At the Cutting Edge
of Innovation
University College Dublin
Interview with President, Dr. Hugh Brady
University College Dublin, an academic institution
of the highest calibre, has a long track record of
innovation. At the forefront of the development
of Ireland’s hi-tech ecosystem for decades, the
University has established a recognised name on
the international stage synonymous with creativity
and commercialisation throughout the spectrum of
industry sectors.
As a member of the Innovation Task Force that
produced the Department of An Taoiseach’s
“Innovation Ireland” report in March 2010, Dr.
Hugh Brady, President of UCD is one of the
country’s foremost proponents of the culture of
innovation.
The President describes the internal structure of the
University that fosters the growth of this marketapplicable branch of academia,
“Here in UCD, we have a number of ways in which
we nurture innovation. ‘Nova UCD’ is the name
given to our centre for technology transfer and
commercialisation. It serves to engender a spirit
of innovation and acts to protect the intellectual
property of the University. Through the support of
university start-ups and collaboration with various
“spin-in” companies that have engaged us from the
outside, UCD has delivered a great deal of benefit in
bringing innovative solutions to market. A example
of this is ‘Changing Worlds’, a personalised mobile
technology company that was sold recently for
€60m”.
As one of Ireland’s flagship academic institutions,
UCD is actively engaged with the private sector
throughout the multitude of industries that form
the basis of the modern Irish economy.