ENFUSE 2022 Open For Applications

ENFUSE 2022

Please note: the application form for ENFUSE 2022 is now closed. For updates and to apply to ENFUSE please go to the main page here

https://www.localenterprise.ie/DublinCity/Enterprise-Development/ENFUSE/ 

ENFUSE matches local enterprises and social enterprises with teams of masters level university and college students. During semester 2 (January-May) as part of a module, students work in teams typically of 4-6 members with selected enterprises. The students help provide insights, propose solutions and ultimately present a bespoke and tangible plan that sets out how the enterprise can innovate, address challenges and develop opportunities. Student teams present the plan to the enterprise to implement and to their module lecturer to assess. In addition, shortlisted student teams compete at the ENFUSE finals in May. The teams represent their university and compete by pitching to industry / expert judges on the plan they created for their assigned enterprise.

Student teams can assist participating enterprises with:

Strategy, Marketing, Digital Marketing, Innovation, Design Thinking, Opportunity Identification and Evaluation, Digital Transformation, Internationalisation, Tourism / Hospitality / Event Development, New Product / Service Development, Business / Market Development, Finance, Data Analysis, Machine Learning and more.

 

ENFUSE Aims

  • Support local enterprises by providing bespoke plans to innovate, address challenges and develop opportunities
  • Provide masters students with real-world consultancy and enterprise experience
  • Enhance the local innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem

 

Benefits of participating as an enterprise

  • Bespoke plan to innovate, address challenges, develop opportunities
  • Market research, insights and new ideas
  • Opportunity to screen potential employees from the student teams (Grants are available to support the employment of graduates via: LEO Priming / Business Expansion Grants and Enterprise Ireland Gradstart)
  • Enable students to gain relevant real-world experience 
  • No cost to the enterprise
  • Promotional opportunities
  • Intellectual property rights and confidentiality are protected

 

Testimonials from participant enterprises

‘The team helped me to open my mind and see my business from a different perspective, asking questions that challenged me every step of the way. Their hard work and, precise and thorough research has produced a very practical marketing plan that has facilitated my solopreneur daily workload’. Diana Riquel, My Tea Workshop

‘The team of students we worked with delved into the background of our company to try and further understand our future objectives. The final document we received helped us to achieve a more intensive expansion model and also gave us a fresh perspective on certain aspects of our business, ENFUSE was an excellent learning experience for us’. Jessica Conlon, Twigs

‘ENFUSE is a wonderful way for the gap to be bridged between students and businesses. MAKER has taken part in the initiative for three consecutive years and has found the student's research to be insightful and a valuable asset to evolution of the business. I highly recommend businesses to participate. It keeps businesses in touch with emerging trends & fresh thinking from the students and allows students to gain live experience with businesses in their community’. Kate O'Moore, MAKER

 

Role of Enterprises

  1. Complete the ENFUSE – Application Form (Link Below)
  2. Propose a relevant challenge / opportunity / area for a student team to develop a plan on 
  3. Nominate a representative to liaise with, meet the team at least four times, provide information
  4. Interact responsibly and respectfully with the student team
  5. Participate in an evaluation survey
  6. Approve presentation content if allocated student team is selected to compete at the ENFUSE Finals

ENFUSE Timeline

Phase:

1 Promotion

2 Matching

3 Meetings

4 Presentation

5 Finals

 

 

 

ENFUSE Promotion / Enterprises Apply

Enterprises selected & matched with student teams

Enterprises & Student Team Meetings* (Approx. 4)

Presentation of Plan to Enterprise & Module Lecturer

ENFUSE Finals**

Dates:

January

(Early) February

February - March

April

May (TBC - 26/05/2022)

 (Please note the timeline is subject to change) 

*Meetings will be arranged directly between the student team and enterprise. Depending on government restrictions and education institution health and safety advice, meetings can be physical or virtual. Please review up to date government restrictions regarding meeting physically before arranging etc. If physical meetings are permitted, students are covered under TU Dublin, DCU, NCI insurance respectively to visit enterprises / sites. After each meeting, student teams should share minutes / notes taken / next steps with their respective enterprise. 

**ENFUSE Finals will feature shortlisted student teams. The teams represent their university and compete by pitching to industry / expert judges on the plan they created for their assigned enterprise. Participating students and enterprises along with industry guests will be invited to attend the ENFUSE Finals. 

Enterprise Selection Process

  • ENFUSE is open to registered enterprises and social enterprises that are primarily trading and based in Dublin City
  • Preference is given to existing Local Enterprise Office – Dublin City client enterprises
  • Enterprises are selected according to the suitability of their proposed challenge / opportunity / area for the students to develop a plan on and according to the availability of students teams
  • Student teams will be allocated or will self-select an enterprise that they wish to work with
  • Enterprises will be informed of their application status by 07/02/2022
  • Submission Deadline for Applications: 23:59, 23/01/2022

 

Terms and Conditions

The availability of student teams is limited. A submitted application does not guarantee that the applicant enterprise will be matched or will be matched with their preferred MSC/Skill area student team.

Plans will be produced by MSc student teams from TU Dublin/DCU/NCI and will be presented to participating enterprises during April/May 2022. The plans will be reviewed confidentially by relevant lecturers/staff for academic assessment. Plans may also be reviewed by relevant staff in DCC/LEO Dublin City to shortlist for the ENFUSE Finals.

ENFUSE is not a work placement for students in participating enterprises. Students research and develop a plan for enterprises as part of a module on their course. During the programme, students will spend a portion of their time each week to research, liaise with the enterprise and develop the plan. Students are not responsible for implementing the plan. 

Although unlikely, due to external circumstances, student teams may be forced to disband or be unable to continue their participation. University/college partners reserve the right to withdraw their students from the programme. 

Students will sign and include in the plan, a confidentiality agreement designed to protect the commercial confidence and intellectual property rights of the enterprise. Students’ participation in the programme is governed by the ethical research guidelines of TU Dublin/DCU/NCI as appropriate.

Enterprises are not obliged to accept or implement recommendations proposed by their allocated student team and accept full responsibility for any consequences arising from the implementation of such recommendations. ENFUSE project partners: DCC, LEO Dublin City, TU Dublin, DCU, NCI, Dublin Place Brand, DRSF, DPER no liability for any loss, debts or negative impacts incurred by enterprises arising from participation in ENFUSE and / or implementing student’s recommendations / plans.

Participating enterprises may be featured in promotional material/reports in order to promote the enterprise, ENFUSE or the services of DCC/LEO Dublin City. Enterprises that are represented by finalist teams at the ENFUSE Finals will be featured in promotional materials.

Privacy Notice

DCC / LEO – Dublin City and ENFUSE project partners respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. Please read this notice as it describes why your personal data is needed to apply and potentially participate in ENFUSE, and also how your personal data will be used. For further information on privacy and your rights, please see the Dublin City Council Privacy Statement and the Local Enterprise Office Personal Data Protection Notice.

To apply to participate in ENFUSE, applicants are required to complete an online application form. In this form, applicants are asked to provide data which includes contact details and information on their enterprise and area / challenge / opportunity that they would like a student team to complete a plan.

The reason for requiring and processing this data is to process applications and to manage the programme. Contact details are required to allow for efficient communication and to inform applicants of their application status and to provide relevant updates on ENFUSE and other LEO supports. Applications are confidentially shared with participating lecturers and relevant student teams as part of selecting and matching enterprises with teams and to enable the teams to contact and directly liaise with their allocated enterprise. Participating enterprises will be connected with their student team by DCC / LEO – Dublin City and the relevant lecturer. Applications and data provided will be securely stored in line with retention protocols in DCC, LEO and university / college project partners.  

If you have any questions regarding the application form, process and management of your data, please contact: economicdevelopment@dublincity.ie

 

Please note: the application form for ENFUSE 2022 is now closed. 

 

Apply to ENFUSE

(Please click on the link above)

 

Further Information:

ENFUSE is a pilot project led by Dublin City Council (DCC) / Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Dublin City in collaboration with Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), Dublin City University (DCU) and National College of Ireland (NCI). ENFUSE is supported by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER), Dublin Place Brand and the Dublin Regional Skills Forum (DRSF). In national recognition of the innovativeness and potential to scale, DCC was awarded Public Service Innovation Funding in 2020 from the DPER as part of the Our Public Service initiative. The funding was used to develop branding, communications and programme materials.

ENFUSE began in 2019 when 13 local enterprises and social enterprises were matched with 60 students from TU Dublin. The students worked in teams to research the context, challenges and opportunities regarding their allocated enterprises. In 2020, students from DCU also participated, and in 2021 students from National College of Ireland participated. Each year since it began, the programme has expanded and the impact has increased as more enterprises, students and project partners have participated and benefited.

Project Partners

  • Dublin City Council is the Local Authority and the democratically elected body that governs Dublin City. It is the largest Local Authority in Ireland and provides a vast range of services. Through its Economic Development Office and the Local Enterprise Office – Dublin City, it encourages and supports strategic economic and enterprise ecosystem development in the city. ( http://www.dublincity.ie/ )
  • Local Enterprise Office Dublin City is a first stop shop for entrepreneurs and micro and small businesses. The office provides various supports and services to help start, grow and develop businesses in the Dublin City area. ( https://www.localenterprise.ie/DublinCity/ )
  • Technological University Dublin, Ireland’s first Technological University, is where career-focused students, dedicated staff and academic excellence in science, the arts, business, engineering, and technology converge to create the leaders of tomorrow. TU Dublin offers an inclusive and open learning experience with pathways to graduation from Apprenticeship to PhD where 28,500 students learn in a practice-based environment informed by the latest research and enabled by technological advances. TU Dublin welcomes opportunities for students to collaborate with real-world businesses, identify challenges and opportunities, and leverage their studies to develop fresh insights and innovative solutions. ( https://www.tudublin.ie/ )
  • Dublin City University is a young, dynamic and ambitious Irish university with a distinctive mission to transform lives and societies through education, research and innovation. Since admitting students in 1980, DCU has grown substantially, to host over 17,000 students and 1,800 staff, across 3 academic campuses. DCU’s student body is cosmopolitan, with 109 countries represented. The number of DCU alumni worldwide now exceeds 57,000. DCU currently delivers more than 200 programmes through five faculties: DCU’s Institute of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, Science and Health, Engineering and Computing and DCU Business School. ( https://www.dcu.ie/ ) 
  • National College of Ireland (NCI) provides a supportive learning environment for students from all over the world. With experienced staff, modern facilities and a prime city-centre location, NCI is tailored for all study needs. From accredited degrees to chartered qualifications, NCI’s courses are designed to be career-relevant and developed in partnership with industry. The college is based near Dublin’s historic Docklands area, which places students right in the heart of the action. Key features include: Internationally recognised qualifications accredited by QQI; smaller class sizes and experienced educators. (https://www.ncirl.ie/)
  • Dublin Place Brand is the marketing brand used to attract people to live, work, invest or study in the Dublin region. It provides a strong identity for the city and region, reinforced by www.Dublin.ie – a one-stop shop for living, working, studying and investing in Dublin. The website features stories, articles and informational content for both national and international audiences. ( https://dublin.ie/)
  • Dublin Regional Skills Forum (DRSF) is part of a national network supported by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science focused on fostering stronger links between enterprise and education / training providers. The DRSF supports and facilitates communication and engagement between enterprises, further and higher education and training providers in the identification, development and delivery of skills required for Dublin. ( https://www.regionalskills.ie/regions/dublin/ )
  • Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) works to serve the public interest through sound governance of public expenditure and be leading and enabling reform across the Civil and Public Service. An initiative of DPER is: Our Public Service (OPS) which is a framework for development and innovation in Ireland’s public service.  The actions within the framework will deliver better quality services to the Irish public. The Public Service Innovation Fund (PSIF) is a competitive fund that aims to support innovative ideas from public service organisations and turn them into a reality with funding. Dublin City Council was competitively selected and awarded funding from the PSIF in 2020 to scale and develop ENFUSE. ( https://www.gov.ie/en/organisation/department-of-public-expenditure-and-reform/ /  https://www.ops.gov.ie/ )