Build innovation capability that works for your business.
IRDG helps you build capability through formal, semi-formal and informal routes. Training is part of it. So are our ongoing briefings, information webinars and updates, and our formal programmes.
The aim is to help the team make better decisions, use stronger methods and continually improve their skills.
Some challenges need a structured programme. Others need a benchmark, a focused conversation, a short chat, a site visit or access to people who have done something similar.
Find the right route
What would help your team?
Find where to focus
When the problem is unclear or priorities are competing.
Use the Innovation Benchmark to build a shared view of what is working, where a skill, method or process needs attention and which actions matter first. Leave with a practical set of priorities rather than a generic score.
Explore the Innovation Benchmark →Build skills and stronger systems
When a team needs a shared method and time to apply it.
Choose structured programmes, focused workshops or in-company training in innovation management, AI and strategic innovation, and apply the learning to your team's work.
Explore programmes →Work through a live challenge
When your team would benefit from an experienced outside perspective.
Use Innovation Mentoring for an experienced outside perspective, or Members Question Time to draw on relevant experience from across the network. Each route begins with a short scope.
Explore mentoring →Learn from people doing the work
When seeing and comparing practice will move the work faster.
Join practice groups, site visits, briefings and webinars to see how other organisations are approaching recurring innovation problems, and bring useful ideas back to your own setting.
Explore practice groups →Choosing an approach
Methods and approaches
The approach depends on the challenge. These are some of the methods used across IRDG's support and programmes.
Understanding customers and users
Design thinking and service design help a team explore people's needs, understand their experience and test possible improvements. Interviews, observation, journey mapping and prototypes can help clarify the problem before committing to a solution.
Developing products and services
Lean product development helps teams examine how ideas move through development, identify uncertainty and improve how they learn and work together. Small experiments and clearer project decisions can help a team decide what to progress, change or stop.
Managing innovation across the organisation
Innovation management connects individual projects with strategy, responsibilities, resources and review. It helps a team consider both the work it is doing now and how it chooses and supports future innovation.
Capability in practice
Different problems need different kinds of help.
“Bring us the challenge and we will find the right starting point.”
Capability in practice · Dell Technologies
Dell Cork: Ireland's first organisation certified to ISO 56001.
In May 2026, Dell Technologies' Cork Manufacturing operation achieved ISO 56001 certification — the requirements standard for an innovation management system. Dell project lead Mark Dullea described it as the first organisation in Ireland to do so, and NSAI and APCER confirmed it as the first certification under their Irish partnership and the first Dell site worldwide. IRDG's support began with Foundations for Strategic Innovation and continued with guidance from Bernadette McGahon and Dermot Casey as the Dell team developed its innovation management system.
Certification was awarded independently through NSAI and APCER. IRDG supported capability development; it did not audit or certify Dell, and participation in an IRDG programme does not guarantee certification.
Member voices
One one-to-one session alone covers the membership fee — that's why it makes total business sense for our engineering team.
In practice
Members who built capability here.
What capability building looked like inside a member company, in their words — two earlier accounts of lean product development and a current profile.
CBE
Bringing lean product development into software delivery.
Silver Pail
A fit-for-purpose lean new product development process.
Ei Electronics
Stepping outside the bubble to bring external learning in.
Current opportunities
Upcoming capability sessions.
- Innovators Edge with Marc O'Regan, CTO EMEA, Dell TechnologiesRegister
- AI for Personal ProductivityRegister
- Green Innovation - Executive WorkshopRegister
Booking opens on IRDG's events platform. For booking help or to discuss access requirements, contact IRDG before the event.
Discuss your challenge
Tell us what your organisation is trying to build, fix or change. We will help identify the most useful next step — whether that is the benchmark, an outside perspective, peer access or a structured programme. If you are already a member we will route the question to the right person.