About Convene
Convene is a collaboration between the Technological University Dublin (TUD) and UCD Innovation Academy that seeks to transform university-enterprise engagement.
Through a genuine partnership between higher education and enterprise, Convene will create programmes that deliver the priority skills and innovation necessary to reinvigorate business and to fast-track a resilient and enduring economic recovery as Ireland moves forward from the unprecedented disruption caused by Covid-19.
Convene is part of Ireland's Human Capital Initiative, one of the largest investments ever in Irish higher education. The Human Capital Initiative will enable the Irish higher education system to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 4th Industrial Revolution and respond rapidly to changes in both skills requirements and technology.
Convene is funded under the Human Capital Initiative Pillar 3—Innovation and Agility—which seeks, among other objectives, to increase the capacity of higher education to anticipate, understand and respond to emerging skills needs of enterprise, together with the ability of institutions to provide lifelong learning and upskilling opportunities for all.
In 2020, Convene was awarded funding of €17.5 million by the Irish government.
Who are we?
Convene is a collaboration between the Technological University Dublin and UCD Innovation Academy. It was awarded funding of €17.5 million, under the Human Capital Initiative Pillar 3 Fund announced by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD in 2020.
Convene has begun its transformative work through engagement with its 37 founding Enterprise Partners on the creation of a shared learning platform at the intersection of enterprise, education and research in Dublin.
Objectives
Convene seeks to create a genuine partnership between enterprise and education. To achieve this, Convene invites the input of key business and social enterprise leaders at this formative stage of the project. Convene is organised around seven major employment sectors: Tourism, Food & Drink, Creative and Cultural, Social Enterprise, ICT/FinTech, MedTech and Pharma. Convene is partnered with a range of leading global companies and dynamic, indigenous SMEs. We welcome new partners so please get in touch if you are interested in learning more about Convene.
Enterprise Faculty
At the heart of Convene will be a groundbreaking, new Enterprise Faculty, comprised of leaders from enterprise, industry, academia, innovation and research. This Enterprise Faculty will encourage a continuous two-way flow of ideas between the two largest universities on the island and key employment sectors in our economy, including Tourism. The Enterprise Faculty will initially be charged with developing two unique educational models: Accredited Talent Development and Global Innovation Teams.
