Dublin is about to become the latest European city to join the startup campus craze.
Today, the city announced a proposal to create The Harbour Innovation Campus. The proposed campus was described as a “state-of-the-art shared innovation space for local and international companies” that will have 75,000 square feet and room for 1,000 members across its former arrivals hall, departure lounge, baggage hall, and ticket office buildings. Externally, the historic building will remain unchanged, but internally the building will be repurposed to serve the needs of a world-class innovation campus while offering stunning sea views from almost every desk.
The former ferry building is situated on Dublin Bay, about 20 minutes from the city center. The proposal is being spearheaded by local businessman Phillip Gannon.
“Dublin yearns for it’s own coastal innovation hub, and this is it,” Gannon said in a statement. “Inside the Harbour Innovation Campus, founders, innovators, and entrepreneurs will find several VC funds, a wide range of trained mentors, and numerous business advisors all focused on helping occupants to grow their businesses.”
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Gannon noted that Brexit “continues to create uncertainty for U.K. and European relations” and said he hopes the new campus can leverage that situation to attract more startups to Ireland.
The new campus will include a maker space for “creative prototype design in wood, metal, plastic, and electronics.” It will also offer space for larger corporations that want to rub shoulders with startups.
Building a startup campus is a thing now in Europe, with Paris, London, Berlin, Lisbon, Helsinki and Venice all making their claim. Though quite large, the new Dublin startup campus would be about a fifth the size of Paris’ Station F, the mega startup campus that opened last summer.
