Dublin City University

History

The institution was created in 1975, on an ad hoc basis, and on 18 June that year Dr Danny O'Hare was made acting director of the institution, and a day later the first governing body met. It was intended at this stage that the institution become the unified structure under which the colleges of what later became Dublin Institute of Technology would unite, but by 1978 it became apparent that this would not be the case and instead an independent institution developed with a distinct identity and mission.

In 1979, the institution was located on an 344,000 m² (85 acres) site 5 km (3.1 mi) from the city centre, just north of Dublin City Council's Albert College Park; the Albert College Building is the only significant remaining building from before this period. The Henry Grattan building was the first new building completed in 1981, along with the adjoining restaurant, and many buildings have been added since, to form a modern university campus.

In 1986 the International Study Group on Technological Education was set up to examine the future of the National Institute for Higher Education at Dublin and Limerick, and in its report stated that:

Ultimately the title "Dublin City University" was chosen and this was confirmed by the Dublin City University Act of 1989.

The total area of the main campus is approximately 202,000 m² (50 acres) and is bordered by Collins Avenue, Albert College Park, Ballymun Road, Hillside Farm and St. Aidan's School. There are another 142,000 m² (35 acres) at St. Clare's Sports Grounds on the west side of Ballymun Road. This part of the campus also includes the Sports Pavilion. A further 40,000 m² (9.9 acres) (including Elmhurst House) situated along Griffith Avenue have been acquired. Entrances to the main campus are from Ballymun Road, to the west, and Collins Avenue, to the north.

The early focus of the institution was, in particular, on science and technology, although it has also had, and has, a large business school. It has recently developed a presence also in the performing arts and in the humanities. DCU is also famous for its programme of work placement or INTRA (INtegrated TRAining), which was the first such programme in Ireland.

DCU has been providing adults all over Ireland (and abroad) with flexible access to higher education for over thirty five years. In 1982 the National Distance Education Centre was located at DCU and for many years offered programmes in the traditional ‘distance education’ mode of delivery. It changed to Oscail – DCU Online Education in 2004 to reflect the reality that its programmes were increasingly designed with large elements of online support. In 2013, DCU launched the National Institute for Digital Learning (NIDL) with the Open Education Unit as part of the new institute. This Unit manages an increasing number of online courses and degree programmes offered to Irish residents and students around the world through DCU Connected.

As of 2015 there are almost 55,000 graduates of Dublin City University.

There was a plan in 2002 to base the headquarters of the Irish Academy for the Performing Arts in DCU, but this was later scrapped.

Electronic Engineering and Computer Applications

Electronic Engineering and Computer Applications were among the first degree courses offered by the college, in 1980 (Communications was another). The Computer Applications course in DCU is more in demand than any other computer degree in Ireland; it has three times more first preferences through the Central Applications Office system than the next most sought after computer course in Ireland, Computer Science in Trinity College, Dublin. With 300 places per year, it also has the largest student intake of any computer science degree in Ireland (compared to 64 places per year in the computer science degree in TCD or 50 places per year in the computer science degree in UCD).

About

The university has a particularly strong research record, is sometimes described as a research-led university, and has regularly been recorded as bringing in more research income per members of faculty - or indeed as a percentage of total income - than any other university in Ireland. Its research team working on sensors at the National Centre for Sensor Research is considered one of the best in the world.

Campuses

The university has five campuses:

Faculties and Schools

DCU Business School

Faculty of Engineering & Computing

Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences

DCU Connected - Online Education

DCU Institute of Education

Faculty of Science & Health

Facilities

DCU has extensive teaching and research facilities, including television and sound studios, computer laboratories and networking facilities, language and interpreting laboratories, a video-conferencing suite, and print and graphical laboratories. These are in addition to modern research and teaching laboratories in the areas of physics, chemistry, biology and engineering.

There is an InterFaith Centre located on the campus, a crèche, a medical centre, a Counselling Service, and a Disability Service.

Other social facilities include The Venue (Student Arts Theatre, aka omega[Ω], capacity:1000), a Ticketmaster outlet, a "Digital Café", club and society meeting and seminar rooms, two Starbucks, one at the main restaurant (the first in Ireland) and one in the Sports Building, three pool rooms and a "Glass Room" for band practice.

There is also a campus company, Dublin City University Language Services, and a VHI Swiftcare Clinic, which closed in 2011.

Retail facilities include six restaurants and two bars, a Spar shop, pharmacy, Barber, Student's Union Shop, Bank of Ireland, Xerox reprographic centre, Hodges Figgis bookshop, and a beauty salon in the sports centre.

Culture and arts

The Centre for Talented Youth and The Helix a purpose built "performance space", which includes Ireland's largest concert hall, the Mahony Hall, are both part of the university.

DCU also has a campus radio station called DCUfm.

An Arts Committee was established in 1983 and has since acquired more than 300 works of art, including paintings, tapestries and sculptures, for the university. The Collection includes works by artists such as Louis le Brocquy, Cecil King, Patrick Scott, Michael Warren, Stephen Lawlor, Brian Bourke, Victor Sloan, Barrie Cooke and William Crozier, to name but a few.

Entrepreneurship

Dublin City University has a large number of graduate entrepreneurs and these form part of the DCU Alumni Entrepreneur Network which is run by the Alumni Office. Invent, the commercialisation gateway of DCU, is home to the Entrepreneurs' Organisation. It also hosts the Irish arm of the US-based National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), which helps young people from less well-off backgrounds to build skills and unlock creativity. The University launched the eEolas Institute, and its sole project, the Ryan Academy of Entrepreneurship, in Citywest Business Park, but this was reported as having closed in early 2008. Subsequently the Ryan Academy has been re-opened in the same location, under a new Director.

The new Ryan Academy for Entrepreneurship exists to promote entrepreneurship and innovation. The Academy delivers short courses on a wide range of topics from Social Enterprise Development to Foresight and Future Trends. As well as for-profit entrepreneurship the Academy also works in the area of social entrepreneurship and social enterprise.

Registration and application

Most undergraduates enter DCU via the Central Applications Office process.

The university recently completed an agreement with the Postgraduate Applications Centre in Galway.

Corporate identity

The university's current corporate identity dates from 2001 when Ferdinand von Prondzynski, the then new President, decided to rebrand as he considered the previous "three castles" logo out of date and not representative of the university's vision as a modern and "networked" research university.

Rankings

The university was named Irish University of the Year 2004-2005 by the Sunday Times, UK. It was also ranked No 2 in the league table of Irish universities in the same newspaper that year, and 4th in the two subsequent league tables.

The university was one of three establishments of higher education in Ireland which are ranked amongst the top 300 universities worldwide by the Times Higher Education Supplement in 2007-2008.

The university was named "Irish University of the Year" by the Sunday Times newspaper once again for the 2010-2011 academic year.

The university has been named as one of the world’s top 50 universities that are under 50 years old, numerous times, by the QS World University Rankings list. As of 2013, it is ranked 44th in the list.

Chancellors

Academic

The academic organisation of the university is arranged into faculties and schools. DCU has recently undergone some reorganisation on the faculty level, with an incorporation process establishing one of Europe's largest Institutes of Education. There are currently five faculties.

DCU houses on-campus the country's first purpose-built university nursing school. The University was the first University in Ireland to establish a European Master of Business Informatics course.

DCU has a long history of distance education and offers a number of undergraduate and postgraduate online courses and degree programmes delivered through DCU Connected. It also hosts the National Institute for Digital Learning (NIDL), which aims to be a world leader at the forefront of designing, implementing and evaluating contemporary models of digital, blended and online learning. The NIDL also manages the design and delivery of a growing suite of free online courses (i.e., MOOCs) through Ireland's Open Learning Academy.

DCU is also the location for all professional Actuarial exams in Ireland. It also has a Prometric Test Centre and is the test centre for Ireland's Graduate Management Admission Test.

DCU awards degrees in Business Studies and International Finance and Marketing, Innovation and Technology in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in partnership with Princess Nora bint Abdul Rahman University.

Controversy

There has also been some controversy and litigation at the university over time. Controversy began over the wording and adoption of new university statutes on suspension and dismissal of staff by the Governing Authority, on the recommendation of the president, as required by the Universities Act 1997. In 2002, the Labour Court recommended that this statute be rewritten and this has been followed by long-running negotiations between the university and the trade union representing staff, SIPTU; In 2008 a vote organised by SIPTU led to a majority of staff who voted declaring no confidence in the management of the university in its conduct of these negotiations.

In 2002, a Rights Commissioner recommended re-instatement of a tenured lecturer following the university's decision to treat his employment as having been terminated on grounds that he had 'repudiated' his contract. Following a substantial delay, an appeal from the Rights Commissioner's recommendation by the university commenced at the Employment Appeals Tribunal in July 2009 and continued in December 2009 and January 2010. During the hearing in 2009 there was significant emphasis on statements made by the lecturer in his blog throughout 2009, which were deemed by von Prondzynski and others to be highly defamatory.

There was further controversy surrounding accusations of gender discrimination against a female member of academic staff who won her case and appeal at Equality Appeals Tribunal.

There was also costly litigation following the purported termination by the university of the appointment of an associate professor in 2006, in which the High Court ruled against DCU on the grounds of failure to follow procedures, tenure and natural justice. This case was appealed by the university and led to a 2009 Supreme Court hearing, in which judgment was reserved until 9 December 2009, with DCU again losing.

The president attracted criticism from some staff over his deferral of elections to the university Executive when it involved the candidacy of the purported dismissed academic, with von Prondzynski commenting that he could not see how the professor could become a member of the Executive advising him while at the same time stressing his openness to a range of views.

Members of the Green Party raised questions about management tactics in a labour dispute at the university when the party were in opposition, asking whether the university was in breach of the Universities Act, 1997.

Governance

In accordance with legislation, the University is directed by a policy-making Governing Body, whose functions are outlined in the National Institute for Higher Education, Dublin, Act, 1980, amended in the Dublin City University Act, 1989 which raised the institution's status to that of a university and provided for related matters. There are several other important acts concerning the college include the Universities Act, 1997, which allows for the creation of University Statutes.

The Governing Body's members are chosen by a wide range of groups and authorities, and include members elected by staff (in various classes) and students (ex-officio based on elections of Students Union officers). Graduates, who used to elect two members, now elect one member, and for some years there has been at least one other graduate member, put forward by the Educational Trust, at any time.

The university is headed, titularly, by the Chancellor. The current Chancellor of Dublin City University is Ireland's former EU Commissioner and Attorney General, David Byrne. He was preceded by the Hon Ms Justice Mella Carroll who in turn was preceded by Dr. Tom Hardiman.

Academic governance

Academic Council and its Standing Committee oversee the teaching and research work of the university, and there are Faculty and other administrative structures below that. Most academic structures do have student representation.

Executive management

The President, currently Professor Brian MacCraith, is the "chief officer" of the university, with a role sometimes compared to that of a chief executive officer.

Other elements of management include an Executive (Committee), the Deans (of Faculties, of Research and of Learning Innovation), Heads of School and Chairs of Programme Boards.

Copyright Act

The Copyright Act, 1963, as amended by the act of 1989, states that every university in Ireland is entitled to one copy of every publication published within the state, and on this basis the Library of DCU can claim such copies.

DCU Educational Trust

The University is supported by a charitable Trust, named the "DCU Educational Trust". The Trust, whose main work is in fund-raising.

Clubs and societies

There are a broad variety of clubs and societies, representing a wide range of interests such as culture, computer games and sport - as well as academic - interests, and numbering more than 100 in total.

Governing Committees

Societies and Clubs receive financial support from a proportion of capitation fees, and are governed solely by student committees. The Society Life Committee (SLC) and The Club Life Committee (CLC) governs and drives policy and funding for societies and clubs at DCU. Student facilities for societies are mostly based in the Student Centre - The Hub.

Languages

One of the smaller clubs is An Cumann Gaelach, with a history of exciting trips abroad and to areas of Ireland. An Cumann Gaelach is renowned for having the 'craic' and including anyone that has a passion for the Irish language. From people who cannot speak a word of Irish and would like to learn to those who are fluent.

Drama

DCU's Drama Society has a long history of performance on the DCU campus, hosting many productions for the public every year, including its annual flagship event, the DCU Musical. In 2009, DCU's musical, RENT, was nominated for the Best Overall Show award, and the Best Director award with the Association of Irish Musical Societies. DCU Drama reprised RENT at The Olympia, one of Dublin's oldest and most respected performance venues, in what was a first for an Irish University Society from 15–20 June 2009. DCU Drama also sends plays to be adjudicated for the Irish Student Drama Association awards. DCU Drama won the Best National College Society award at the Board of Irish College Societies awards in 2002, 2003 and 2008, as well as being nominated for Best Society Event nationwide for "The Full Monty" in 2007 and "RENT" in 2009.

Music

As one of DCU's biggest and most active societies, Music Society organises lessons, workshops, concerts, open mic nights, trips to concerts, weekends away, an intervarsity Battle of the Bands and a myriad of other events every year. The Battle of the Bands is its main event, with participants coming from colleges nationwide. The 2010 Battle of the Bands is taking place on 29 March in DCU. Music Society won the award for Best Society in DCU in 2007.

Politics

Ireland's major political parties are represented on campus. The 2012/2013 academic year saw Fianna Fáil as the largest political party on campus and is chaired by Ruadhrí Moran. Labour, who were traditionally the largest on campus have fallen behind into second place. With Fine Gael, chaired by Ryan Hunt in third with a drop in 30% of membership.

Radio

DCUfm is a student-run radio station. The station airs regular programmes from 10:00am until midnight each weekday, every week during both semesters. It streams its output from their website, DCUfm.com. Its programmes cover arts, music, news, sport, and the Irish language. Automated music completes its overnight and weekend schedule.

The station is currently staffed by over 240 active volunteers. Every year, DCUfm takes in up to 120 new members and provides them with training, guidance and support in teaching them how to work in radio. The station uses the industry-standard RCS suite of on-air radio automation software, which is also used by the major national commercial radio stations.

DCUfm has achieved national recognition for its news and sport output. Its flagship shows are Newswire and Action Replay, while additional programming is introduced for special events such as national budgets, or DCU SU and Dáil elections. Its interviews with former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, in which he insisted his economic management was largely correct, and British National Party leader Nick Griffin were among those to receive national coverage. Newswire won the National Student Media Award for best news and current affairs radio programme for the fourth year in a row in April 2013. Action Replay was crowned best arts and features show at the 2011 awards.

Several DCUfm volunteers have won individual prizes at the National Student Media Awards. The station won two awards in 2010, four in 2011 (including two for DCUfm.com), four in 2012, and two in 2013. The station has been successful at the annual DCU Hybrid Awards, and the DCUfm website also won the national college society website of the year prize at the national Board of Irish College Societies Awards (BICS) in 2010.

DCUfm is a part of the Media Production Society (MPS) at DCU, which was crowned Ireland's best college society at the BICS Awards in 2011. The society also won the national 'most improved society' prize and the 'best online presence' award at the BICS in 2010 and 2012 respectively. MPS won the title of DCU's best society at the 2011 and 2013 DCU Society Awards and won DCU's best society event in 2014 with the 24 Hour Broadcast.

The station operates active Twitter, Facebook and Flickr accounts. Its current management team is Sean Defoe, Eoin Sheahan, Seán Walsh and Lesleyanne Keating.

All staff, including management, are unpaid volunteers.

Television

DCUtv is also operated by DCU's Media Production Society (MPS).

It produces videos and programmes which are available online through the MPS YouTube channel. Its content often goes viral in Ireland and as a result has been promoted by some of the country's major websites and news outlets.

DCUtv's regular major event is its annual live 24-hour telethon. In December 2013, it raised €5,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

DCU is the first university in Ireland to produce a feature-length film. The film, named Six Semesters, was funded by the university and made entirely by MPS members.

Publications

There are several publications distributed throughout university:

There is also a magazine for staff and alumni:

Accommodation

In Ireland, on-campus accommodation in the newer universities is a relatively new innovation. Since the mid-1990s, all Irish universities have built up a stock of modern campus accommodation, although on-campus living is still the minority choice for students. Most accommodation is of apartment rather than halls of residence type and is managed by a University company, DCU Campus Residences.

The university has built several modern apartment and residences. Larkfield Apartments have 128 units, each with two study bedrooms and a shared living, kitchen and dining area within each unit. The Postgraduate Residences have 37 apartments, each with two, three or four en-suite bedrooms. The Hampstead Apartments consist of 61 units, each with three or five en-suite bedrooms and a shared living, kitchen and dining area. The College Park Apartments consist of 93 units, each with four or five en-suite bedrooms and a shared living, kitchen and dining area.

Sport

Sports facilities on the campus include a sports complex and fitness centre which incorporates: an aerobics studio, spinning studio, quiet studio, four sports halls, two squash courts, a glass-backed handball/racquetball court, a gallery that accommodates table tennis and a body conditioning arena, a floodlit astroturf hockey pitch and seven grass pitches for a variety of sports, eight enclosed five-a-side third generation rubbercrumb AstroTurf soccer pitches, an indoor climbing wall, a four-lane 75-metre indoor sprint track and a fully equipped gym outfitted with cardiovascular machines, free weights and resistance machines. Specialist sports trainers are always on hand in the Sports Complex to advise on fitness regimes. In 2005, the sports complex offered 37 classes per week, covering everything from aerobics to weight training. The sports complex also includes a twenty-five metre, five-lane, deck level swimming pool with tepidarium, footbaths, spa pool, steam room, wellness spa, ice fountain, laconium, multi-jet pulse showers, scented multi-jet super shower and sauna. It opened in January 2005 and has Ireland's largest elite sports performance gym.

The main sports hall can be divided into three full size volleyball, badminton or basketball courts. The facilities at St. Clare's Sports Ground include the Sports Pavilion, two GAA pitches, two soccer pitches, one rugby pitch and one floodlit astroturf pitch for hockey or soccer.

There are ten tennis courts at the National Tennis Training Centre in Albert College Park (four indoor acrylic courts, three outdoor hardcourts and three outdoor clay courts) and a further five tennis courts are situated at Glasnevin Lawn Tennis Club adjacent to St. Clare's Sports Grounds. There is also a GAA pitch, a grass athletic track and four or six soccer pitches (depending on configuration) in the Albert College Park.

The DCU Sports Academy was launched in November 2006. Membership of the Sports Academy will entitle those selected to special scholarships and supports worth up to €10,000 each including on-campus accommodation, financial support towards college books and tuition fees, personal tuition, access to key national and International competitions, physiotherapy and massage, sports nutrition advice and high performance education talks and workshops.

The complex won the "Sports centre of the Year Award" in 2009.

Library

The John and Aileen O`Reilly Library building on the Glasnevin Campus opened in 2002, with funding from The O'Reilly Foundation and Atlantic Philanthropies. The building was designed by Scott Tallon Walker and received the SCONUL Library Design Award. The building also hosts the university's maths learning centre and writing centre.

The Cregan library on the Saint Patrick's campus opened in 2015, costing €50 million.

DCU library is a deposit library, making it legally entitled to a copy of every book published in Ireland. It is a member of the IReL (Irish Research E-Library) consortium, allowing staff and students full access to over 100 online academic databases.

In November 2008, DCU Library launched DORAS, an open access institutional repository, to promote the university's research by providing free online access to DCU's research publications and theses.

In 2009, the library received the private papers of Charles Haughey, a former Taoiseach.

Other

There are three licensed premises on the campus, also selling a wide selection of food; the "old bar", the "nu bar" (aka beta [β]), The Helix and Spar (off-licence). However, in early 2007 Spar stopped selling any alcoholic products indefinitely, and it remains to be seen whether or not they will renew their licence in the future. Prior to this there were four licensed premises, but this itself followed a long period with only one licensed location, and up until 1992, there were no such premises on campus at all.

There are several restaurants and cafes; the Main Restaurant and the first Starbucks (in Ireland) are located in the Pavilion building. Zero-1 is located in the basement of the O`Reilly Library. The Invent Centre, The Helix, Nursing School and Business School each have their own restaurants. The 1838 Club is a restaurant for academic staff and postgraduate research students, it is located in the Albert College Building. There is a second Starbucks located in the Sports Complex, the third in Ireland after Microsoft Ireland. There is also a digital cafe and Xbox gaming arena above the main restaurant, The Mezzanine. In 2009 the Mezzanine is in the process of relocation to the seminar room in DCU's student centre 'The Hub'

DCU Language Services Ltd. is an on-campus company which offers English Language Training, and also acts as a Language Services provider offering services such as Professional Translation and Interpreting Services, Language Assessments for Recruitment, and also Multilingual E-Marketing services.

DCU has recently acquired additional lands adjacent to its main campus, which will be developed to add onto the University's sports facilities.

DCU plans to build a 10,000 seat indoor stadium and running track at its Sports Grounds.

DCU has launched an affinity credit card scheme to raise funds for the University, as well as the Annual Fund, which includes facilities for regular donors, and the Leadership Circle which gives recognition to regular donors who commit minimum annual amounts.

Research

Coordinated by the Office of the Vice President for Research, there are three constituent units which support the research of academics, research students and collaborative partners: Research Support Services, Graduate School, and DCU.

Strategy

In 2001 DCU adopted what was described as a highly innovative strategic plan, 'Leading Change'. For a university strategy, it was a very short document, but it set out a number of major developments and innovations. Chief amongst these was the adoption of academic strategic 'Themes', which were to govern the development of the university. Each Theme was to have a 'Theme Leader'. The academic Themes are interdisciplinary, and focus on areas in which DCU has growing leadership. This strategic framework was extended in the 2005 strategic plan, 'Leadership through Foresight', in which DCU also committed itself to eight key clusters of actions to develop its leading role in its chosen priority areas. Following an announcement by the HEA in August 2007, DCU will receive over €23m in research funding under Phase 2 of PRTLI Cycle 4.

Following an announcement by the Science Foundation Ireland in November 2007, DCU will receive over €16.8m in research funding for localisation research for a €30.4m "Next Generation Localisation" project headed by Prof. Josef Van Genabith (with international and domestic industry partners contributing the remaining €13.6m).

Over the years DCU has expanded its land bank in the area, purchasing the St. Clare's grounds, on the western side of Ballymun Road, where sports facilities were developed, but also farmland to the south down to Griffith Ave.

Collaboration and academic associations

Under its strategic plan, 'Leadership through Foresight' (2005), DCU is committed to collaboration with national and international organisations and universities on technology and research projects. It has a strong record of strategic collaboration, and most of its major research projects are built on partnerships with other universities and colleges, and also with major international companies.

The AIC Adaptive Information Cluster with University College Dublin is one such initiative been based on computer and sensor technology to develop advanced applications in several areas. DCU and UCD also collaborate on a health research board funded programme of nursing decision making in Ireland, the first research programme in nursing in Ireland. The two universities also collaborate on the Odysseus undergraduate Computer Science Internship Programme and on the Clarity Centre for Sensor Web Technologies.

The Centre for Innovation and Structural Change with National University of Ireland, Galway and University College Dublin is an initiative to better utilise and develop international level research.

Lero, the Irish Software Engineering Research Centre with the University of Limerick, University College Dublin and Trinity College Dublin is a partnership to bring together and focus software engineering in Ireland.

The University also collaborates with National University of Ireland, Galway and the pharmaceutical multinational Bristol-Myers Squibb on biopharmaceutical research. The National Institute for Cellular Biotechnology at DCU and Wyeth Pharmaceutical have recently announced a research collaboration in the production of biopharmaceuticals.

DCU also collaborates with the National Institute for Bioprocessing, Research and Training (NIBRT) its main partners are UCD, TCD and Sligo IT. The university has a strategic alliance with Cornell University's Nanobiotechnology Centre (NBTC).

The National Centre for Sensor Research collaborates with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland on Biomedical Diagnostics research. The NCSR also collaborates with University College Cork, National University of Ireland, Galway, University of Wollongong, Australia, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta and the Irish Marine Institute. DCU is also collaborating with TCD and UCD to run the National Digital Research Centre.

DCU also signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2006 with Athlone Institute of Technology, under which the university will provide support for the establishment of a jointly owned research centre in the Irish Midlands town.

Plasma and Vacuum Technology with Queen's University Belfast is a cross-border programme to deliver online courses in plasma and vacuum technology without attending university based lectures. Another cross-border initiative DCU is working with is the Centre for Cross Border Studies which researches and develops cooperation across the Irish border in education, training, health, business, public administration, communications, agriculture and the environment.

The Programme for Research on Grid-enabled Computational Physics of Natural Phenomena is a wide partnership with DIAS, National University of Ireland, Galway, University College Dublin, HEAnet, Met Éireann, Armagh Observatory and Grid Ireland. Development of research under the PRTLI Cycle 1 funded Institute for Advanced Materials Science, additional funding is now being sought to further research in the area of nanomaterials and nanotechnology with Trinity College, Dublin.

The university also collaborates with the Centre for Telecommunications Value-Chain-Driven Research (CTVR) and with Bell Labs Research Ireland (BLRI). The National Centre for Sensor Research also collaborates with the National Botanic Gardens on the Eco-Sensor Network project. DCU is also a participant in the Irish Centre for High-End Computing.

DCU leads Ireland in fusion power research, with a team of 33 DCU scientists taking part in a €10 billion global collaboration to make a breakthrough creating safe nuclear energy by fusion.

The experimental ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) power station will be built at Cadarache in the South of France and is the result of an international collaboration involving the European Union (represented by EURATOM), Japan, the People's Republic of China, India, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States. Dublin City University is the lead partner in this Irish research through Irish Fusion Association under the National Centre for Plasma Science and Technology with 10 more University College Cork scientists taking part in the project as well under the auspices of Association Euratom DCU, which was established in 1996. The Association’s annual budget is about €2.5 million with 30 per cent of this funded directly by the European Commission. Further funding is provided by DCU and Science Foundation Ireland.

The university also has agreements with organisations and universities outside Ireland. For instance, the University at Buffalo is a strategic partnership to develop research in the east United States. is an ongoing project with the University of Wales, Lampeter to develop an Irish language terminology database online. The Catholic University of Lublin has a partnership with the university to deliver and accredit a Master of Business Administration in Poland. The university collaborates with universities in eleven European countries for the AIM media project. DCU has recently announced a strategic alliance with Arizona State University. The two universities will develop links in a number of areas, including joint research projects, joint entrepreneurial initiatives, institutional learning projects and benchmarking of internal operations, as well as inter-institutional faculty, student and staff transfers between the universities.

The School of Computer Applications collaborates on research with large multinational corporations and institutions like Google,Microsoft, the US Military, IBM, Samsung and Xerox. There is also an annual prize sponsored by Ericsson for the leading final year Electronic Engineering project.

Research centres in DCU also collaborate with each other on multidisciplinary projects. For example, the Materials Processing Research Centre collaborates with the Vascular Health Research Centre on research aimed at producing synthetic bone and soft tissue such as arteries.

The university also hosts many public events such as monthly lectures in the areas of physics and astronomy in collaboration with Astronomy Ireland, held in "The Venue" complex in The Hub (DCU Student Centre), Irish Inventor Association seminars held at the Invent Centre, the Gay Rugby World Cup and even an exhibition of rare 2500-year-old Shakyamuni Buddha relics at the University Interfaith Centre.

Hospitals linked with DCU for teaching and research purposes include:

Student body

The composition of the student body represents every county on the island of Ireland and over seventy countries worldwide, spread across all six continents. The University has educated students from Australia to Brazil and Japan to Iceland. International students currently make up just over 15% of the full-time student body. The university is strongly committed to international education and internationalising its campus. Apart from the large number of exchanges the university also welcomes international students as part of its Study Abroad Programme and offers programmes jointly with institutions based outside Ireland and is rapidly expanding a wide range of international activities.