Provost and Taoiseach to announce new Grand Canal Innovation District

Trinity’s Innovation and Enterprise Office are leading the project

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Provost Patrick Prendergast will together announce plans for a new Grand Canal Innovation District next week. Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton, will also be present at the unveiling.

Trinity’s Innovation and Enterprise Office are leading the project, which is expected to transform the landscape of enterprise in Ireland. The project is modelled on cities like Rotterdam, Barcelona, and Kendall Square near Boston.

Full details of the upcoming project will be announced at the event on July 12, which will take place at the Lir Academy on the Trinity Technology and Enterprise Campus. A consultation period will follow the announcement.

Trinity is currently planning a new technology campus at Grand Canal Dock, where it has obtained 100,000 sq m. The campus will include a research institute, start-up hub, private area and student rooms. 

The plans for Trinity’s new technology campus were announced last year. A cost-benefit analysis is being carried out on the project, which will require approximately €1.25 billion in investments.

The campus location in Grand Canal Dock was chosen for the site’s proximity to multinational tech firms already operating in the area, including Facebook, Twitter, and Google. Trinity’s new enterprise hub could allow up to 480 companies to rent office spaces in the area.

Provost Patrick Prendergast met with Minister of Education and Skills Richard Bruton to discuss the project last year, according to The Irish Times. In a letter between the two, Prendergast explained his plan that Trinity’s new campus will “create 1,000 new student places in fields where there are currently significant shortages” such as engineering and computer science.

Lauren Boland

Lauren Boland was the Editor of the 67th volume of Trinity News. She is an English Literature and Sociology graduate and previously served as Deputy Editor, News Editor and Assistant News Editor.