About Us
NovaUCD, located in a magnificent mid-18th-century house, formerly known as Merville House, has been the hub of innovation and start-up related activities at University College Dublin since 2003.
NovaUCD is part of UCD Research and Innovation.
Our Facilities
At NovaUCD, the Centre for New Ventures and Entrepreneurs, we nurture and support high-tech and knowledge-intensive spin-in and spin-out companies through our purpose-built and state-of-the-art facilities and through our comprehensive business support programmes.
At NexusUCD, the Industry Partnership Centre, we provide high-quality modern office space, with short, medium or long term occupancy arrangements, and associated services, to established innovation-led companies who are collaborating, or wish to collaborate, with UCD.
The AgTechUCD Innovation Centre, based at UCD Lyons Farm in Co. Kildare, is specifically focused on supporting and accelerating early-stage start-ups and SMEs with disruptive technologies in the AgTech, agrifood and veterinary sectors.
Our Support Services
UCD's knowledge transfer team which is responsible for the commercialisation of the intellectual property arising from UCD research activities is based at NovaUCD as is ConsultUCD, the managed consultancy service, which facilitates access and supports engagement between the business and industry communities and UCD.
Our Programmes
NovaUCD provides a comprehensive business support programme to the founders and senior managers of our client companies, including dedicated seminars, and workshops and facilitated access to the UCD research community, business mentors and partners, investors and alumni.
NovaUCD also delivers a series of accelerator programmes including; the UCD VentureLaunch Accelerator Programme, for researchers who wish to launch sustainable and profitable start-ups emerging from UCD intellectual property, the AI Ecosystem Accelerator Programme and the NovaUCD Student Enterprise Competition.
NovaUCD is also a partner in the ESA Space Solutions Centre Ireland consortium and is partnering with the IADT Media Cube on an Enterprise Ireland-funded New Frontiers Programme.
Our History
The conversion of Merville House to a modern centre for new ventures and entrepreneurs was funded by a unique public-private partnership, which included six private sector sponsors, AIB, AMD, Arthur Cox, Deloitte, Ericsson, and Goodbody, along with Enterprise Ireland and UCD.
NovaUCD was officially opened in 2003.
In 2018 UCD announced that it was expanding NovaUCD’s capacity to house start-ups by over 50% with a €6.7 million development project, to renovate and extend the NovaUCD East Courtyard, which was completed at the end of 2019 and was officially opened in October 2021 by Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD.