological University (ATU): Irish technological university formed by multi-campus merger covering the west and northwest, sharing SETU's public technological university model, multi-campus regional structure and applied research positioning.
• Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin): Ireland's largest technological university, formed through a similar multi-institute merger, offering comparable CAO undergraduate, postgraduate and applied research programmes with strong industry engagement in ICT, engineering and business.
• Munster Technological University (MTU): Another Irish technological university formed by institutional merger, serving the Munster region with overlapping disciplines (computing, engineering, business, health sciences) and a similar applied research mandate through centres like Nimbus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/setuireland
• Instagraminstagram.com/setuireland
• Xx.com/SETUIreland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about South East Technological University