Healthcare Innovation (P. Grad. Cert.)

Overview

Course Overview

You can find the main webpage and application link for this Springboard+ funded course here.

Do you want to help drive a culture of innovation that provides a platform for continuous improvements in healthcare in the future?

In collaboration with the Trinity College School of Medicine and Health Innovation Hub Ireland, this course will enable healthcare professionals across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors to explore and unlock the potential for innovation to improve health related products, services and care pathways. The course will equip students with key skills such as critical thinking, empathy, problem solving and collaboration. It is a level 9 NFQ blended course comprised of three taught modules and is continuously assessed through written and practical work.

Course Content

On this programme, you will learn the fundamental of idea development, creative problem solving and innovation. You will be empowered to investigate a diverse range of innovation-related topics and act on opportunities in a variety of healthcare contexts. You will be able to identify and respond to today’s healthcare innovation opportunities and value in a focused manner. You will be equipped with the skills to critique the commercial, social and cultural value of new opportunities for innovation and evaluate the process involved in bringing an idea through to implementation.

You will learn to approach problem solving in an innovative way, by using tools and techniques to brainstorm new ideas and applying lateral thinking. By engaging with entrepreneurs, academics, business leaders and industry mentors in an informal learning environment, you will learn the fundamentals of both and by availing of valuable peer-to-peer learning you will experience the process of bringing an idea through from development through to implementation.

Module 1: Innovation and Creativity in Healthcare (10 ECTS)

This module explores the principles and practices associated with creativity and innovation. It exposes students to frameworks and methodologies for idea generation, problem solving and creative collaboration in order to support positive innovation in a healthcare context.

Module 2 - Opportunity Generation, Recognition and Communication (10 ECTS)

The aim of this module is to provide the student with the tools to generate and recognise entrepreneurial opportunities. There is also a focus on the communication and articulation of such opportunity in an influential manner.

Module 3 - Enterprise Development in Healthcare (10 ECTS)

This module focuses specifically on the creation, development, growth and funding of innovation driven new ventures in healthcare. It is designed to build on the learnings from Modules 1 and 2, and to increase confidence in students in new venture evaluation, viewing ventures through the perspectives of their multiple stakeholders, most notably the potential investor. Over the course of module 3, each student will identify a new healthcare innovation opportunity to explore and deliver as a venture pitch presentation.

On successful completion of the course, you will be able to:

• Evaluate theories and concepts associated with creativity and innovation in a healthcare context
• Use structured methods of brainstorming and ideation. 
  Empathise with a broad group of stakeholders to identify their needs. 
  Explain how failure can be used as an opportunity for learning in a healthcare setting.
• Manage a healthcare innovation project to successful completion.
• Identify and apply the major steps, tools and frameworks used in discovering, evaluating and developing opportunities for new healthcare ventures.
• Demonstrate critical reasoning skills in identifying the business model and in assessing the viability of new venture opportunities.
• Demonstrate an understanding of new venture financial modelling.
• Present & communicate, in a professional and informed manner, a venture elevator pitch;

This course is supported by Health Innovation Hub Ireland.

Click here for further details on modules/subjects.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted by 30 June 2026. Application forms can be completed online on the Portal website here.