Category: News

Smart D8 Call for Pilots 2026 : Call Now Open

Posted on by info@smartd8.ie

Following five years of success in engaging Enterprise, Academia and a range of relevant stakeholders, the Smart D8 initiative has delivered 19 impactful and scalable pilots. In 2026, this engagement will continue with a sixth open call for pilots.

Continuing to focus on the measured health and wellbeing needs of the 45,000-strong diverse Dublin 8 population, this call will focus on three themes, namely:

  • Nutrition,
  • Social Connectedness
  • Workplace Wellbeing

Smart D8 seeks to support the development of impactful and sustainable pilots that involve enterprise, academic and other relevant public and private stakeholders with the potential to scale. The pilot proposals should be ready to deploy with end-users in a general population and should be in a position to measure impacts within a six-month timeframe. Up to three pilots will be chosen to market-validate their innovation in a general population, and measure its impacts. This also includes individual project resourcing of up to €10,000 including VAT as part of their market-validation with citizens in real-world environments to scale.

To apply, please submit your proposal here: https://tinyurl.com/SmartD8-Apply-Pilots-2026 by Thursday, 26th March 2026 at 23:00 (GMT)

Smart D8 Pilot Call Themes

Some examples of the types of pilots which would be relevant to the Dublin 8 population are given here for illustrative purposes. Smart D8 takes a very broad perspective on population health and wellbeing. The call welcomes proposals focused on approaches to illness prevention, together with support in the community. It includes innovation in the delivery of health and wellbeing in the following application areas.

Nutrition

Organisational or individual service innovations for nutritional resilience – e.g.:

  • Whole food, plant-based or Mediterranean diet adoption in community settings
  • Food access initiatives for food security and nutritional equity, chronic disease self-management or illness prevention
  • Metabolic biomarkers for personalised interventions and behavioural change, such as through nutritional literacy, cooking skills or circadian rhythms
  • Education and skills initiatives linking food to mental health
  • Local food networks, food labelling transparency, or supply chain and consumption mapping
  • Place-based food environment interventions that address proximity to fast food, healthy food option availability, and role of local retailers, schools, workplaces or institutions
  • Food labelling, tracing technologies and content
  • Meal preparation technologies and content
  • Food retail technologies and content

Social Connectedness

  • Product or service innovations that can foster measurable neighbourhood-level social capital and informal support networks that reduce loneliness
  • Strengthening existing social infrastructure and activation of underused spaces
  • Novel digital interventions that incentivise use of community gathering spaces and ‘third places’ (e.g. cafes, libraries, parks, community centres) for social interaction and belonging
  • Social prescribing initiatives or solutions that improve connections between individuals and with community activities for healthy habits and lifestyles
  • Digital social infrastructure solutions to improve personalised approaches to healthy ageing, or facilitate meaningful intergenerational relationships within Dublin 8
  • Community/ group technology and content digital services
  • Intergenerational or cross-cultural initiatives that reflect the diversity of the Dublin 8 population
  • Education and awareness content

Workplace Wellbeing

  • Psychosocial interventions such as stress reduction, mindfulness and cognitive-behavioural approaches to manage burnout and improve mental health resilience
  • Wellbeing interventions that can be co-designed with workers and employers (addressing wellbeing as not solely individual resilience)
  • Individual or organisational physical activity initiatives integrated into the workplace, such as active commuting, on-site activities or incentive programs
  • Early-intervention screening for stress-related biomarkers, cortisol sensors, immune system resilience or mental wellbeing pathways
  • Wellbeing activities that address the diverse nature of work in Dublin 8 such as shift work, frontline workers, and small enterprises, addressing workplace wellbeing outside of corporate settings
  • Digital solutions for healthy habits and lifestyles as related to living/working environments or work-life balance
  • Programs that empower local workers to take an active role in shaping health-conscious work environments
  • Metabolic health supports or interventions for daily lifestyles and behavioural change
  • Personalised technology and content digital services
  • Education and awareness content

Who Should Apply

The pilot call is open to all Enterprise, Academic Institutions, Public and Private sector organisations, who:

  • Offer innovative and scalable solutions (products, services, content or devices).
  • Provides new practices/solutions/perspectives that address an unmet need in the community.
  • Have a solution that is ready for end-user deployment in a general population, and a pilot timeline within six months.
  • Can be enabled by co-creation and collaboration with the Smart D8 partners and beyond.

Why Apply?

  • Opportunity to market-validate your innovation by piloting it in a real-world community setting; demonstrating its impact and scalability with a general population.
  • Access to a unique collaborative ecosystem with established clinical, academic, public and private sector engagement.
  • Funding support available for selected pilots.
  • Programme management support.
  • Marketing and promotion support.
  • Access to free workspace in Dublin 8 during the pilot period.

Application Process and Timelines

  • Applicants must submit a completed application form through the Smart D8 website here. Applicants can apply for more than one theme. If your institution cannot access Google Forms via a Google account, you can access the Pilot Application Template, with email submission instructions, here.
  • Call opens: Thursday, 26th February 2026
  • Call closes: Thursday, 26th March 2026 at 23:00 (GMT)
  • Evaluation of proposals:
    Your submission will be reviewed by an expert panel drawn from the Smart D8 partners. A shortlist of applicants will be selected and will be asked to make a presentation to the evaluation panel. An update on the call outcome will be provided to all applicants at the end of the review process, anticipated by end of May 2026.
  • Projects to start: June 2026
  • Projects to present (interim) results: October 2026
  • Projects to finish by: December 2026 (maximum 6-month timeframe)

Eligibility, Evaluation & Selection Criteria

Pilot applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • Impacts at Scale
    Smart D8 wants to back scalable projects which can produce and measure clear impacts on the health and wellbeing of a local population. Applications will be studied on the basis of the ambitions for scale during and after the pilot timeline and how this will be achieved, as well as integration with existing services. Innovations that can demonstrate engagement with higher numbers of citizens will be prioritised for population-scale impacts and outcomes. Additional benefit if pilots leverage existing community assets (e.g. community centres, libraries, parks, local employers, schools).
  • Innovativeness
    A level of innovation in terms of product/service will be required that addresses an unmet or underserved need. Innovation in the incremental or disruptive approach taken to advance the pilot with end-users as it relates to health habits and social norms will also be evaluated; as a key determinant of successful health outcomes.
  • Team & Resources
    The Smart D8 evaluation panel will consider what resources and people are being committed to the pilot and what the ask is in terms of people and resources from Smart D8, including the competence of team members for their pilot project delivery. Explicit communication of resource contribution (including budget) is also required, such as what resources are provided versus those requested of Smart D8.
  • User-Centric
    The evaluation team will look for proposals that are end-user focused. The measures of response to the needs of the community or service users for health and wellbeing impacts of the population of D8 will be scored. Shortlisted pilots are expected to consider a structured plan for community feedback and reflection during and after the pilot phase, ensuring learning can be shared with residents and local stakeholders.
  • Alignment with the objectives of the Smart D8 project.
    Smart D8 takes a very broad perspective on population health and wellbeing. It has built direct connections with citizens in a wide and diverse population. Smart D8 is inspired by the concept of blue zones – areas where people live the longest. Smart D8 offers a template for replicating and scaling elements of population health innovation and impact on a wide range of social and economic determinants. Pilots will be evaluated against these objectives as they relate to the Smart D8 programme and involvement of Smart D8 partners.

About Smart D8

‘Smart D8’ is a real-world population health demonstrator providing opportunities for indigenous and international innovators to investigate how smart technology and innovative approaches can improve health and wellbeing with an urban population.

Since October 2020, Smart D8 has brought together innovators and the Dublin 8 community with a diverse range of entrepreneurs, academics, government, healthcare providers and public bodies in a partnership model to demonstrate population health and wellbeing solutions to scale.

Smart D8 is led by The Digital Hub, Dublin City Council, St. James’s Hospital and Smart Dublin. They are joined by Tyndall National Institute, St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, Trinity College Dublin, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, National College of Art & Design, the Guinness Enterprise Centre, Health Innovation Hub Ireland and the HSE in this unique collaborative initiative.

Smart D8 is focused on finding innovative solutions to improve the health and wellbeing of nearly 45,000 people living in the Dublin 8 region of Ireland’s capital city. Through funded pilot calls and partnerships, Smart D8 facilitates the design, testing and development of future products and services, showcasing their potential to positively impact people’s lives nationally and internationally.

The positive impact of Smart D8 is evident through its enabling of successful pilot projects demonstrated with the local Dublin 8 community. The initiative has supported a total of 19 pilots to date, including Menopause and the City, a menopause education initiative which empowered over 1,500 citizens to manage their symptoms; MoveAhead, which pioneered a motion analytics technology to improve children’s movement skills and enhanced the skills of more than 500 Dublin 8 schoolchildren; and D8 Astro Football, which registered 161 participants through weekly ‘pick-up’ football games and a Social Return on Investment (SROI) framework for improved physical, mental, and social wellbeing.

Smart D8 was shortlisted for HealthTech Innovation of the Year in the Public Sector Digital Transformation Awards 2023, globally recognised as Innovation Finalist at the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) 2023, awarded for Innovation in Public Administration by the European Public Sector Awards (EPSA) 2023-24, Digital Community finalist at the .ie Digital Town Awards 2024, and most recently overall Citizen Engagement winner with MoveAhead at the Ireland eGovernment Awards 2025.

View the press release here | Apply here by Thursday, 26th March 2026 at 23:00 (GMT)

Smart D8 Opens Doors to Health and Wellbeing Innovators for Sixth Consecutive Year

Posted on by info@smartd8.ie
  • Following five years of success, the Smart D8 initiative has a strong record supporting innovators with 19 impactful and scalable pilots delivered.
  • Up to three pilot projects to share in up to €30,000 fund as part of the 2026 initiative.
  • Smart D8 is a consortium initiative led by The Digital Hub, Dublin City Council, St James’s Hospital and Smart Dublin.

(L—R) Hilda Mungereza, Community Programme Manager at The Liberties Community Project, Jack Lehane, Smart D8 Ecosystem Manager, and Ana Coughlan, Smart D8 Community Coordinator, pictured at Saint Studios for the announcement of the Smart D8 2026 Pilot Call, highlighting the key theme of workplace wellbeing. Picture by Beta Bajgartova (2026).

Thursday, 26th February 2026: Smart D8, Dublin’s first smart district dedicated to addressing community health and wellbeing needs and located in the heart of Dublin 8, has officially launched its sixth open call for pilot projects.

Since October 2020, the Smart D8 partnership has connected innovators with citizen expertise through enterprise, healthcare, academia, government and other areas of the public sector, collectively aiming to address health and wellbeing challenges identified by the local D8 community.

Now entering its sixth year, this year’s call focuses on innovative pilot projects across three key themes:

  • Nutrition
  • Social Connectedness
  • Workplace Wellbeing

Up to three pilot projects will each receive up to €10,000 in funding, but crucially will be supported to validate their innovation with real users. Those selected will have the opportunity to trial new and emerging innovations for illness prevention with a general population to measure and evaluate their population health impacts – demonstrating their potential to positively impact people’s lives locally, nationally and internationally.

Since its inception, Smart D8 has established strong community connections through outreach with residents, businesses, schools, local organisations and networks to understand health and wellbeing priority areas and needs. Engaging with service providers, innovators and entrepreneurs to trial and test new products, services and ideas, the partnership works to matchmake innovative content and technologies with community networks and demonstrate their impacts on population health to scale.

Operating through funded pilot calls and partnerships, the Smart D8 testbed supports access to local knowledge and expertise and facilitates the development of innovative approaches that can enhance health and wellbeing with and in the local community.

Through the combined effort of pilot projects, local workshop initiatives and established engagement with existing community networks, Smart D8 has reached over 21,500 citizens living and working in Dublin 8, over 45% of the 45,000-strong population.

Smart D8 is led by The Digital Hub, Dublin City Council, St James’s Hospital and Smart Dublin. They are joined by Tyndall National Institute, St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, Trinity College Dublin, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, National College of Art & Design, the Guinness Enterprise Centre, Health Innovation Hub Ireland and the HSE in this unique collaborative initiative.

Applications will close on Thursday, 26th March at 11pm. For more information on Smart D8 and to find out how to apply for the latest round of pilot projects, please visit https://smartd8.ie.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Ray McAdam, said:

“I am proud to see our city continue to lead with purpose, placing community wellbeing, innovation and sustainability at the centre of how we shape Dublin’s future. Smart D8 represents the very best of civic collaboration, bringing together innovators, researchers, public services and citizens to test ideas that improve everyday life. By grounding innovation in evidence and in lived experience, it is building a model for healthier communities that can be scaled across our capital and beyond. I strongly encourage innovators with bold, practical and evidence led ideas to step forward and partner with us. Together, we can demonstrate how place based collaboration delivers real change for Dublin 8 and sets a standard for cities everywhere.”

Speaking on the opening of pilot applications, Smart D8 Ecosystem Manager, Jack Lehane, said:

“As Smart D8 moves into its sixth year, we take great pride in the scale of engagement so far, and are especially motivated by the opportunities that lie ahead. In 2026, we will continue to build on this momentum by focusing on themes that have the greatest potential to identify and validate population health solutions, including nutrition, social connectedness and workplace wellbeing.
The partnership provides changemakers with a chance to connect their innovations with citizens in real-world community settings, and demonstrate their ability to scale to wider populations. We strongly encourage organisations from any sector that have population-scale innovations in these areas to apply, and look forward to seeing more projects deliver measurable impacts and outcomes across the Dublin 8 community and beyond in the year ahead.”

Ana Coughlan, Smart D8 Community Coordinator, added:

“At Smart D8, our mission is to improve community health and wellbeing through meaningful collaboration and innovation, while amplifying the efforts of those already committed to making a difference in people’s lives. We have built a strong network of community-centred initiatives that involve residents, workers and students to support healthier lifestyles, and this year’s themes are chosen based on this outreach. We will continue to expand our impact by welcoming pilot proposals that focus on innovative approaches to illness prevention, helping to create a stronger, healthier and more connected Dublin 8.”

View the criteria here | Apply here by Thursday, 26th March 2026 at 23:00 (GMT)

Smart D8 Partners with St Andrew’s Community Centre for “Love Your Heart” Wellbeing Event

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Smart D8 is delighted to collaborate with St Andrew’s Community Centre, Rialto, as part of their upcoming “Love Your Heart” Community Wellbeing Event

Taking place on Thursday 12th February from 10am-2pm, this free event invites the local community to step away from the busy pace of daily life and focus on health, wellbeing, and self-care in a warm and welcoming environment.

A Day Dedicated to Community Wellbeing

The event will offer a wide range of free taster sessions and health supports available to book on the day, including:

  • Holistic therapies
  • Blood pressure checks with the Irish Heart Foundation
  • Free hearing checks with Hidden Hearing Ireland
  • Valentine’s nail glam
  • Healthy snacks and smoothie demonstrations
  • AED and defibrillator demonstrations
  • Raffle with tickets available on the day and in advance from reception

Mental Health First Aid Workshop with Smart D8 (1pm – 2pm)

As part of the event, Smart D8 will deliver a Mental Health First Aid workshop from 1pm-2pm, facilitated by Kieran Doyle.
This session is designed to support individuals in building confidence and understanding around mental health, using practical tools that can be applied in everyday life – whether supporting yourself, a friend, a family member, or someone in your community.

During the workshop, participants will learn:

  • How to recognise signs of mental distress
  • How to offer support using the ALGEE Action Plan
  • When and where to seek appropriate professional help
  • How to look after their own mental wellbeing

The session is suitable for everyone, with no prior knowledge required.

We look forward to joining St Andrew’s Community Centre and local partners for a positive, inclusive day focused on care, connection, and community.

💗 Everyone welcome – come along and take some time for you. 💗

Smart D8 Supports Health and Happiness Week at St Patrick’s Cathedral Grammar School

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Wellbeing Workshops as part of St Patrick’s Cathedral Grammar School’s Health & Happiness Week

Smart D8 was delighted to partner with St Patrick’s Cathedral Grammar School as part of their Health and Happiness Week, which took place during the week of January 26th. This collaborative initiative focused on promoting both physical and mental wellbeing among students through engaging, age-appropriate workshops.

Across the week, 52 students participated in two interactive sessions designed to support healthy minds and bodies – a Zumba fitness workshop for 1st year students and a Mental Health First Aid workshop for 2nd year students.

Zumba Fitness Workshop (1st Year Students)

The Zumba workshop, delivered by Gita Cherry Prabhandhari, provided students with a high-energy and fun introduction to dance-based fitness.

The session aimed to promote:

  • Physical activity and movement
  • Confidence and self-expression
  • Joy and positivity during the school day

Throughout the hour-long workshop, students remained enthusiastic and actively engaged with continuous laughter, smiling and high energy levels reflecting their genuine enjoyment. All 25 participating students took part fully and left the session feeling energised and positive.

Mental Health First Aid Workshop (2nd Year Students)

The Mental Health First Aid session, delivered by Kieran Doyle, aimed to increase students’ understanding and awareness of mental health and to equip them with practical tools to support themselves and others.

This workshop is particularly significant given that the World Health Organisation reports that 1 in 7 teenagers will experience mental health challenges. The session reinforced the important message that everyone has mental health, while acknowledging that recognising poor mental health, in ourselves or others, can sometimes be difficult.

To make the topic accessible and engaging for teenagers, the workshop utilised the ALGEE Action Plan, a structured and practical tool that helps students to:

  • Assess for risk
  • Listen effectively and empathetically
  • Give reassurance and accurate information
  • Encourage professional support
  • Encourage self-help strategies

Students reported that the workshop was easy to understand and particularly enjoyed the interactive activities, which helped bring the learning to life in a supportive and inclusive environment.

Smart D8 is proud to support initiatives that place young people’s wellbeing at the centre of school life. The collaboration with St Patrick’s Cathedral Grammar School during Health and Happiness Week highlighted the value of combining physical activity with mental health education to support students’ overall wellbeing.

Smart D8 2025: A Year of Breakthrough Innovation, Community Connection and Real-World Impact

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Dublin 8’s demonstrator proves population health innovations work — and we’re just getting started

Fig. 1: Participants celebrate during a ‘pick-up’ football game, as part of the Smart D8 Pilot ‘D8 Astro Football’ (2025) led by Football Cooperative. Source (Fig. 1 and Feature Image): Football Cooperative CLG (2025).

2025 Impacts at a Glance

  • Reached milestone of 21,500+ citizens in Smart D8’s first five years through established connections with community organisations and direct pilot engagements – representing over 40% of Dublin 8’s population
  • Launched fifth annual Pilot Call across Positive and Healthy Ageing, Community, and Connected Patient in the Community, with 10% international proposals received
  • Selected and delivered three breakthrough pilots focusing on cancer detection, heart failure management, and men’s health through community football
  • Welcomed Ana Coughlan as Smart D8 Community Coordinator in collaboration with The Liberties Community Project, strengthening engagements with local organisations across Dublin 8
  • Delivered 37 community wellbeing initiatives through 15 new community-organisation collaborations, reaching an additional 400+ participants where people live, work and learn
  • Expanded co-design capabilities through collaborations with multinationals, including Boehringer Ingelheim and Vhi Healthcare, embedding citizen-led innovation in digital health
  • 100+ registered attendees at Smart D8’s third-ever showcase event, showcasing 2024–2025 pilot projects’ innovation journeys and ongoing community engagement activities
  • Recognised nationally with MoveAhead as the overall winner for Citizen Engagement at the Ireland eGovernment Awards 2025
  • Further increased visibility through 6,900+ new website visitors, 30,000+ social media impressions and 15,000+ members reached, and growing

2025 marked a defining year for Smart D8 as Dublin 8’s place-based population health demonstrator, bringing innovators and citizens together to demonstrate and validate innovations to tackle real-world community health and wellbeing challenges at scale. We launched our fifth consecutive pilot call, reaching over 40% of the local Dublin 8 community in the first five years. We selected three game-changing pilots: AI technology helping GPs detect cancer earlier, remote monitoring empowering citizens to self-manage heart failure at home, and football bringing men together for better social and mental wellbeing. 400+ residents took part in accessible wellbeing programmes — from International Women’s Day workshops to nature-based learning for schoolchildren — while 100+ registered attendees for our annual showcase to connect, learn, and build what comes next. With new capabilities expanded in co-design with collaborations with multinationals such as Boehringer Ingelheim and Vhi Healthcare, Smart D8 is not just pioneering new cross-sector collaborations with citizens for community health; we’re building the blueprint for population health transformation across Dublin 8, Ireland and beyond.

Validating Solutions for Real-World Impacts

Fig. 2: Pilot representatives convene for the winners announcement of the Smart D8 Pilot Call 2025. (L—R): Conor Murphy (General Practitioner and Aspire Clinical Research Fellow at RCSI University of Medicine & Health Sciences); Ana Coughlan (Community Coordinator at Smart D8); Dr. Jack Lehane (Ecosystem Manager at Smart D8); Steven O’Connell (CEO and Founder at Football Cooperative); and Eamonn Costello (CEO and Co-Founder at patientMpower). Smart D8 selection also includes Eimear Kelly (Digital Health Solutions Specialist at patientMpower). Picture by Beta Bajgartova (2025).

Fifth Pilot Call Breaks New Ground

Smart D8’s fifth Pilot Call reinforced Dublin 8’s role as the go-to place-based demonstrator for validating health and wellbeing innovations that can work with the community at scale, attracting a broad range of applications (10% international) from industry innovators, academic thought leaders, public body visionaries and community changemakers. Following screening, review panel scoring and validation interviews, three pilots moved from proposed concepts to real-world delivery.

🎯 Pilot 1: LISTEN — AI That Helps GPs Spot Cancer Earlier
LISTEN (Leveraging an AI Scribe Tool to Detect Early Non-Specific Symptoms of Cancer) by the PRiCAN research group at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, developed and deployed an AI-supported ‘non-specific symptoms’ approach across four GP practices and 554 consultations — prompting clinicians on potential subtle cancer indicators (such as appetite loss, fatigue, vague abdominal pain) and helping ensure subtle cancer symptoms don’t go unnoticed.

💙 Pilot 2: Smart Heart — Remote Monitoring That Keeps Patients Safe at Home
Smart Heart by PatientMpower, in collaboration with St James’s Hospital Heart Support Unit, supported citizens to measure and transmit real-time blood pressure and weight data through remote monitoring — demonstrating how citizens living with heart failure can stay home safely while clinicians can gain insight into important bioindicator changes for early intervention.

⚽ Pilot 3: D8 Astro Football — Where Kickabouts Become Health-Changing
Using a simple yet powerful hook of ‘pick-up’ football, D8 Astro Football by Football Cooperative engaged 159 citizens through informal, community-led games at three Dublin 8 locations across 11 game nights. Supported by enterprise-academic collaborations with South East Technological University and University College Dublin, the pilot co-designed an Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) framework that captures real-time mood, stress and wellbeing data before and after games, supporting a Social Return on Investment (SROI) framework for scale-up.

Community in Action: 400+ Residents and Wellness To Last

Fig. 3: Participants share a moment during a co-design project at the Department of Design Innovation, Maynooth University, in collaboration with Smart D8, The Liberties Community Project and the local Dublin 8 community. 

Smart D8 also delivered a range of inclusive wellbeing initiatives that reached an additional 400+ residents across 2025, designed to meet people where they are — schools, community centres, festivals and local spaces. Early in the year, health weeks reached 100+ students and teachers, followed by a Love Your Heart event supporting physical and mental wellbeing, and a Women’s Wellness series engaging 99 women through workshops spanning bone health, pregnancy, menopause and breast cancer recovery.

As we saw our pioneering team member, Giulia Camera, progress to exciting new horizons and open doors for new collaborations in her next chapter, the stellar appointment of Ana Coughlan as Smart D8 Community Coordinator in May, in collaboration with The Liberties Community Project, further transformed Smart D8’s capacity to listen and respond. Paving new paths for the latest programme evolution, active local outreach engaged an additional 15 key organisations and carried out a range of initiatives, including conducting focus groups that helped surface critical themes around isolation and service gaps, coordinating extensive community wellbeing initiatives in Dublin 8 and carrying out tailored community engagement activities for continued participation.

Summer and autumn sustained the momentum through Culture Date with Dublin 8’s Louder Voices songwriting and wellbeing activities, in addition to Dublin City Council summer camp workshops reaching 63 children, and festival sessions engaging 45 community members through accessible movement and wellbeing classes. Workplace wellness and healthy eating workshops further broadened participation, demonstrating that accessible, culturally responsive health initiatives can further lasting impact when carried out with the local community for healthier futures.

Alongside delivery, Smart D8’s community engagement in 2025 generated a strong evidence base through surveys, participant feedback and focus groups, identifying physical activity, nutrition and stress management as key priorities, with accessibility and social connection emerging as critical enablers of wellbeing. Feedback indicated tangible impact, with 60-70% of participants intending to maintain higher activity levels and over 80% expressing interest in continuing these activities regularly. These insights continue to inform Smart D8’s co-design approach and pilot validation processes, ensuring innovation remains grounded in lived experience and responsive to community need.

Growing the Movement

Fig. 4: Helen Gaynor (Head of Community Support Services at the Irish Heart Foundation) presents the citizen-engaged innovation journey of the Smart D8 Pilot ‘Heart of Our City’ (2021), as part of Vhi’s annual CXM Innovation Day at The Digital Hub in April. Additional pilot speakers included Dr. Johann Issartel (Co-Founder and CEO at MoveAhead), Sonia Neary (CEO and Co-Founder at Wellola), and Stephen McPeake (Founder and CEO at Civic Dollars).

In 2025, Smart D8 strengthened its role as a connector, expanding its co-design capabilities with collaborations with multinationals including Boehringer Ingelheim and Vhi Healthcare. In April, Smart D8 supported Vhi’s annual CXM Innovation Day at The Digital Hub by showcasing lessons from previous pilot innovators — MoveAhead, the Irish Heart Foundation, Wellola and Civic Dollars — demonstrating how place-based collaboration helps move ideas toward implementation to deliver meaningful, validated digital health solutions and help citizens live longer, stronger and healthier lives.

In May, Smart D8 collaborated with Boehringer Ingelheim, The Digital Hub, Tyndall National Institute and local Dublin 8 organisations to explore how everyday digital devices such as smartphones, smartwatches and smart rings could help support more personalised and equitable approaches to health and wellbeing. Commenced with a multi-workshop co-design series, the collaboration explored potentials for citizen-led co-design on digital biomarkers using wearable technology, engaging residents, workers and students — opening new doors for a more responsive and inclusive digital health future.

In September, MoveAhead and Smart D8 were recognised as overall winner for Citizen Engagement at the Ireland eGovernment Awards 2025. The awards ceremony took place on Thursday 18th September at UCD O’Reilly Hall, Belfield. The guest of honour at the Awards ceremony was Minister Jack Chambers TD, Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Services, Reform and Digitalisation, who joined on behalf of An Taoiseach.

Fig. 5: Smart D8 Consortium representatives and 2024—2025 pilot speakers convene at the Smart D8 Showcase Event in October. Picture by Josue Alejandro Pena Argueta; The Liberties Training Centre (2025).

In October, Smart D8’s third in-person showcase brought together 100+ registered attendees across all sectors for presentations, roundtables and networking, demonstrating increased impact measures while expanding the engagement infrastructure and evidence base for validating the next-generation population health innovations to scale in Dublin 8 and beyond.

What’s Next: Your Invitation to 2026

As our programme moves into 2026, Smart D8 looks forward to building on this momentum with new collaborations and initiatives, and fresh opportunities for you to get involved — to help validate innovations that can drive lasting, measurable change in population health and wellbeing. Want to be part of Dublin 8’s health innovation story? If you haven’t already, here’s how:

Thank you for being part of Smart D8’s remarkable 2025 journey. We are excited for what 2026 will offer. And we’re just getting started…

Taking Time to Recharge: Wellbeing Workshops for Community Workers in Dublin 8

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Wellbeing Workshops for Community Workers in Dublin 8

In December, Smart D8 was delighted to partner with Fatima Groups United to host two wellbeing workshops for community workers in Dublin 8 at the F2 Centre in Rialto. Across the two sessions, 30 community workers from a wide range of local organisations came together to take a well deserved pause from their busy schedules.

Community workers are often supporting others through complex and challenging situations, and the emotional demands of the role can be significant. These workshops were created in direct response to feedback from a recent social prescribing event, where many workers spoke openly about the ongoing pressures they face and the lack of time to prioritise their own wellbeing.

The first session, Laughter Yoga, took place on Tuesday December 9th. While laughter yoga may sound unusual at first, the session quickly filled the room with energy, connection, and (unsurprisingly) plenty of laughter. Through simple, playful exercises combined with gentle breathing, participants were encouraged to let go of stress, connect with one another and enjoy a moment of lightness in the middle of the working day.

The following week, on Tuesday December 16th, participants were invited to slow things down with a Sound Bath session. This hour offered a calm and restorative space, where soothing sound vibrations helped quiet the mind and release tension in the body. For many, it was a rare opportunity to fully switch off, even briefly, during a busy week.

What stood out across both workshops was the sense of shared understanding in the room. These sessions weren’t just about relaxation techniques, they were about acknowledging the importance of caring for those who care for others.

Movember Workshops: Celebrating Men’s Mental Health

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Smart D8 x Solas Project: Supporting Men’s Mental Health Month

Smart D8 is delighted to partner with Solas Project for ‘Mind Your Mate’, a community event dedicated to supporting and celebrating men’s mental health. Taking place in the heart of Dublin 8, the evening is designed to bring men of all ages together in a relaxed, positive and welcoming environment. The aim is to create space for connection, open conversation and practical support, all while encouraging men to prioritise their wellbeing.

The event will offer a wide variety of activities that promote both physical and mental health. Attendees can take part in seven-a-side football, guided breathwork, yoga, arts and crafts, and hear from a range of mental health speakers. There will also be a nutritionist and an on-site nurse offering health checks, alongside a food truck to help keep everyone fuelled throughout the evening. The atmosphere is intended to be friendly and inclusive, making it easy for men to meet others, learn something new, and enjoy an evening focused on wellbeing.

As part of the programme, Smart D8 tutors will host two workshops that are free and open to anyone attending. The first, Mental Health First Aid for Young Adults, will be delivered by Kieran Doyle. This session introduces the key principles of Mental Health First Aid, giving young adults the tools to recognise when a friend or peer may be struggling. Kieran will guide participants through the ALGEE action plan and discuss ways to offer effective support, while also emphasising the importance of self-care for those who provide help to others.

The second workshop, Fuel Your Mind, will be led by nutritional therapist Margaret O’Brien from Balance My Life. Margaret will explore the relationship between nutrition and mental wellbeing, highlighting how our food choices influence mood, energy, focus and resilience. Participants will learn about foods that support brain health, how to avoid habits that drain energy, and simple daily changes that can make a real difference. The workshop is engaging, practical and suitable for anyone interested in understanding how diet can support overall wellbeing.

Mind Your Mate is more than an event – it’s a chance for the community to come together, support one another and learn tools that strengthen both individual and collective wellbeing. Whether you join for the workshops, the activities, the conversations, or simply the atmosphere, everyone is welcome.

The event takes place from 6pm to 9pm on the 27th of November 2025 at Solas Project, Liberty View, Unit 1 Long’s Place, The Liberties, Dublin 8. We look forward to being part of an evening that encourages learning, connection and community support.

Smart D8 Showcase 2025 Highlights Innovation in Population Health

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Smart D8 Showcase 2025 Highlights Whole-of-Society Innovation in Population Health

 

The recent Smart D8 Showcase brought together innovators, researchers, community partners and entrepreneurs to explore the future of population health and wellbeing. This year’s edition was hosted in the Digital Depot at The Digital Hub, spotlighting pioneering pilot projects and initiatives tackling real-world health challenges in the heart of Ireland’s capital city.

Smart D8, Dublin’s first smart district dedicated to addressing community health in the heart of Dublin 8, is a population health demonstrator committed to improving the wellbeing of nearly 45,000 citizens living, working and studying in Dublin 8. It provides opportunities for innovators to collaboratively demonstrate innovative content and technology to enhance population health outcomes locally and beyond.

This year’s showcase featured presentations and roundtables from 2024–2025 pilot project leaders, ranging across themes such as heart health, men’s health and early-stage cancer detection. Highlights of the first panel, “Piloting Next-Generation Population Health,” included:

  • PRiCAN Research Group at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, for LISTEN (Leveraging an AI Scribe Tool to Detect Early Non-Specific Symptoms of Cancer) — prompting clinicians on early cancer indicators, helping ensure subtle cancer symptoms don’t go unnoticed
  • patientMpower in collaboration with St James’s Hospital Heart Support Unit, for the Smart Heart initiative — supporting citizens’ remote monitoring for biomarkers associated with heart failure progression
  • D8 Astro Football by Football Cooperative CLG in collaboration with Dublin City Council — developing a Social Return on Investment (SROI) framework for men’s health with partners such as South East Technological University, University College Dublin, Local Sports Partnerships and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI)
  • Ongoing Smart D8 community engagement initiatives — led by Smart D8 Community Coordinator, Ana Coughlan, and core collaborators such as The Liberties Community Project

The second panel, “Beyond Pilots – Scaling Outcomes, Lessons and Learnings,” brought together key roundtable speakers for post-pilot impacts from 2024, including initiatives from Kids Speech Labs, Dublin Simon Community, CP-Life Research Centre at RCSI, and Outlandish Theatre (OT) Platform in collaboration with the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI) and Trinity College Dublin.

The event ended with an engaging networking session, fostering continued collaboration across the Smart D8 partnership, collaborators, and extended innovator and community networks; all committed to driving next-generation innovations in population health and wellbeing.

By fostering connections between citizens and service-providers, Smart D8 presents a unique opportunity for innovators to explore how innovative content and technologies can collaboratively improve health and wellbeing with an urban population. Smart D8 is looking to engage and collaborate with enterprises, academic institutions, and public and private sector organisations who wish to market validate their solutions with the local community to demonstrate measurable impacts on social and economic determinants of health to scale.

Smart D8’s achievements have earned widespread recognition, including HealthTech Innovation of the Year finalist (Public Sector Digital Transformation Awards 2023), Innovation in Public Administration (EPSA 2023-24), Digital Community finalist (.ie Digital Town Awards 2024), and overall Citizen Engagement winner with MoveAhead (eGovernment Awards 2025).

Registrations Now Open for Smart D8 Showcase 2025

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Registrations Now Open for Smart D8 Showcase 2025

 

Registration is now open for Smart D8’s annual Showcase Event, scheduled for Thu 30th October 2025 at the Digital Depot at The Digital Hub (Bay 01), Dublin 8! Join us for a morning filled with innovative talks, inspiring roundtable and networking opportunities. Discover the latest advancements in population health and wellbeing and how they are shaping the future. Whether you’re an industry professional, entrepreneur, researcher, healthy communities advocate or simply a health enthusiast curious about what’s next, this event is perfect for you. Get ready to be witness what the future holds at the Smart D8 Showcase 2025.

The Smart D8 Showcase is an in-person event; to hear more about the latest Smart D8 pilot projects’ innovations in population health and wellbeing, ranging across themes including (but not limited to) heart health, men’s health, and early-stage cancer detection. The showcase will give attendees an opportunity to:

  • Learn about the collaboration from across 12 different public-facing organisations as part of the Smart D8 consortium.
  • Experience the innovations happening through presentations from 2024 and 2025 Smart D8 pilot representatives.
  • Meet Smart D8’s networks and collaborators, and explore future collaboration opportunities.

Panel 1 : Piloting Next-Generation Population Health (2025)
[ Format : Presentation + Q&A ]

  • A: Early-Stage Cancer Detection, by RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences | Speakers: Catherine Devereux, Artificial Intelligence Research Scientist and Dr. Conor Murphy, General Practitioner and Aspire Clinical Research Fellow at RCSI University of Medicine & Health Sciences
  • B: Smart Heart, by PatientMPower in collaboration with St James’s Hospital | Speaker: Eimear Kelly, Digital Health Solutions Specialist at patientMpower
  • C: D8 Astro Football, by Football Cooperative CLG | Speaker: Steven O’Connell, CEO and Founder at Football Cooperative CLG
  • D: Smart D8 Community Engagement, by Smart D8 and collaborators incl. The Liberties Community Project (TLCP) | Speaker: Ana Coughlan, Community Coordinator at Smart D8
  • Group Panel Q&A

Panel 2 : Beyond Pilots – Scaling Outcomes, Lessons and Learnings (2024)
[ Format : Roundtable // Shared Q&A ]

  • A: Kids Speech Labs, by Kids Speech Labs Ltd. | Speaker: Dr. Shona D’Arcy, Founder at Kids Speech Labs
  • B: Digital Medication Management System, by Dublin Simon Community | Speaker: Samantha Makiwa, Senior Manager in Clinical Governance & Therapeutic Services at Dublin Simon Community
  • C: Access Information Map, by CP-Life Research Centre at RCSI | Speaker: Dr. Jennifer Fortune, Senior Research Fellow & Research Programme Lead at CP-Life Research Centre at RCSI 
  • D: Brain Health, by Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI)/Trinity College Dublin in collaboration with Outlandish Theatre (OT) Platform | Speaker: Maud Hendricks, Artist and Co-Director at Outlandish Theatre (OT) Platform

The event will include presentations from Smart D8 partners and the latest cohorts of pilots, panel roundtable discussions and Q&A, and conclude with on-site networking opportunities.

Register via Eventbrite Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/smart-d8-showcase-2025-tickets-1737599449729

See some of our 2023 Showcase Event below!

Smart D8 x MoveAhead Overall Citizen Engagement Winner at eGovernment Awards 2025

Posted on by info@smartd8.ie

 

Smart D8, in collaboration with MoveAhead, were nationally recognised as overall Citizen Engagement winner at the Ireland eGovernment Awards 2025.

Led by Jamie McGann and Johann Issartel, MoveAhead is the world’s first AI-powered and movement analytics platform built specifically for children. One of four Smart D8 pilots from 2023 and an ADAPT-DCU spin-out, MoveAhead brought its movement-based app and games to schools and after-schools in the Dublin 8 community to co-design a “Smart Moves” curriculum, to tackle the sedentary crisis in childhood in the digital age. Through the Smart D8 pilot, MoveAhead’s community outreach was able to engage a range of local schools and after schools partnerships in Dublin 8 such as The Liberties Community Project (TLCP — formerly SICCDA; South Inner City Community Development Association) to co-design and deliver a movement curriculum for children’s motor skills. In doing so, MoveAhead identified an underutilised space for engaging with citizens to achieve health and social impacts outside of traditional healthcare settings, it equipped teachers and carers with the tools to measure childhood movement, and it empowered over 500 children and their families to co-develop their own movement curriculum which led to measurable improvement in their movement skills to improve their health and wellbeing.

Findings and teacher feedback demonstrated that consistent delivery of the physical literacy programme can drive lasting improvements in children’s motor skills. In terms of health, it delivered measurable improvements in children’s motor competence and boosted confidence in physical activity. The programme advanced equity by reaching underserved communities through Smart D8, The Digital Hub pilot champion, and trusted local partners such as The Liberties Community Project. It promoted digital inclusion with GDPR- and KidSafe-compliant tools that encouraged active, not passive, screen use — with raw data of movement anonymised by default; setting a new precedent for responsible data management. The project also proved highly scalable, continuing to grow through subsequent partnerships and stakeholders in the education sector: https://libertiesdublin.ie/d8-kids-moving-ahead

The awards ceremony took place on Thursday 18th September at UCD O’Reilly Hall, Belfield. The guest of honour at the Awards ceremony was Minister Jack Chambers TD, Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Services, Reform and Digitalisation, who joined on behalf of An Taoiseach.

Smart D8 Population Health Survey Series

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How can people have more say in improving health and wellbeing in their communities?

This question is at the heart of a community-focused project led by The Digital Hub and Tyndall National Institute through the Smart D8 partnership, Boehringer Ingelheim, and local organisations in Dublin 8.

This project explores whether everyday digital tools, such as smartphones, smartwatches and smart rings, can support more personalised and fair approaches to health and wellbeing.

What better way to gather people’s views and understand the real challenges of everyday life than to survey the population of Dublin 8. The Dublin 8 community is already leading the way in improving health and wellbeing.

Including people who live, work and study in Dublin 8 helps build a clear picture of health and wellbeing needs. We hope to understand preferences around digital devices,  learn about the general health and wellbeing needs of our local community, and explore opportunities for more effective and personalised public health supports through wearable technologies. It has been designed to be inclusive, simple and anonymous. It can help shape future projects, such as where people may choose to share anonymous health data from their devices to help find early signs of health issues (“digital biomarkers”) and improve health outcomes.

By participating, you’ll help us build a more responsive and inclusive digital health future — starting in Dublin 8.
_________________________

To participate, please click here.

Smart D8 pilots transform cancer diagnoses with AI, support men’s health and empower patients with heart failure

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Smart D8 pilot projects to focus on using AI to transform cancer diagnoses, supporting men’s health and managing heart failure through patient empowerment

  • Announcement of 2025 pilots marks the fifth year of the community health and wellbeing programme
  • Smart D8 is led by The Digital Hub, Dublin City Council, St James’s Hospital and Smart Dublin
  • The initiative has reached over 40% of the Dublin 8 community to date

(L—R) Dr. Conor Murphy (General Practitioner and Aspire Clinical Research Fellow at RCSI University of Medicine & Health Sciences); Ana Coughlan (Community Coordinator at Smart D8); Dr. Jack Lehane (Ecosystem Manager at Smart D8); Steven O’Connell (CEO and Founder at Football Cooperative); and Eamonn Costello (CEO and Co-Founder at patientMpower). Smart D8 selection also includes Eimear Kelly (Digital Health Solutions Specialist at patientMpower). Picture by Beta Bajgartova (2025).

Smart D8, Dublin’s first smart district dedicated to addressing community health and wellbeing in the heart of Dublin 8, has announced three new pilot projects as it enters its fifth year of successfully engaging the local community.

The pilot projects will centre on accelerating cancer detection with the use of AI, driving positive conversations around men’s health through community football and supporting remote heart health monitoring for patients living with heart failure conditions.

The announced initiatives come as Smart D8 continues its commitment to enhance the health and wellbeing of local communities in the Dublin 8 area following five years of success.

Since October 2020, the Smart D8 partnership has gathered expertise across a range of areas and has established strong community connections among residents, businesses and local organisations. Through the combined effort of pilot calls, local workshop activities and engagement with existing community groups, Smart D8 has reached over 18,500 people living and working in the 45,000-strong population of Dublin 8.

Smart D8 is led by The Digital Hub, Dublin City Council, St James’s Hospital and Smart Dublin. They are joined by Tyndall National Institute, St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, Trinity College Dublin, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, National College of Art & Design, Guinness Enterprise Centre, Health Innovation Hub Ireland and the HSE in this unique collaborative initiative.

The pilot programme of Smart D8 operates by selecting a number of health and wellbeing-focused initiatives each year following a competitive application process. Selected projects are supported with community engagement and funding as they are demonstrated in Dublin 8 for a six-month period. After this period, they are evaluated to verify the potential to scale their innovations for long-term population health and wellbeing impacts in the area and beyond.

The 2025 pilot projects that will begin implementation across the Dublin 8 area this summer include:

  • Early-Stage Cancer Detection by the RCSI University of Medicine & Health Sciences: This project, run by the PRiCAN research group, aims to support expedited cancer diagnoses through an AI-powered digital scribe tool, which will assist in diagnostic consultations in Centric Health GP practices in Dublin 8. The tool will support GPs by reducing administrative burden and monitoring conversations with patients for subtle symptom patterns potentially linked to cancers with the aim of prompting earlier investigation and diagnosis.
  • Football Cooperative by Football Cooperative CLG: This project, led by Steven O’Connell, aims to engage men in positive health behaviours through weekly pick-up football games, encouraging conversations about men’s overall physical, mental and social health. Backed by South-East Technological University (SETU), the programme has already demonstrated a social return of €17.60 for every €1 invested and will aim to co-develop a robust outcome framework to enable national scaling through partners, including the FAI and Local Sports Partnerships.
  • Smart Heart: Heart Failure Care in the Community by patientMpower and in partnership with St James’s Hospital Heart Support Unit: Led by Eamonn Costello and Eimear Kelly, this project involves the remote monitoring of individuals living with heart failure, a condition that affects 2% of Ireland’s population. Patients will receive connected devices that transmit blood pressure and weight data to clinicians in real-time, enabling the trial of a scalable model of community-based chronic care.

Jack Lehane, Smart D8 Ecosystem Manager, said:

“As Smart D8 enters its fifth consecutive year, I am delighted to announce the three pilot projects that will be demonstrated with the Dublin 8 community. Each year, the quality of applications for Smart D8 is increasing, which is a reflection of the interest and impact that the programme and these initiatives are creating. The three selected projects focus on key areas centred on population health and wellbeing, cemented by innovation and scalability. We look forward to supporting these projects over the coming six months and seeing the positive impact that they generate with the Dublin 8 community and wider areas to scale.”

Ana Coughlan, Smart D8 Community Coordinator, added:

“Community engagement is at the heart of Smart D8, and we’re excited to see how people living and working in Dublin 8 can participate in the three new pilot projects for 2025. Over the past five years, Smart D8 has reached more than 40% of the local population — a milestone we’re proud of as we continue to support health and wellbeing innovation in the area. These new pilots are an opportunity to respond to local health challenges in meaningful ways, where improved health and wellbeing can become more embedded into everyday life in Dublin 8 and our wider communities.”

The positive impact of Smart D8 has become evident through its enabling of successful pilot projects that have been trialled within Dublin 8 in response to local health needs. The initiative has supported a total of 16 projects to date, including Kids Speech Labs, which filled gender and cultural data gaps for early-intervention speech and language screening; Menopause and the City, a menopause education initiative to empower women and their family and friends to manage menopause symptoms; and MoveAhead, which pioneered motion-analytics technology to improve children’s movement skills and enhanced the skills of more than 500 Dublin 8 schoolchildren.

For more information on Smart D8, visit https://smartd8.ie