UCD appoints innovation leader and former RDI Hub CEO Liam Cronin to drive research commercialisation and entrepreneurship.
University College Dublin (UCD) has appointed Liam Cronin as its first director of Innovation, a new leadership role designed to accelerate innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialisation of research outputs across the university.
Cronin, who began his role today, will oversee the strategic direction of UCD’s innovation activities delivered through NovaUCD, including knowledge transfer, commercialisation, enterprise development and consultancy services.
“My focus will be to ensure that UCD contributes to its full potential to Ireland’s national innovation ecosystem and to further enhance UCD’s leadership position and reputation in innovation”
“University College Dublin plays a key leadership role in research and innovation and is at the heart of Ireland’s innovation and knowledge exchange ecosystem and I am therefore delighted to welcome Liam to UCD to take up this new position of Director of Innovation at the University,” said Professor Kate Robson Brown, UCD Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact.
“I look forward to working with him to further drive the innovation agenda across UCD as outlined in Breaking Boundaries, the University’s Strategy to 2030, to enhance our leadership position in innovation, entrepreneurship and in the delivery of impact in the support of Irish and European industrial competitiveness,” she added.
Expanding UCD’s innovation footprint
Cronin brings extensive experience from his previous role as CEO of the RDI Hub in Killorglin, Co. Kerry, which he led since its opening in 2020.
Under his leadership, the hub supported approximately 100 start-ups and scaling companies that secured over €250m in funding, created over 430 jobs, and launched 70 new products and services. The hub’s training programs attracted over 10,000 participants during this period.
“UCD has developed a strong track record of success in innovation and entrepreneurship, especially over the last 20 years since the establishment of NovaUCD, and it is a great honour for me to have been appointed to the new role of Director of Innovation at the University,” Cronin said.
He highlighted UCD’s recent recognition, noting: “I am especially delighted to be joining NovaUCD which earlier this year was recognised by the Financial Times and Statista as one of the leading start-up hubs in Europe, for the second year in a row, and is once again the only university-based start-up hub in Ireland to feature in the Top 150 ranking.”
In his new role, Cronin outlined ambitious plans for expanding UCD’s innovation footprint. “I am looking forward to working with Professor Robson Brown, the innovation team at NovaUCD, and with my new colleagues across UCD to support researchers and start-ups to scale and grow, creating new products and services, leading to high value sustainable jobs, as they break boundaries and reach for the stars,” he said.
“In addition, in my new role I will be working to further develop and embed innovation, in all its forms, across the campus and to collaborate deeper with Government, State agencies, industry, commercial and societal partners. My focus will be to ensure that UCD contributes to its full potential to Ireland’s national innovation ecosystem and to further enhance UCD’s leadership position and reputation in innovation.”
Cronin brings over 30 years of experience across public and private sectors. Prior to the RDI Hub, he served as Commercial Director at ADAPT, the Research Ireland Centre for AI-Driven Digital Content Technology at Trinity College Dublin, where he led enterprise engagement and commercialisation activities. He also held senior executive positions with Microsoft in Ireland and Western Europe.
His academic credentials include a BSc in Financial Information Systems from Trinity College Dublin, a BSc in Public Administration/Management from the University of Limerick, a Masters and Postgraduate Diploma in Product Management from Technological University Dublin, and a Graduate Diploma in Computer Science from the University of Limerick.
NovaUCD operates with support from the KT Boost Programme, co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021-2027.
Main article at top: Liam Cronin, UCD Director of Innovation and Professor Kate Robson Brown, UCD Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact
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