When the doors opened at WorkIQ in Tallaght last year, it marked more than the launch of a new innovation centre. It signalled the beginning of a long-term commitment to transforming a place through people, enterprise and partnership.
What’s emerging in South Dublin isn’t just a new building; it’s a bold new model for local economic development powered by collaboration between the public sector, private enterprise, and the community.
At a recent panel event hosted at WorkIQ, we were joined by representatives from South Dublin County Council, local investors and business owners to reflect on what it takes to make innovation spaces succeed. The collective message was clear: community makes the difference.
A brave new model
"We don’t build buildings ourselves," explained Jo Stevens, Managing Director at Oxford Innovation Space. "We always work with a partner, a university, or a local authority. What excited us here was the brave local authority and the raw talent and ingredients that were here."
That bravery came in the form of South Dublin County Council, which has invested more than €80 million into the local area in just a few years. As Jason Frehill, Director of Economic, Enterprise & Tourism Development at the Council put it:
"This isn’t just about today. It’s about creating the conditions for success in ten, fifteen and twenty years’ time. Ideally, we want the businesses here at the moment to outgrow this centre, but we need to have space for them to move elsewhere in Tallaght. If there's a domino effect, we get the next generation of businesses coming in, and so forth."
Their vision is bold: to regenerate Tallaght with 11,000 new homes, create 1,500 jobs per year, and develop a series of interconnected innovation hubs across the county. WorkIQ is just the beginning.
People first
But buildings alone don’t spark innovation.
"You can't just build something and expect people to come," Jo continued. "It’s about what you do inside. It’s the community you engage with that makes it a success."
For Eamon Leonard, co-founder of Broadstone VC and a Tallaght native, the key lies in intentional community building:
"It’s the people that make the community. Serendipitous things are where real opportunities lie, but they are hard to engineer. You need to put all the ingredients in place and add a bit of spark."
And that sense of community pride runs deep in Tallaght. Many of the entrepreneurs who work here are from the area, and there’s a strong desire to stay rooted. Rather than seeing local talent pulled into Dublin or further afield, the aim was to create a space that gave people a reason to stay, grow, and build their future right here in their own community.
Supporting entrepreneurs to thrive
WorkIQ isn’t just home to startups—it’s a support system. Elizabeth Dunne, Group Finance Manager at Primecore, chose the space not just for its facilities and location, but for the flexibility, networking, and sense of belonging:
"There’s always a support network. You can go to work, close the door, but if you need help, there’s a great sense of community with all the events they host. We’ve been here since September and it has been fantastic."
That support is reinforced by the Local Enterprise Office, which also calls Work IQ home. With more than 3,600 active clients, the LEO provides everything from mentoring to export advice and grants. Jason added,
"The SME sector is where the magic is. These are the businesses employing local people and driving the local economy."
Power in partnership
This is what real partnership looks like: a shared long-term commitment to a place and its people. Jo summed it up powerfully:
"If it feels like we’re just a service provider managing a building, we’re not interested. We’re here because we believe in the success of this place, in its people, and in what they can achieve."
Work IQ is set across four storeys and offers three floors of flexible office accommodation to support up to 60 local entrepreneurs and businesses. The 2,980m² building also features a public area on the ground floor, which includes a café facing directly onto a stunning new urban plaza.
As Tallaght continues to evolve, WorkIQ offers a template for how innovation spaces can be more than just buildings. They can be launchpads for local ambition, built on courage, community, and collaboration.
