STAND Ideas Collective Incubator Showcase 2026 Celebrates Emerging Social Innovators in Ireland  

STAND Ideas Collective Incubator Showcase 2026 Celebrates Emerging Social Innovators in Ireland   

Dublin Student Housing Coop, addressing the housing crisis in Dublin for students, wins seed funding. 

Dublin, 26 January 2026 — STAND has hosted the STAND Ideas Collective Incubator Showcase at iD8 Studio, The Digital Hub, celebrating a cohort of students and recent graduates who have spent the past eight months developing innovative responses to pressing social and environmental challenges.  

The showcase featured projects addressing issues including housing affordability, food insecurity, financial justice, access to creative spaces, circular economy solutions, waste reduction and flood resilience mechanisms  

The winner of the 2026 Incubator Showcase were Zuzanna Chadzinska and Matthew Mosse for Dublin Student Housing Coop, which proposes a student-run cooperative housing model near university campuses to tackle Dublin’s housing crisis by reducing costs and commutes while fostering community, sustainability, and equal access to university life.  

Projects were assessed by an expert judging panel including  Jo Sachs-Eldrige(Social Entrepreneurs Ireland), Joseph Lanzillotta (Student Entrepreneurship Programme Manager @ DCU), and Hiba Awaysa (Founder and CEO of Sawaed19), who praised the cohort’s innovation, passion and commitment to social impact.  

Joseph Lanzillotta commented: “It was an extremely difficult decision, as each project responded to a real need with creativity and commitment. The passion and spark behind each idea was clear, and we’re confident all of these initiatives will go on to become a reality.” 

Expanding the Ideas Collective Nationwide    

Building on the success of the programme in Dublin, STAND is pleased to announce that in 2025 it was awarded Pobal’s New Solutions Fund, co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union, enabling the Ideas Collective to expand in 2026 to Cork and Galway.   

Nina Sachau, Executive Director of STAND, said:   

“We’re absolutely delighted to be one of nine social innovation projects supported through the New Solutions Scaling Up Grant Scheme provided by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht. This funding allows us to bring the Ideas Collective to Galway and Cork, alongside Dublin, and to deepen our impact through a follow-up incubator programme. It’s an exciting step forward in supporting more people to turn their ideas for global social justice into reality.”   

About the Ideas Collective  

The Ideas Collective is STAND’s social innovation bootcamp and incubator programme for students and recent graduates. It begins with an intensive five-day design thinking bootcamp, followed by a pitch showcase. Selected participants receive seed funding and progress to a nine-month incubator, providing mentorship, peer learning, and structured support.  

The Ideas Collective 2026 bootcamps will take place in:  

• Dublin: 18–24 May 
• Cork: 25–29 May 
• Galway: 8–12 June  

Students and recent graduates can register their interest via the STAND website.  
 

Read the full press release HERE.