The Digital Hub, located in Dublin’s historic Liberties, is a vital part of the Irish start-up scene, and firmly rooted in its Dublin 8 community.
Over 200 businesses and thousands of skilled employees have progressed through its doors. This week, they welcomed ten new creative and digital companies to the fold, bringing the number of resident companies to 95 and the total number employed there to 700.
Some of the newcomers to the hub are:
Gingerbread Animation, an animation house specialising in 2D animation content for kids.
Planet Korda Pictures, a small Irish film and television production company.
Kubicle, specialising in workplace Excel training.
Wachsman PR, an international PR agency specializing in financial technology
Giraffe Games, an interactive entertainment company.
Audi Dublin International Film Festival, Ireland’s premier film event taking place in February.
The environment is collaborative, with opportunities to network and form partnerships between fledgling companies, and hosting workshops and talks.
Grainne Humphreys, Festival Director at Audi Dublin International Film Festival said the company would benefit from the move, both to the central location and the high-tech environment.
"Emerging technology is changing the way film makers tell stories and sitting alongside so many digital companies is hugely beneficial. On a practical note, it’s very close to many of the film distribution companies, many cinemas and all transport hubs, not to mention some of the best coffee in the city!" - Grainne Humphreys, Audi Dublin International Film Festival
Of course, having so many dedicated tech and creative professionals in one place is attractive to other businesses, but the Digital Hub has another focus: Its D8 community. The hub regularly runs learning initiatives focused on digital literacy; from classes in how to use your smartphone or surf the internet, to more advanced creative workshops aimed towards young people.
This month, as part of the greater Liberties Festival (17th to 22nd July), they’re running a free Crazy Scientist Workshop for ages 8 and up to learn to create and invent musical instruments, game controllers and digital art tools using unlikely household items from carrots to coins and playdough. To register for the workshop, taking place on July 22nd in St Patrick’s park, Wood Quay, go here.
The Digital Hub also partners with NCAD (the National College of Art and Design) to come up with digital projects for the community. This week, the two campuses are hosting a 5-day conference to present the Digital Pathways project to primary and post-primary teachers. The project, launched in January, focused on sharing best practice for developing young people’s digital skills and empowering them to be entrepreneurs.
Another program, Future Creators, runs after school and teaches teens from Dublin 8 to use digital creative skills, such as coding, video, blogging and social media. It's a valuable opportunity for local youth, not just to learn important and rewarding skills, but to see behind the potentially intimidating walls of the tech world, to future possibilities and opportunities.
The Digital Hub was set up by the state in 2003 to provide a space for Dublin’s young tech companies to grow, with flexible office rental and a collaborative environment. In 2003, by the end of its first year, it had welcomed sixteen companies and 250 employees to its campus. Today, it has over 700 people working for 95 companies, including Athena Media, Eventbrite, Maithú, the Irish Internet Association, NDRC and Silicon Republic.
