Yesterday afternoon, students received an email announcing the chosen name for the innovation hub at Trinity East, which will be named Portal. The announcement came from Dr Diarmuid O’Brien, Chief Innovation and Enterprise Officer.
This name came from a competition held to name the Innovation Hub. 321 entries were made, with the suggestion Portal being made Trinity students Alexandra Owens and Quentin Cowley. The proposal was overseen by board member Professor Fintan Sheerin.
The winners of the competition received €150.
According to the email, the hub will seek to “open a new door for innovation in Ireland”.
Portal will play a part in Trinity’s wider ambition to play “a transforming role in the city while enhancing the University’s own global competitiveness.”
Portal will be home to Trinity entrepreneurs, start-ups and innovation teams. The hub will be public facing, with a café, two public squares and events space. These public squares will be utilised for creative collision.
The site is intended to expand College’s activities in education and research, and initiate the development of the Grand Canal Innovation District, which was formally endorsed by the Government in 2020.
According to former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, the Innovation District is part of a plan “to make Ireland the tech capital of Europe”.
Trinity East, which will be at the centre of the Innovation District, is said to represent College’s “exceptional level” of partnership with industry.
Additionally, the new campus will house the E3 Research Institute, part of Trinity’s E3 project. The “Engineering, Environment and Emerging Technologies” project integrates research and education from across the Schools of Engineering, Natural Sciences and Computer Sciences.
The E3 Research Institute will focus on the impact of technological innovation on the natural world, aiming to find solutions for a sustainable future which also support economic and societal development.
The Innovation Hub will be used by entrepreneurs, start-ups and larger corporates’ innovation teams. Regular events will be held for academics, local enterprisers and the community. The hub will also have a public square, inspired by squares on College’s main campus, in order to “[connect] Trinity East with the city”.
According to Dr O’Brien, the hub “is the gateway to exciting new futures for Trinity East”.
“With major international opportunities for research, enterprise, entrepreneurship and culture, Portal is the gateway to exciting new futures for Trinity East.”
Portal is set to open in 2022.
