Key facts
Qualification
Level 9 Professional Diploma (20 ECTS)
Register your interest to stay updated with information on this course. The next course begins online on 27th January 2025.
Delivery
Live Online
Morning classes take place from 9:30am to 1:30pm with self-directed individual or team project work in the afternoons. Evening classes will take place from 6pm – 9pm.
See ‘Course Structure‘ below for the 2025/26 timetable.
Duration
7 months, part-time, starts January 27 2025
Fees and Funding
€2,600 (EU) or €2,600 (Non-EU)
This programme is funded through the Higher Education Authority Springboard+ Initiative, with 90 – 100% funding available to eligible applicants – Apply here for funding.
See the Springboard eligibility criteria here.
- FREE for eligible jobseekers receiving DEASP Payments
- FREE for returners to work and carers
- 90% subsidised (student pays €260) eligible individuals in employment or self-employment, and formerly self-employed
Entry Requirements
- Letter of motivation & CV
- A minimum honours degree (Level 8) qualification
- An English language qualification if English is not your first language
OR
- Applicants with a Level 7 primary degree (Pass/Ordinary Bachelor’s Degree) can apply through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), provided they have 2+ years of relevant employment.
- Applicants without a Level 8 qualification can apply through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) with 5+ years of relevant employment.
See the ‘How To Apply‘ section for further details and Springboard funding requirements.
Information Events & Deadline to Apply
Online Info Session: January 7, 1:00PM
Join us for an online information session on January 7th from 1pm – 1:30pm. Learn how this program will equip you with in-demand sustainability skills grounded in innovation and design thinking. Discover the course modules, structure, funding options and whether this course best suits your career goals.
Deadline to Apply: 15 January 2025
Overview
This course is ideal for mid to senior managers across all sectors, wanting, or already with responsibility for sustainability within their team, department, organisation but without a background in innovation or sustainability.
The opportunity to work on real world projects gives a chance to up-skill and incorporates relevant workplace projects. This course gives students the knowledge, skills and mindset to translate sustainability challenges into opportunities using innovation. It runs live online over eight months and students will gain a range of career skills including:
Key Highlights:
- An introduction to key sustainability concepts, terms, models and policy within an Irish context;
- Applied sustainability skills (Carbon Footprinting, Climate Adaptation Planning, Sustainability Reporting);
- Innovation and Design Thinking;
- Transversal skills: Creativity, teamwork, communications, learning agility;
- A capstone two and a half month Innovation for Sustainability project in the workplace/community.
A key focus of this programme is to enable students to help organisations (enterprise and non-profit) integrate sustainability into their strategy, operations and governance, ensuring that sustainability will be grounded as a source of innovation for organisations driving social and economic change.
For example, the module Sustainability: Human Drivers of Innovation looks at the societal drivers for sustainability. Students will learn about the changes in policy, EU regulation and societal values that are requiring organisations to respond to calls to act on climate change, gender equality, diversity, poverty, and other issues. Through the programme students will learn to apply design thinking methodology to sustainability, to achieve innovation in products, processes and behaviour-changes.
Students will gain a holistic view of sustainability which includes the three pillars People, Planet, and Prosperity – to innovate in organisations and enable sustainable development
Our funders
Who is it for?
This course is ideal for mid to senior managers across all sectors, wanting, or already with responsibility for sustainability within their team/department/organisation but without a background in innovation or sustainability.
You might be:
- Working in a large corporate or an SME
- Making the leap into leadership
- Unemployed or formerly self-employed
- A carer or returner to work
- A career changer
Course structure
This fully immersive learning experience is delivered remotely through a combination of live online sessions, self-directed and reflective learning, project work and mentoring sessions. You’ll learn from Innovation Academy’s inspiring educators and leading industry guest speakers from the comfort of your home or office. Nevertheless, this is a very social course, and you’ll collaborate with your fellow innovators on practical team challenges and projects.
The course is split into 4 modules, totalling 20 ECTS.
The first module is delivered completely in a five-day block live online from 9.30am to 1.30pm with self directed learning in the afternoon.
Modules two and three run weekly in the evenings live online, with a final class on a Saturday.
Module 4 runs over 4 months with live online classes from 9:30am – 1:30pm, plus external project work culminating in Action Learning Project presentations. Note on Action Learning Projects: Students undertake a project related to their own context and agreed with their facilitator. Projects can be individual or group projects.
Throughout the duration of the program, there will be additional hours of student effort consisting of self-directed learning, reflective learning and group and individual work.
As the programme involves continuous assessment, participants must attend all class sessions.
See modules and timetable dates below:
- IA40430 Creative Thinking & Innovation Mon 27 - Fri 31 January 2025
- IA40730 Sustainability: Environmental Drivers Of Innovation Thursdays 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th February
- IA40720 Sustainability: Human Drivers in Innovation Thursdays 3rd, 9th, 17th, 24th and Sat 26 April 2025
- IA40710 Innovation for Sustainability Solutions Tuesdays 20 May, 10 Jun, 1 July, 22 July, 12 Aug and Wednesday 13 Aug 2025
- Why choose us?
- Learning outcomes
- How to apply
- Assessment
- Who leads this course?
- Career opportunities
UCD Innovation Academy sits at the cutting-edge of education in Ireland, and the world.
We’ve been challenging students to see the world differently since 2010, when we became one of the first universities to offer experiential learning experiences.
Our team has been innovating ever since, shaping and refining our courses with input from some of the world’s best. Thousands of students have passed through the Academy, and each one has played their part in making our courses better and better. We have countless examples of our alumni accelerating their careers and changing the world from within organisations or as entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs.
Students at the Academy also have access to the latest technology to support their creativity. The IA MakerSpace provides a playground for innovation, testing, and prototyping to bring your ideas to life.
As if that wasn’t enough, we’re a part of UCD, ranked among the top 1% of higher education institutions in the world. We’re Ireland’s global university and ranked Ireland’s best for graduate employability. And we currently have Professor Sir Mark Welland, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Cambridge acting as our External Examiner.
Here at the Innovation Academy we have everything you need for a learning experience you’ll never forget.
By the end of the Professional Diploma in Innovation for Sustainability, you will:
- Know key sustainability concepts, terms, models and policy within an Irish context;
- Know applied green skills including Carbon Footprinting, Climate Adaptation Planning, Sustainability Reporting;
- Put Innovation and Design Thinking into practice;
- Develop transversal skills including creativity, teamwork, communications, learning agility;
- Gain an innovator’s mindset;
- Build creative confidence via practical challenges;
- Build your CV with a substantial innovation project module;
- Build a peer network of friends, contacts and collaborators;
- Leave ready to apply your new skills to progress your career;
- Have a Level 9 qualification from UCD.
Please note that applications are reviewed and places offered on a rolling basis so we encourage you to apply early to secure a place on the programme.
Deadline to Apply: 15 January 2025
If you have any questions or would like to speak with a member of the Innovation Academy team about your application, email us at innovation.academy@ucd.ie or call us at 01 716 2065. We’d be happy to support you staring your education journey.
How To Apply
If you are an international student or ineligible for Springboard funding, please see ‘Applying Directly to UCD’.
This programme is funded through the Higher Education Authority Springboard+ Initiative, with 90 – 100% funding available to eligible applicants, for full-time residents in the Republic of Ireland.
Funding:
- FREE for eligible jobseekers: those who are currently receiving eligible DEASP Payments.
- FREE for returners to work and carers.
- 90% subsidised (student pays €260) eligible individuals in employment or self-employment, and the formerly self-employed.
Please follow the steps below to apply for a Springboard funded place.
Step 1)
Begin your Springboard application here.
Step 2)
Upload the required documents listed below:
A) Current CV
B) Letter of Motivation (one page), addressing the following:
- Why you want to do the course at this time
- What you hope to achieve from doing this course
- What you can contribute to this course
C) A copy of your academic transcript to show that you have a minimum of an Undergraduate Honours Bachelor’s Degree (NFQ Level 8). If you previously studied at UCD, please provide your UCD student number on a Word document/PDF.
OR
Applicants who do not have a level 8 qualification can apply through Recognition of Prior Learning.
Under UCD’s Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) policy, consideration will be given on a case by case basis to applicants who do not hold a primary degree but who can demonstrate extensive professional experience. Typically, such applicants would have five years or more experience where their role includes managing teams, leading projects, programmes or business units.
If you are applying under RPL, please review your CV to ensure that it clearly demonstrates the following-
- Any experience of leadership and self-direction
- Any experience of management or entrepreneurship
- A description of employee, budget and client responsibilities
RPL applicants should also upload two recently dated professional/employment references. These should be on headed paper or from an official email address and including the referees name, role and email address.
D) If English is not your first language, an English language qualification is required. Click HERE for full English Language Requirements for UCD.
Step 3)
If you are successful, you will be offered a provisional offer.
Following provisional offers, UCD Innovation Academy will request evidence of eligibility in respect of holding a valid PPSN; Nationality; Current Residency; 3 of 5 Years EU/EEA residency; and current Employment Status between six weeks and two weeks from the stated course start date.
It is only at this point that eligibility for funding through the HEA Springboard initiative can be ascertained.
Visit our FAQs here
Applying Directly to UCD
Step 1)
Apply for the course via UCD. You will need to create an account if you do not already have a UCD Connect account.
Online Program: Apply Here
Step 2)
Upload the required documents listed below
A) Current CV
B) Letter of Motivation (one page), addressing the following:
- Why you want to do the course at this time
- What you hope to achieve from doing this course
- What you can contribute to this course
C) A copy of your academic transcript to show that you have a minimum of an Undergraduate Honours Bachelor’s Degree (NFQ Level 8). If you previously studied at UCD, please provide your UCD student number on a Word document/PDF.
OR
Applicants who do not have a level 8 qualification can apply through Recognition of Prior Learning.
Under UCD’s Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) policy, consideration will be given on a case by case basis to applicants who do not hold a Level 8 primary degree (Honours Bachelor’s Degree) but who fulfil either of the following criteria:
Holding a Level 7 primary degree (Pass/Ordinary Bachelor’s Degree): upload your academic transcript of your Level 7 and demonstrate min. 2 years work experience on your CV. Professional references may be required.
No Level 7/8 degree: min. 5 years work experience and 2 recently dated professional/employment references required. These should be on headed paper or from an official email address and including the referees name, role and email address.
Please review your CV to ensure that it clearly demonstrates the following:
a. Any experience of leadership and self-direction;
b. Any experience of management or entrepreneurship;
c. A description of any responsibilities that demonstrate accountability, resource management, or client engagement (if applicable).
D) If English is not your first language, an English language qualification is required. Click HERE for full English Language Requirements for UCD.
As the course involves continuous assessment, students must attend all class sessions.
The rest of the course is assessed through a combination of individual and team assignments, project reports and presentations.
All courses at the Innovation Academy are developed and facilitated by our exceptional team of educators.
The team boasts a wealth of experience from a wide variety of backgrounds. They are international entrepreneurs, doctors (both medical and academic), robotics experts, storytellers, conservationists, campaigners, and creatives.
What they all have in common is their love of the innovative, learning-by-doing approach to learning and their devotion to delivering a world-class student experience.
Read more about the people behind this course.
Demand for green skills is already outstripping supply.
This course will teach you the skills you need to become your organisation’s champion in innovation for sustainability.
What industry says:
“We need to educate and arm our frontline people. Our marketing team now lead on sustainable packaging, our trading team on supply chain impact, energy usage is a key metric for our store development team.” – John Curran, Head of Sustainability, Musgraves
“Innovation and Sustainability go hand in hand.” – Cormac Madden, Environment and Sustainability Manager, ESB
UCD Innovation Academy is delighted to partner with Accredible in the provision of digital credentials across all of our programmes. We believe lifelong learning should be encouraged and celebrated, and digital credentials will allow you to share your accomplishments on LinkedIn and other online platforms to promote among your network.
Students who successfully complete and pass this programme will receive a digital certificate of completion. The certificate is issued online once the UCD Exam Board sits and approves your grade. UCD Exam Board sits three times a year (Autumn, Spring, Summer trimester) and approval times vary depending on the Exam Board calendar. The certificate of completion is separate to the official parchment, which arrives in hard copy at a later date.
Real world relevance, including relevance for your career, is an integral part of this programme, supported through applied real world learning including enterprise challenges from real organisations, ongoing engagement with the world of work through external enterprise speakers, a teaching team who all bring substantial enterprise experience and a programme director with over 20 years experience in sustainability across education and enterprise.
This entire course is designed to equip participants with the job-ready skills that will help them manage innovation for sustainability with an SME, start-up, or large enterprise.
The real-world challenges that participants encounter during this course are designed to be applied to their current or future work environment, working in multi-disciplinary teams, with limited resources to prototype solutions and pitch them to senior decision-makers. If you’re in employment, this is ensures real time impact for your organisation from the programme.
The development of transversal skills is a vital part of the job readiness component of this programme: creativity, teamwork, communication skills and learning agility are threaded throughout the programme.
