New EdTech Masterclass Series to help Irish startups compete

Title image  Elliott Masie, Masie Learning Foundation; Maria Gavin, Enterprise Ireland; Peter Doyle, BESA (British Educational Suppliers Association); Nessa McEniff and Dave Farrelly, Learnovate

The Learnovate Centre at Trinity College Dublin is planning a regional rollout of its EdTech Masterclass Series as part of its strategy to help Irish EdTech and HRTech startups to stay competitive in the global market.

The learning technology centre launched the EdTech Masterclass Series in partnership with Enterprise Ireland earlier this year, with two sessions taking place at the Trinity Innovation Hub on Grand Canal Quay in Dublin in March and April.

EdTech Masterclass Series

Some 56 companies attended the two sessions, including Irish EdTech founders, learning solutions providers, and innovation partners, where they received practical guidance from leading industry figures on how they can scale, expand innovation capacity, and compete in the global market.

Among the guest speakers was Elliott Masie, the internationally renowned founder of the Masie Learning Foundation, a think tank focused on how organisations use technology to improve learning and knowledge sharing. Elliott is an influential figure in the global learning industry and is credited with having coined the term “e-learning”.

The first session – Masterclass 1: Navigating Growth in a Changing Tech Landscape – featured facilitated group discussions on how to identify market and technology opportunities, assess organisational readiness for growth, and develop innovation strategies to drive growth.

The second session – Masterclass 2: Enhancing Innovation – helped companies to develop and validate innovative solutions, leverage AI and emerging tech, and explore opportunities for collaboration on research and development as well as funding. The session saw attendees take part in ideation sprints, reflection rounds, and exercises to define next steps.

Discussions were facilitated by Dr Peter Gillis, Innovation Services Lead at Learnovate. Input from the likes of Elliott Masie and Dr Peter Gillis provided participants with a clear knowledge of how to scale their business, expand their innovation capacity and break into new markets.

Following the success of its Dublin event, Learnovate and Enterprise Ireland now plan to extend their support to startups across the regions by hosting the EdTech Masterclass Series in Athlone in September and November this year.

The move to host the Masterclass Series outside Dublin forms part of Learnovate’s strategy to further establish itself as a driving force behind Ireland’s EdTech and HRTech innovation ecosystem by providing education and supports to startups as they aim to scale, expand innovation and compete globally.

The event is the product of collaboration between senior figures at both Learnovate and Enterprise Ireland, including Nessa McEniff, Centre Director of Learnovate; David Farrelly, Head of Membership Services at Learnovate; Dr Peter Gillis, Innovation Services Lead at Learnovate; Maria Gavin, Senior Executive in Industry Sector Engagement at Enterprise Ireland; and Nicola Kelly, Senior Client Adviser at Enterprise Ireland.

Head of Membership Services Dave Farrelly says:

“The Learnovate Centre is delighted to mark the success of the EdTech Masterclass Series in partnership with Enterprise Ireland by announcing plans for a regional rollout of the initiative in the autumn.

“Irish EdTech companies are operating in an increasingly competitive global market where the ability to innovate quickly is the difference between success and failure. That’s why, through this masterclass series, we’re helping organisations to step back, assess where they are, and take effective steps to scale and innovate.

“We look forward to bringing Masterclasses 1 and 2 to Athlone later this year where we hope that participants will continue to come away with clearly defined priorities, knowledge of funding pathways, and leads to potential collaboration partners.”

Donnchadh Cullinan, Head of Enterprise Solutions at Enterprise Ireland, says:

“The EdTech Masterclass series has offered a constructive learning environment for founders and practitioners to explore how AI and emerging technologies are influencing innovation in learning and talent development. Creating space for peer discussion, shared insight and experimentation at this early stage is important. Enterprise Ireland welcomes Learnovate’s plans to continue evolving the series and to pilot regional sessions later in the year.”

For more information, or to arrange interviews, contact Martha Kearns from StoryLab at +35387 272 0212

About Learnovate:
Learnovate is a global research and innovation centre in the future of work and learning in Trinity College Dublin. An industry-led technology centre funded by Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, Learnovate supports organisations to unlock the transformative power of learning using applied research, innovative practices, and technology. Learnovate’s vision is to be globally recognised as a centre of excellence for the future of work and learning, and to enable Ireland to strengthen its competitive position in this sector.

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