FUNDING of €500k has been granted to Trinity College Dublin researchers to develop an AI platform which provides tools to support teachers.
The grant, from Enterprise Ireland’s Commercialisation Fund, will support the commercialisation of the Diotima project.
Co-founded by former secondary school teacher Siobhan Ryan and edtech professional Jonathan Dempsey, Diotima uses responsible AI to provide students with feedback.
The product “leads to more and better assessments and improved learning outcomes for students, and a more manageable workload for teachers” an Enterprise Ireland spokesperson confirmed.
Diotima received the funding in February, which has allowed the team to hire two post-doctoral researchers.
(l-r) Learnovate Centre Director Nessa McEniff; Diotima Commercial Lead and co-founder Jonathan Dempsey; and Diotima Learning Lead and co-founder Siobhan RyanSince then, the project leaders have established an education advisory group formed of representatives from post-primary and professional education organisations.
They are now leading AI research ahead of the planned launch of an initial version of the platform in September 2025.
Diotima aims to conduct two major trials of the platform as they also seek investment, while supported by The Learnovate Centre, a global research and innovation centre in learning technology based at TCD.
Diotima began its partnership with Learnovate in February of this year and is expected to spin out as a company in 2026.
“We are delighted to have collaborated with the Diotima team to secure €500,000 investment from Enterprise Ireland’s Commercialisation Fund,” Learnovate Centre Director Nessa McEniff said.
“Diotima promises to develop into a revolutionary platform for learners in secondary schools and professional education organisations, delivering formative feedback and better outcomes overall,’ she added.
“We look forward to supporting them further as they continue to develop the platform in the months ahead.”
Diotima Learning Lead and co-founder Ms Ryan said the team is “delighted to have received such a significant award from the Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation Fund”.
“The investment is already having a positive effect, allowing us to hire two post-doctoral researchers in AI whose work has been vital to progressing the platform towards the first testing phase,” she explained.
“We’re extremely grateful to Learnovate for helping us gain access to the funding from Enterprise Ireland, as well as their assistance in hiring and technical expertise.
“Our partnership with Learnovate has exceeded our expectations and we look forward to building on that relationship as we strive towards spinning out in 2026.”
See More: Diotima, Enterprise Ireland, Grant, Teachers
