Campus Companies
Helix DCU Glasnevin Campus
Welcome to the DCU Campus Companies webpage.
DCU operates a range of commercial companies providing services to our students, staff, and the wider community. Often referred to as the DCU Commercial Group, these companies also support the university’s mission through financial contributions.
Explore the sections below to learn more about each company.
The majority of the University's campus companies are overseen by DCU Educational Support Services DAC (DCU ESS DAC), which in turn is operated for the benefit of the University. The only exception to this is Dunroamin Properties DAC which is owned directly by the University.
Details of the campus companies principal activities and charitable status are provided below.
Please note that DCU ESS DAC has a separate Board of Management and committee structure to that of the University. The University's overall governance comes under the remit of the DCU Governing Authority.
The majority, but not all, of the University's campus companies are actively trading.
The University has charitable status and its CRA registration number is 20013653.
Companies owned indirectly by the University through DCU ESS DAC
| Company Name | Principal Activity | Charitable Status | Website Link |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Trispace DAC Note: this company is split into two divisions (a) & (b) as indicated in the adjoining panel under Principal Activity |
a) Catering Services | No | Link |
| b) Sports Facilities | No | Link | |
| Campus Residences DAC | Student Residences | Yes | Link |
| Campus Property DAC | Retail & Property Rental | Yes | N/a |
| DCULS DAC | Language Training & Translation Services | No | Link |
| UAC Management DAC | Arts Centre (The Helix) | No | Link |
| DCU Invent DAC | Commercialisation & Technology Transfer | No | Link |
| Dublin Software Park DAC | Property Development & Rental | No | N/a |
| Dublin Business School Fund DAC | Non-Trading | Yes | N/a |
| The DCU Ryan Academy DAC | Non-Trading | No | N/a |
| DCU Executive Education DAC | Non-Trading | No | N/a |
| DCU Healthy Living Centre DAC | Non-Trading | No | N/a |
Companies owned directly by the University
| Company Name | Principal Activity | Charitable Status | Website Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCU Educational Support Services DAC (DCU ESS DAC) | Holding Company | Yes | N/a |
| Dunroamin Properties DAC | Non-Trading | No | N/a |
Last Updated - October 16th 2024
Details of the Board Members for DCU Educational Support Services DAC, the holding company for the campus companies, are set out below.
Membership of the Board
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Ms. Marian Corcoran | Board Chair - Non-Executive Director of Permanent TSB (External) |
| Ms. Geraldine Heavey | Executive Director of Enterprise Services - ESB (External) |
| Mr. Paddy White | Chief Executive Officer - Realtime Technologies Ltd (External) |
| Ms. Mairead Dunne | Senior Investment / Commercial Advisor - Enterprise Ireland (External) |
| Prof. Daire Keogh | President of DCU (Internal) |
| Dr. Claire Gubbins | Professor of Organisational Behaviour & HRM - DCU (Internal) |
| Dr. Declan Raftery | Chief Operations Officer - DCU (Internal) |
| Mr. John Kilcoyne | Director of Finance - DCU (Internal) |
Code of Conduct for Board Members
The Board Members Code of Conduct was approved on December 2nd 2024.
Last Updated - July 25th 2025
Details of the DCU Educational Support Services DAC (DESS) Audit Committee are provided below.
The DESS Committee is separate to, but complements, the University's Audit & Risk Committee.
DESS Audit Committee Membership
Details of the membership and terms of reference for the DESS Audit Committee are provided below.
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Ms Geraldine Heavey | Committee Chair - Executive Director of Enterprise Services - ESB (External) |
| Mr Paddy White | CEO - Realtime Technologies Ltd (External) |
| Ms Mairead Dunne | Senior Investment / Commercial Advisor - Enterprise Ireland (External) |
| Ms. Marian Corcoran | Non-Executive Director - Permanent TSB (External) |
Audit Committee Terms of Reference
The Audit Committee's most recent Terms of Reference were approved by the Board of DCU Educational Support Services DAC on October 16th 2023.
Last Updated - November 23rd 2023
The Irish Charities Regulator has produced a number of guidelines to encourage and facilitate the better administration and management of charitable organisations. Links to some of the guides are provided below.
Within the DCU Community there are a number of Campus Companies (part of the DCU Commercial Group) with charitable status and the guidelines below are of particular relevance to the governance of those companies.
Note: The University also has charitable status. Further details may be found at the link below.
All queries in relation to the information on this section of the website should be routed through the Office of the Chief Operations Officer at the email address below.