X_Potential
The X_Potential programme enables all our employees to submit innovative ideas that have the potential to develop into future businesses for the organisation.
Each year five business opportunities are selected from the many ideas submitted for further development work supported by a structured incubator process with world-leading external mentors based in Dogpatch Labs, Dublin.
Over the course of four months the teams work on their ideas to develop into investor-ready proposals which are presented to ESB's Innovation Council at a final pitch event.
In addition to the direct business benefits of new source of revenue, staff selected for the programme benefit from significant personal development and get to work in a live entrepreneurial environment, take personal ownership for their ideas and projects and avail of world-class mentoring opportunities to drive forward their ideas.
Ignition
Since 2018, Ignition has been our mini-incubator programme, designed to ignite innovation and entrepreneurial thinking among our first-year graduate cohort.
Every year in March the event gets hosted in our Dublin head office, where it brings over 40 graduates to tackle a meaningful energy transition challenge: like developing innovative solutions to decarbonize transport around schools and third-level education locations.
Throughout the two-day programme, participants work in teams to craft business propositions that could make a real impact. In 2024, day one kicked off with team-building exercises and energisers, followed by an accelerated workshop on the Business Model Canvas, led by our partners from the UCD Innovation Academy. Day two focused on finalising their ideas, creating prototypes, and preparing pitch decks, with continued guidance from ESB mentors. The event concluded with a pitch competition. After nine initial team pitches, three finalists emerged to present their ideas to a panel of judges. Each team brought forward fresh and creative solutions, showcasing the innovative potential of our graduates. Ultimately, one team emerged victorious, leaving a lasting impression on judges and peers alike.
Ignition embodies our commitment to fostering intrapreneurship and cultivating the next generation of innovators who will drive the energy transition. By immersing our graduates in this entrepreneurial experience, we equip them with the skills, mindset, and confidence to tackle the challenges of a net zero future.
Digital Accelerator
Our digital accelerator team focuses on developing new business opportunities and solving challenges through deploying digital solutions in an agile manner.
Innovation Academy
ESB's Innovation Academy is designed to build competency in customer centric innovation across the group to support delivery of our net zero strategy.
Each year, all ESB employees are invited to participate in the academy with 20 employees selected from across the group. This mix of experience and perspectives brings fresh thinking and a new approach to innovating – which is incredibly important to help us meet our strategic objectives and supports our ambition to find different ways of working at ESB.
The programme is run in conjunction with UCD Innovation Academy and is delivered through a highly experiential and practical, action-based learning process built around the four pillars of creativity, collaboration, curiosity and communication. The programme is designed to build innovation capability in the business, improve collaboration internally and externally with customers and to provide a new and different approach to addressing business challenges.
Innov8rs
Innov8rs is a development programme that is run with the business graduates in ESB. The programme is broken down into three sprints which are defined as follows:
Sprint 1
- Defining innovation within ESB and understanding the core strategic goals.
- Opportunities for innovation.
Sprint 2
- Defining project scope and problem statement.
- Developing solutions and concepts.
Sprint 3
- Building a business case.
- Developing pitches and solutions.
In addition to the above, the graduates also visit generation stations, trading desk and the ESB Networks training centre in Portlaoise. The purpose of the programme is to give the graduates a better understanding of the electrical industry and integrate them more into the business.