Provost Patrick Prendergast today launched a competition to name the new Innovation Hub on the Trinity East campus, which is set to open next year.
In an email to staff and students today, the Provost said that College wanted the name to come from “within Trinity”. Staff and students can now submit their suggestion, and there will be a €150 prize for the person whose suggestion is picked.
The Provost also said that “the hub when opened next year will provide space for entrepreneurs, start-ups, and innovation teams from larger corporates”.
“It will be the venue for organised regular events to bring together academics, start-ups, and the local enterprise community, animating and programming the Grand Canal Innovation District.”
“The development also includes a wonderful new Square taking inspiration from squares on the main campus (same size as Fellows Square) and open to the public.”
College has recently received planning permission for the 5,500 square metre Innovation Hub. When the planning application was submitted last November, the name was changed from Trinity Technology Enterprise Campus (TTEC) to Trinity East.
Trinity East will span five and a half acres across the Grand Canal Innovation District in Dublin’s “Silicon Docks” – a district which will be modelled on districts in cities like Boston, Toronto, Rotterdam and Barcelona.
The Trinity East project is central to the government’s plans to make the area a globally competitive centre for innovation and entrepreneurship.
There are plans for the state to invest €150 million in the ambitious project over the next decade. Varadkar first announced the plans for developing Grand Canal Dock into an innovation district in 2018.
The development of the Innovation Hub will allow College to move forward with its plans for the Grand Canal Innovation District – approved by the government in January, 2020.
Alongside new institutes and innovation centres, Trinity East will have a research institute as part of the E3 project. College also hopes to locate student accommodation on the site for postgraduate students.
In November, College announced that it had submitted the planning application for its proposed Innovation Hub.
The Innovation Hub will include a new public square with a cafe and seating as well as a landmark tower that dates back to 1862 when the area housed a sugar refinery.
