NovaUCD AI Ecosystem Accelerator
Supports Irish AI startups with mentorship, technical guidance, workspace, and investor showcase events.
The NovaUCD AI Ecosystem Accelerator is a six-month non-cash acceleration program delivered by NovaUCD and CeADAR (Ireland's Centre for AI) at University College Dublin, funded by the EDIH (European Digital Innovation Hub). The program targets Irish-registered AI startups building solutions for global markets and provides commercial mentorship, technical guidance from CeADAR on AI implementation, data strategy, model evaluation and deployment readiness, fundraising support, industry and investor connections, targeted training on positioning and scaling, and access to NovaUCD's co-working space, meeting rooms, and intern talent network. No cash award is provided; all support is in-kind.
Eligibility requires Irish company registration, AI as a core defensible element of the product, a validated MVP or product already in market with active pilots, a technical co-founder or CTO, evidence of customer demand, and an active fundraising plan targeting a round close in the program year. Applications are assessed by a panel from NovaUCD, CeADAR, and the VC community; approximately 20 teams are shortlisted for in-person proposal presentations in Dublin, from which up to 12 companies are selected per cohort. The annual timeline runs from a January–February call for applications through a February 27 deadline, March interviews, April onboarding, six months of mentoring and supports, and an October investor showcase.
The 2026 cohort — the third programme iteration — onboarded in April 2026 with an investor showcase scheduled for October 2026; applications for that cohort are now closed. The 2025 program produced TrojanTrack, an Irish AI startup applying motion analysis to equine performance, which won the One to Watch Award at the 2025 investor showcase. Irish AI founders targeting a 2027 cohort should monitor ucd.ie/innovation and contact Michelle Doyle (michelle.doyle@ucd.ie) for the next call for applications.
Supports up to 12 Irish-registered AI startups per cohort with EDIH-funded mentorship, CeADAR technical guidance, workspace, and an investor showcase, with no cash award.
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