Research spin-outs in Ireland employ nearly 2,500, survey finds
Enterprise Ireland’s 2025 Annual Knowledge Transfer Survey reports rising research activity and increased industry collaboration in Ireland.
· The Island · 2 min read
Enterprise Ireland’s 2025 Annual Knowledge Transfer Survey found that research spin-outs in Ireland employed nearly 2,500 people, with results published on 14 August. The survey also reported increased collaboration between industry and Ireland’s research system.
What happened
The survey covers knowledge transfer from Ireland’s colleges and universities into commercial activity. Its latest results describe rising research activity and show public investment in research producing companies and jobs.
The clearest figure in the summary is employment. Nearly 2,500 people are employed by research spin-outs in Ireland, putting a workforce figure on companies built around publicly supported research.
The results present Ireland’s research base as a source of business creation as well as academic work. The supplied material does not identify the individual spin-outs or provide a sector-by-sector breakdown of the jobs.
Why it matters
For universities and research teams, the result shows that knowledge transfer is being measured beyond publications. It is also reflected in companies employing people and working with industry.
For Enterprise Ireland and public funders, the survey provides a measure of whether research investment is reaching commercial activity in Ireland. For investors and operators, the employment figure points to a group of research-led businesses with an established workforce, though the available summary does not show which sectors account for most of it.