Partners

KTI is Ireland’s national office for knowledge transfer and technology transfer, supporting the commercialisation of research from universities and institutes of technology. DCU:Innovate aligns with KTI’s best practices, ensuring our intellectual property (IP) management, industry collaboration, and licensing processes are optimised to deliver real-world impact. KTI also provides valuable resources such as model agreements and its Annual Knowledge Transfer Survey, which benchmarks our performance in technology transfer.

Enterprise Ireland is a key supporter of DCU:Innovate, providing funding, mentorship, and business development support for university spinouts and industry collaborations. Through EI-backed programmes like the Commercialisation Fund, researchers at DCU can develop market-ready innovations, while spinout companies receive investment through initiatives such as High Potential Start-Up (HPSU) funding. DCU:Innovate works in close partnership with EI to connect researchers with industry and help Irish enterprises leverage cutting-edge research to enhance competitiveness.

The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) plays a vital role in fostering innovation-driven economic growth in Ireland. DCU:Innovate is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021 - 2027, and benefits from those ERDF-supported initiatives that help bridge the gap between research and industry, particularly in emerging technology

ERDF co-funding strengthens our capacity to accelerate research commercialisation, scale spinouts, and attract industry partnerships, ensuring DCU’s research contributes to economic and societal advancement.