Johnny Ronan innovation hub Glass Bottle site Dublin, Digi Mart USA News (Poolbeg West, Dublin): Developer Johnny Ronan is proposing a €55 million innovation hub near the Glass Bottle scheme in Dublin, including a “live testbed” area for drone-delivery and air taxi services. However, Government officials are cool on the plan.
The Ronan Group has been seeking ministerial support for the hub, which would be built alongside the 4,000-home project on the site of the former Irish Glass Bottle plant in Poolbeg West. The plan includes wet-labs for health and scientific experiments and advanced manufacturing laboratories for robotics and sensor technology, all part of an effort to link private business with universities.
Officials advising Minister for Higher Education James Lawless have cast doubt over the plan and said there was “no evidence” that higher education institutions (HEIs) wished to participate. In a briefing before Lawless met Ronan Group executives in February, officials wrote: “This project is not one the department could recommend to the Minister based on information currently available.”
The officials also said the “costings put forward are quite undeveloped at this stage” and that, while the department is not currently being asked to directly participate in funding, such a request could be expected, particularly if an HEI became involved. The note, released under the Freedom of Information Act, said there was no reference to any approach to the Irish Aviation Authority about drone and air-taxi testing.
It also described as “unclear” how this aspect of the plan would “translate to an area of significant housing.”
In response to questions, Ronan Group and partners Lioncor and Oaktree said they remain committed to the plan. “We shared the concept with Government and relevant agencies of the State to start a conversation earlier this year,” they said.
They added that detailed planning, costings and engagement with State bodies and academic partners would follow once the concept progresses, and that the group believes the hub “could be transformative for Dublin and for Ireland.”
The department, responding to questions, said its position remains the same. “The department has not at this time given further consideration to the concept in question, nor is the department aware of whether any Irish HEIs, which are autonomous bodies, have been approached in relation to the matter,” it said.
Lawless was told the project fell more within the remit of the Department of Enterprise and agencies such as Enterprise Ireland.
Separate records show Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke said he was “impressed with the project” when meeting Ronan Group in July 2025. Company executives asked at that meeting whether there was a mechanism to receive capital funding for the hub, and whether Enterprise Ireland could collaborate on a joint Enterprise Ireland headquarters and innovation hub.
Questioned on Thursday about such engagements, Enterprise Ireland said it was “not involved in negotiations with the Ronan Group on a proposal for an innovation hub at the Glass Bottle site.”
