Five Irish start-up hubs have been ranked among Europe’s Leading Start-Up Hubs by the Financial Times and Statista.
NovaUCD, Catalyst (Belfast), Dogpatch Labs, Furthr and Republic of Work were included in the 2025 ranking.
The 2025 ranking showcases the top 150 start-up hubs located across Europe.
The Europe’s Leading Start-Up Hubs 2025, a ranking of the top centres across Europe offering incubator and/or accelerator programmes to founders who want to build or grow a company, was published online today by the Financial Times.
The places to start
UnternehmerTUM in Munich, Germany, is ranked in first place. Twenty-nine of the ranked hubs are based in the UK, 19 in Germany and 17 in Spain.
Dublin’s Dogpatch Labs was ranked in 20th place, followed by Cork’s Republic of Work in 49th place, Dublin’s Furthr in 88th place, Belfast’s Catalyst in 94th place and UCD-based NovaUCD in 117th place. NovaUCD is the only university-based hub in Ireland to be included in the ranking.
“I am delighted that NovaUCD has been recognised by the Financial Times and Statista as one of the leading start-up hubs in Europe, for the second year in a row, and is once again the only university-based start-up hub in Ireland to feature in the Report,” said Professor Kate Robson Brown, UCD vice-president for Research Innovation and Impact.
“UCD is at the heart of Ireland’s vibrant economy and as such is committed to its key role in Ireland’s innovation and knowledge exchange ecosystem. One way we demonstrate this commitment is through NovaUCD’s activities and its strategic focus on establishing new ventures, supporting and scaling job creating high-tech start-ups, and more established companies, with international potential and reach.
“We welcome today’s recognition and look forward to continuing to support the next generation of entrepreneurs and start-ups with global ambitions.”
The five Irish start-up hubs and how they ranked
Catalyst (94th place)
Established in 2006 as the Northern Ireland Science Park but now known as Catalyst, the innovation hub in Belfast has grown to a campus that includes a myriad of state-of-the-art buildings that house everything from cutting edge start-ups to ambitious scale-ups and a myriad of multinationals attracted to Belfast by the talent on offer across Northern Ireland. Not only that but Catalyst has grown to include a sister campus in Derry and has established research and innovation partnerships with universities and institutes along the western seaboard of Ireland.
Currently more than 900 entrepreneurs are working with Catalyst across various programmes. Some 2,700 tech professionals work between Derry and Belfast and a community of 570 business mentors and experts are collaborating with start-ups and scale-ups. In terms of economic impact, it is claimed that for every £1 yielded by Catalyst entrepreneurs through its various support programmes , this generated a £41 return on investment between 2017 and 2021 (source: independent assessment from Europe’s Leading Start-Up Hubs 2025).
Businesses that have engaged with Catalyst have collectively reported a 187% increase in headcount and 43% cite Catalyst as the main driver for them starting in the first place.
Dogpatch Labs (20th place)
Dogpatch is Ireland’s most connected startup and innovation hub. Recognised as one of the world’s top incubators, our core mission is to accelerate the development of Ireland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and ensure that great startups can start locally, but grow globally. Through our international connections to more than 100 hubs worldwide, as well as over 250 hubs across Ireland, we act as the primary connector between Ireland’s entrepreneurs and the world beyond our shores. Located in the CHQ building in Dublin’s docklands, Dogpatch is home of the National Startup Accelerator (NDRC) and TwentyFifty, the National Sustainability Innovation platform. More than 500 startups from over 30 countries call Dogpatch their home, as well as our national network of more than 1,700 startups across the island.
Furthr (88th place)
Furthr has been supporting start-up enterprises since 1988. Its mission is to deliver game-changing impacts for the Founders of innovative startup and scale-up enterprises. Furthr’s work across the dimensions of Acceleration, Funding and Connecting ensures that ambitious Founders are ready to take on investment and to scale into international markets. In collaboration with Enterprise Ireland, Furthr works with hundreds of Ireland’s most innovative startups every year. Furthr is a Founding Partner, and is the Managing Partner, of the Guinness Enterprise Centre, the largest incubation hub in the State.
NovaUCD (117th place)
NovaUCD has been nurturing and supporting high-tech start-ups with global potential since 2003. During the last 20+ years NovaUCD has developed an excellent and expanded infrastructure and a suite of comprehensive business support programmes, dedicated accelerator programmes, and an ecosystem of mentors, investors and industry partners that help to nurture an enthusiastic and dynamic community of start-ups and established companies, to grow and scale on the global stage. NovaUCD was originally funded through a unique public-private partnership that included AIB; AMD; Arthur Cox; Deloitte; Enterprise Ireland; Ericsson; Goodbody and UCD.
Republic of Work (49th place)
Founded by DC Cahalane and Dave Ronayne in April 2017, Republic of Work comprises 25,500 sq ft of space in the centre of Cork.
The Republic of Work in Cork is a dynamic coworking space located at 12 South Mall. It also has an outpost in Clonmel, Co Tipperary.
It offers flexible memberships, state-of-the-art facilities, and a vibrant community. Ideal for entrepreneurs and freelancers, it provides high-speed internet, meeting rooms, and networking events to foster innovation and productivity.
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