Business Incubation Centre Profile

The establishment of the Business Incubation Centre in National College of Ireland (NCI) represents the most exiting and dynamic new development between education and industry in Ireland today.

All of us are aware of the huge contribution that the Irish Educational System makes both to society and to our economy. In their own right both Education and Training are major service industries that generate large revenues annually. However, there still exists a large cohort of the population who, for a number of reasons never get the chance to avail of these educational opportunities. NCI, through its unique 'campus without walls' paradigm is well positioned to open up educational opportunities for many different groups in a flexible and accessible manner that meets learner's needs -through its campus in the centre of Dublin, its network of 40 off-campus centres, on-site educational hubs within business and community settings and its online programme.

As we move towards a knowledge based economy we must invest heavily in up-skilling our workforce to respond to constant change through a process of 'lifelong learning'. It is in this context that BIC has been established to provide an environment where companies who operate in the e-learning and educational/training sectors can develop and grow. The Business Incubation Centre has been designed around the concept of building a 'community of peers', where businesses operating out of the centre will benefit from shared knowledge, resources and equipment as well as the support of entrepreneurs, state agencies, academics and international networks. The centre, through its international connections and specialist support mechanisms, will provide a unique rarefied environment for companies identified in the field of innovation in Education and Learning space:

• Pre-incubation research projects moving towards commercialisation
• Indigenous high potential start-ups
• Specialist research projects from major multinational corporations