2 December 2015
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Professional services and consulting firm, Deloitte, and the Department of Accounting, Finance & Information Systems at University College Cork, have collaborated for an exciting partnership that saw them officially launch the Deloitte Innovation Zone@UCC on Tuesday 1st December.
The Deloitte Innovation Zone@UCC will be used to facilitate an innovative, flexible and collaborative space for learning and student group-work projects, to further enhance and support the student learning experience at UCC. The new facility, located in the O’Rahilly Building in UCC, was officially opened by Eileen Healy, Risk Advisory Partner at Deloitte and Professor Ciaran Murphy, Professor of Business Information Systems at UCC and Head of the Cork University Business School.
The objective of the Deloitte Innovation Zone@UCC is to foster innovation and support group work through a collaborative approach. The cutting edge physical space will facilitate both mobile and network collaborations; while top of the range AV equipment enables presentations on a choice of screens. A number of walls within the Innovation Zone are painted using a special paint that essentially transforms them into a giant whiteboard, meaning walls can be written on, ideas shared, turning them into a highly productive space.
Seminars and small lectures, as well as post graduate and final year project groupings, will mainly utilise the Zone, however, the facility will also be used by Deloitte for client work and graduate recruitment.
One of the first collaborative projects undertaken in the Innovation Zone, by a group of 13 Business Information Students (BIS), was unveiled at the official launch. The first year students undertook a group project to create a charity CD of Christmas favourite songs. They came together in the Innovation Zone to brainstorm, rehearse, collaborate, and record the album which will be sold in aid of much loved Cork charity, S.H.A.R.E.
Speaking at the launch Eileen Healy, Risk Advisory Partner at Deloitte said “At Deloitte, innovation is the heart of what we do – we are constantly pushing ourselves to deliver transformative solutions to our clients. We also recognise that when businesses and universities work together effectively they become a powerful engine for innovation. Therefore, we are excited to invest in such a project and so foster innovative thinking among Ireland’s talented students. Building on our long-standing relationship with UCC, we are pleased to partner with them and bring the Innovation Zone to fruition. We see this as an area where ideas will grow, innovation will happen, and business will grow.”
Professor Ciaran Murphy Professor of Business Information Systems at UCC and Head of the Cork University Business School said “UCC is delighted to partner with Deloitte to bring the Innovation Zone to the university. We very much appreciate all the support of Deloitte. It is through collaboration with industry partners like Deloitte that we continue to lead the way in innovative practices. This is a space for students of the Department of Accounting, Finance & Information Systems to join forces with like-minded students and harness the power of collaborative thinking. This space will facilitate and inspire our students to think differently about issues they address and projects that they undertake. It will improve the learning experience of our students by enabling them to create and share knowledge in an Innovation Zone to the needs of students and graduates of the 21st Century.”
