‘Tangent, Trinity’s Ideas Workspace’: meet Dublin’s new home for entrepreneurs and innovators

Posted on: 27 September 2018

Today marks the launch of ‘Tangent, Trinity’s Ideas Workspace,’ – an exciting new initiative at Trinity College Dublin, supported by Bank of Ireland, that will provide cutting-edge innovation and entrepreneurship education; start-up company acceleration programmes; innovation and entrepreneurship community events; and supports for fledgling to mature entrepreneurs all across Ireland and beyond.

At a time when two thirds of all new jobs are being created by companies less than five years old and new technologies are disrupting mature businesses it is critical we empower our students, graduates, start-up companies and multi-national corporates with the skills and understanding to succeed in this changing world.

Ranked number one university in Europe for graduate entrepreneurship by Pitchbook 18/19, Trinity is now developing through Tangent a suite of new innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives that will be open to not just Trinity students and alumni but the wider European innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Tangent will change the shape of how we educate, mentor and inspire our students, graduates and start-up companies. Tangent will act a as “test-bed” for new city wide innovation initiatives and a new meeting place for the entrepreneurship community.

Tangent is a central part of Trinity’s innovation strategy that includes plans for a new campus at Grand Canal Quay and the establishment of a globally competitive innovation district in Dublin.

Announcing the new initiative, Chief Innovation & Enterprise Officer at Trinity College Dublin, Dr Diarmuid O’Brien said:

“Innovation and entrepreneurship is critical for Ireland’s economic competitiveness. ‘Tangent, Trinity’s Ideas Workspace,’ will build on the success of Trinity as a European leader in innovation and entrepreneurship enabling the leaders of the future. Our transformative learning environment will inspire and empower our students and graduates, to create new enterprises and businesses at the forefront of Europe’s innovation ecosystem.”

Provost of Trinity College Dublin, Dr Patrick Prendergast said:

“Trinity is committed to providing an environment that supports and encourages innovation at all levels across the University, promoting entrepreneurship as an engine for economic growth, and for social and cultural development. It is a core element of Trinity’s strategy, ensuring that we create value from our leading research and equip our students and graduates with the ability to drive innovation and thrive in a world of constant change.”

‘Tangent, Trinity’s Ideas Workspace,’ caters for all stages of innovation and entrepreneurship and will help mentor, encourage and challenge our next generation of entrepreneurs. Examples of new programmes Tangent will run include the first ever undergraduate certificate in innovation and entrepreneurship; a national roll-out of postgraduate courses; and pan-European early-stage business accelerator programmes.

• The new Undergraduate Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the first of its kind in Ireland offers students from all disciplines across the University additional educational and experiential opportunities to learn ideation methodologies and fulfil their entrepreneurial ambitions in tandem with their degree

Students have the opportunity to engage with entrepreneurs, business leaders and industry mentors in an informal and dynamic learning environment. They work on true-life innovation industry projects and design creative solutions for factual challenges faced by organisations.

• ‘Tangent, Trinity’s Ideas Workspace,’ is also rolling out a new Regional Postgraduate Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, in collaboration with the Higher Education Authority (HEA), Bank of Ireland, Local Enterprise Offices, and Business Incubation Centres. Commencing in 2019 the national certificate programme awarded by Trinity College will be delivered through the Bank of Ireland Workbenches in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway
• Piloting in 2018, Tangent’s Digital Health Validator Accelerator programme supported 10 European healthcare startups through workshops, networking events, 1-2-1 mentoring, and innovation and new venture creation masterclasses. 2019 will see the programme scale to 15 early stage digital health ideas from across Europe coming to Trinity to accelerate their startups

Tangent will be housed in a state-of-the-art space that is currently being constructed and will be co-located with the new Trinity Business School on Pearse Street which will open in May 2019. It is being specifically designed to foster the creation of ideas, with flexible workspaces and event space providing for co-working and innovation for all. It will also provide an interface between Trinity and the bustling innovation ecosystem on its doorstep, with a view to establishing Ireland as a thriving and mature startup ecosystem.

Head of Innovation at Bank of Ireland, Dave Tighe, said: “Bank of Ireland recognises the importance of helping foster early stage supports and opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship, it’s at the core of all the work that we do through our Workbench and Innovation Lab Programmes. We welcome the ambitious high-value support and development programme Trinity College Dublin is committed to putting behind the next generation of entrepreneurs and Bank of Ireland are proud to become the first partner with the university on this journey. We wish the Tangent team and Trinity College Dublin every continued success.”

About Tangent, Trinity’s Ideas Workspace,

Trinity is committed to providing a transformative learning environment that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship at all levels across the university. The opportunities opening up today are infinite. They are invisible to some, impossible to others. Identifying these opportunities requires new tools and methods from our students. Realising them requires imagination.

Tangent, Trinity’s Ideas Workspace is a place in which to imagination, collaborate and put ideas into action that can change the world.

Imagination

We inspire, challenge and provoke a creative mindset among our student population. Through effective education and supports, Tangent helps to spark our students’ imagination. We encourage curiosity and ideation. This is what helps us to create real impact.

Collaboration

We embrace the creative fusion that happens when arts meet science, and education meets enterprise. Through collaboration we believe that when we come together with an open mind and embrace alternative ways of thinking, no challenge is too complex, no opportunity out of reach.

Action

We do not stop at ideas.  We create impact, disruption and enterprises. Tangent values action.  We encourage our students to try to create new possibilities. We deliver economic, cultural and social value through entrepreneurship. Our students’ perseverance enables their ideas to come alive.