TU Dublin Host Climate Entrepreneurship Camps for Transition Year Students
In September, the School of Marketing and Entrepreneurship at TU Dublin hosted Transition Year (TY) students from five local schools for a weeklong climate entrepreneurship camp across four TU Dublin campuses. A total of 206 students participated in these HEA-funded events, which marked an expansion from the previous year's initiative involving 150 students at three campuses.
Student Solutions to Climate Emergency
Building on the success of the 2023 camps, the increased funding from the HEA for 2024 enabled TU Dublin to collaborate with more schools, including local DEIS schools, and expand the program to an additional campus. While the 2023 camps took place at the Aungier Street, Tallaght, and Blanchardstown campuses, the 2024 edition included the Grangegorman campus.
TU Dublin staff prepare packs for Climate Entrepreneurship Camp participants
Dr Etain Kidney, Head of the School of Marketing & Entrepreneurship, highlighted the programme's impact: "The Climate Entrepreneurship camps exemplify TU Dublin's commitment to engaging meaningfully with our local communities through our expert teaching staff. In 2023, we reached three schools; in 2024, we connected with five. Given the success of these pilot programs, we hope that the HEA will support further expansion in 2025, allowing us to engage even more schools."
Students explore Bamboo Toothbrushes as an alternative to single-use plastic brushes
Dr Anthony Buckley, Programme Director for the Climate Entrepreneurship Camps and Head of Discipline for Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Sales, emphasised the broader benefits: "These camps create value not only for participating schools and TU Dublin but also for the entire education sector in the Greater Dublin region and beyond. We've successfully piloted a programme that can be integrated into TY curricula across the region and nationwide. The camps introduce students to sustainability, entrepreneurship, and teamwork in an engaging way, while also giving them a preview of third-level education. Feedback from participants indicates the programme boosts student confidence, raises aspirations, and positively shifts mindsets, particularly for students from DEIS schools. The camps demonstrate that TY is an ideal time to bridge the gap between secondary and higher education."
The 2024 programme participants include:
- Aungier Street Campus – Partner school – Larkin Community College – 62 students
TU Dublin Lecturers - Jennifer McDonnell (Lead) and Niamh McEvoy (School of Marketing & Entrepreneurship)
- Grangegorman Campus – Partner schools – St. Paul's CBS Secondary School (35 students) and Stanhope Street Secondary School (14 students)
TU Dublin lecturers - Edi Oliveira (Lead) and Aleksandra Gruszka (School of Marketing & Entrepreneurship)
- Blanchardstown Campus – Blakestown Community School (49 students)
TU Dublin lecturers – Saad Ahmed (Lead) and Nkechinyem Omeife (School of Marketing & Entrepreneurship)
- Tallaght Campus – St.Marks Community School (46 students)
TU Dublin lecturers – Gavan Cleary (GrowthHub) and Daniel Kamphambale (School of Accountancy, Economics and Finance).
The expanded 2024 camps have further strengthened connections between TU Dublin and the local educational community, paving the way for more inclusive and impactful programs in the future.
Programme Details
Over the four days of the programme, the students are taken through a structured climate entrepreneurship programme based on a process developed by the participating lecturers in the School of Marketing & Entrepreneurship and GrowthHub. The process is as follows:
- Day 1 – Team Formation & Problem Definition (contextualised within the Sustainable Development Goals)
- Day 2 – Problem to Solution 1.0
- Day 3 – Solution 2.0 and Pitch Preparation
- Day 4 – Pitch