34 The SETU GrowthHub

Dr Margaret Tynan introduced the GrowthHub, a Human Capital Initiative (HCI) funded project developed in collaboration with TU Dublin to foster entrepreneurial mindsets with sustainability at their core. Based in a purpose-built collaborative learning space, GrowthHub uses design thinking, hackathons, and experiential learning to help students tackle real-world challenges.

Sustainability is positioned as a driver of innovation and entrepreneurship, creating opportunities for students to explore business models that deliver economic, social, and ecological value. Activities include ideation workshops grounded in the SDGs, speaker events featuring sustainable entrepreneurs, and student-led initiatives such as swap shops and circular fashion panels.

A flagship event, InspireFest, focused on sustainable entrepreneurship. It combined keynote talks, panel discussions, and design sprints with student showcases, craft fairs, and upcycling challenges. The aim was to inspire students by highlighting positive, solution-oriented approaches to sustainability while providing hands-on opportunities to act.

GrowthHub also supports staff through training in new methodologies (such as the Climate Fresk) and funds cross-disciplinary projects through bursaries. Upcoming initiatives include Innovate for Sustainability, a multi-institutional programme of design sprints and accelerators focused on sustainable enterprise.

Dr Tynan emphasised that sustainability can feel overwhelming for students. GrowthHub reframes it as an opportunity, celebrating what can be achieved and demonstrating that entrepreneurial thinking can be a powerful catalyst for sustainable change.

About the author

name: Dr Margaret Tynan

institution: South East Technological University

Dr Margaret Tynan is the GROWTHhub Project Lead and a Senior Lecturer in Enterprise and Management at South East Technological University.