What Ucd Innovation Academy does

UCD Innovation Academy is an educational unit within University College Dublin, Ireland's largest university, established in 2010 by Prof Suzi Jarvis. It was the first unit of its kind in Ireland, offering accredited experiential learning programmes in creativity, innovation, leadership, entrepreneurship and design thinking. Its learner base spans working professionals, undergraduates (more than 1,000 elective enrolments annually), PhD students, educators, and unemployed or returning learners.

The Academy's core offerings include Professional Diplomas priced at €3,000–€3,750, Graduate Certificates at €4,600, an MSc in Design Thinking for Sustainability launched in 2023, undergraduate and PhD modules, and the Shackleton Scholarships introduced in 2025. Supporting infrastructure includes the IA MakerSpace and the UCD Greenacre Sustainability Hub, the latter with planned digital twin development. Curriculum delivery draws on more than 20 practitioner-educators with backgrounds spanning Oxbridge, MIT and Silicon Valley.

Revenue is generated primarily through tuition fees supplemented by significant government co-funding via the Higher Education Authority's Springboard+ programme, which covers 90–100% of fees for eligible applicants. The unit does not publish standalone financial accounts, and its pricing model is per-learner rather than enterprise-contract based. Strategic partnerships include TU Dublin (Convene programme), Vietnam National University (Hanoi) and the National University of Laos, indicating a modest international footprint alongside the domestic Irish base.

Name

Ucd Innovation Academy

Legal name

UCD Innovation Academy

Website

https://www.innovationacademy.ie

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

UCD Innovation Academy is an educational unit of University College Dublin providing accredited experiential programmes in creativity, innovation, leadership, entrepreneurship and design thinking for professionals, undergraduates, PhD students, educators and career changers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Course Fee Revenue: Tuition fees charged for UCD-accredited programmes including Professional Diplomas (€3,000-€3,750) and Graduate Certificates (€4,600), with separate pricing for EU and Non-EU students. Significant portion of fees are publicly funded through HEA Springboard+ Initiative.
2. Government-Funded Places (Springboard+): Higher Education Authority Springboard+ Initiative co-funded by Government of Ireland and European Union provides 90-100% funding for eligible applicants. Students in employment pay 10% of fees; unemployed/returners receive free places.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

UCD Innovation Academy delivers UCD-accredited modules and short courses in creativity, innovation, leadership, entrepreneurship, and design thinking for individual learners, professionals, undergraduates, and PhD/Masters students. Programmes range from 5 ECTS electives to 35 ECTS Graduate Certificates, Professional Diplomas, and an MSc, blending live online sessions, in-person block-week intensives, and action-learning projects. Many courses are co-funded through Ireland's HEA Springboard+ Initiative, and bespoke corporate workshops plus taster sessions are offered to organisations.

Product overview

UCD Innovation Academy is an educational institution offering a portfolio of experiential learning programmes in creativity, innovation, leadership, entrepreneurship, and sustainability. The Academy operates under a platform-plus-modules architecture, with flagship offerings including the UCD Professional Diploma in Creativity, Innovation and Leadership (20 ECTS), UCD Graduate Certificate in Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (35 ECTS), and UCD Professional Diploma in Innovation for Sustainability (25 ECTS) - all Level 9 UCD accredited and Springboard+ funded. Supporting these core programmes are UCD Undergraduate Modules (5 ECTS electives), UCD PhD Modules (5 ECTS), MSc Design Thinking for Sustainability, Graduate Diploma in Design Thinking for Sustainability, and Professional Certificates for Educators. The Academy also operates the IA MakerSpace (prototyping facility with 3D printers and laser cutters) and UCD Greenacre Sustainability Hub (circular economy sustainability campus). Many courses are co-funded by the Government of Ireland and European Union through the Springboard+ Initiative. The Academy has been challenging students since 2010, with over 1,000 UCD undergraduates taking IA electives annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UCD Greenacre Sustainability Hub: A sustainability hub located on UCD's woodland campus in Belfield, focused on experiential sustainability learning, circular food systems, and community engagement.
• IA MakerSpace

Products and services

• UCD Professional Diploma in Creativity, Innovation and Leadership

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 UCD undergraduates from all 37 schools take IA electives annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Vietnam National University (VNU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021VNU is a key academic partner for international collaboration. Anh Nguyen Quoc is seconded from his lectureship at Vietnam National University to UCD Innovation Academy. Students collaborate with VNU Hanoi on multinational teams in the Global Innovation Challenges module.
• National University of Laos (NUOL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Students from National University of Laos in Vientiane collaborate with UCD students in the Global Innovation Challenges module, working on multinational teams to design innovative solutions to global challenges.
• TU Dublin (Technological University Dublin)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Convene programme is a collaboration between UCD Innovation Academy and TU Dublin to transform university-enterprise engagement for a more sustainable and resilient Ireland. Eleanor Kelly serves as Head of Strategy and Partnerships managing this cross-institutional initiative.
• UCD School of PhysicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRodrigo Marcondes previously worked as Executive Assistant at UCD School of Physics before joining the Innovation Academy. The Academy operates within the UCD ecosystem, collaborating with multiple schools and units across the university.
• Higher Education Authority (HEA) - Springboard+coreGTM or Marketing PartnerSpringboard+ is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union. It provides 90-100% funding for eligible programme participants, enabling wide access to IA courses. Springboard+ drives significant application volume through its national portal.
• UCD School of Biosystems and Food EngineeringminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the circular economy mushroom farm project at UCD Greenacre. Dr. Dimitrios Argyropoulos and his team provided expertise supporting mushroom cultivation efforts as part of the closed-loop circular food system.
• UCD University ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCD University Club supplies coffee grounds from its café which are used as growing medium for oyster mushrooms at the Greenacre sustainability hub. The mushrooms are then delivered back to the University Club for use in its menu, closing the circular loop.
• Enterprise IrelandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFergal Brophy acts as an Innovation Facilitator on Enterprise Ireland's 'Go Global 4 Growth' management development programme. This connects the Academy with Enterprise Ireland's ecosystem of client companies.
• ReCreateminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFergal Brophy serves as a board member at ReCreate, a social enterprise that fosters creativity and curiosity. This connects the Academy with Ireland's social enterprise community.
• Digital Skills GlobalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBarry McAdam led teams and designed award-winning modern education programmes deployed all over the world working with major names including Digital Skills Global.
• Code InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBarry McAdam directed learning to transform traditional classroom courses into dynamic online programmes across 26 countries for Digital Skills Global. He was a core leadership contributor to Code Institute uniquely securing an outstanding Ofsted grade across all four EIF themes in 2024.
• Riverside School (India)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNiall Walsh spent six years at the award-winning Riverside School in India, named the World's Most Innovative School in 2023, where he worked as teacher, coach, and led teacher training programmes across Asia.
• MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessor Christine Ortiz serves as UCD Innovation Academy External Examiner. She is the Morris Cohen Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Director of the MIT Technology and Policy Program at MIT. Her independent assessment validates IA programme quality.
• Cyber Women IrelandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJan Carroll, Graduate Certificate alumni and founder of Fortify Institute, serves on the Cyber Women Ireland committee and works with Cyber Awareness Ireland on their Safe Ireland initiative protecting victims of cyber domestic abuse.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Babson College: Babson is the global reference for entrepreneurship education and runs accredited graduate certificates, diplomas, and custom executive programmes with an experiential, learning-by-doing pedagogy closely aligned with IA's approach.
• Dublin City University (DCU) Innovation Campus: DCU hosts innovation-focused continuing education and undergraduate electives within the Irish university system, competing with IA for Springboard+ funded learners, professional upskillers, and undergraduate elective credit.
• Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin): TU Dublin is a direct collaborator via the Convene programme and operates enterprise-focused continuing education in innovation and sustainability, competing for the same Springboard+ funded learner pool in Ireland.
• Hult International Business School: Hult offers practical, experiential undergraduate and masters programmes in entrepreneurship, innovation, and design thinking with strong global rotation and a similar practitioner-faculty model, making it a close analogue to IA's experiential-learning approach.
• Trinity College Dublin Executive Education: Trinity College Dublin runs accredited executive and professional development programmes in leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship from a peer Irish university, directly competing with IA for the same domestic working-professional audience.

Broad incumbents

• MIT Sloan Executive Education: MIT Sloan Executive Education offers Level 9-equivalent professional certificates and short courses in innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurship to working professionals globally, providing the closest analogue to IA's Level 9 professional diplomas with rigorous university branding.
• INSEAD Executive Education: INSEAD runs executive programmes in innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership with global cross-cohort networking, comparable in target audience (career-changers and senior professionals) to IA's Professional Diplomas and Graduate Certificate offerings.
• Stanford d.school: The Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford is a global reference point for experiential design thinking and innovation education, mirroring the Academy's design-thinking, creativity, and entrepreneurship pedagogy at significantly larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• IMD Business School: IMD delivers executive education programmes in innovation, leadership, and sustainability to senior professionals globally, with a similar experiential, cohort-based format and a comparable focus on practical creativity and entrepreneurship skills.

Regional players

• University of Limerick Kemmy Business School: UL's Kemmy Business School delivers professional diplomas and executive education in management and innovation within Ireland, addressing overlapping segments of career changers and upskilling professionals, particularly in the mid-west of Ireland.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/UCD_Innovators
• Facebookfacebook.com/UCDInnovationAcademy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/innovation-academy-ucd
• Instagraminstagram.com/ucdinnovationacademy
• TikToktiktok.com/@innovationacademy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Ucd Innovation Academy