Beyond the Classroom: Taking Immersive Education Across Sectors

What if 50% of a university degree happened inside industry?

At the University of Limerick, that is already happening. Immersive Software Engineering (ISE) and Immersive Bioscience & Biotherapeutics (iBio) are built around a fundamentally different model of university education, with students spending 50% of their programmes in paid residencies within partner organisations.

The story is a strong one. ISE pioneered the model and iBio is now taking it into bioscience and biotherapeutics. Rather than waiting until graduation to access talent, industry partners engage with students much earlier in their education. They help shape the curriculum, expose students to real industry challenges and provide environments where students learn on the job, solve real problems and develop alongside experienced professionals. For employers, it creates an opportunity not simply to recruit future talent, but to play an active role in developing it.

This fireside chat brings together Professor Stephen Kinsella, Co-Founder of ISE and iBio; Roisin Lyons, bringing the innovation and Enterprise Ireland commercialisation perspective; and Michelle Gallagher, representing industry partnerships within iBio, alongside ISE student who have experienced the model first-hand and are now based in Industry.

Speakers:

Michelle Gallagher, Roisin Lyons, Stephen Kinsella