Creative Futures Academy- Funded by the HEA's Human Capital Initiative (Pillar 3)

Creative Futures Academy (CFA) is an innovative partnership between three leading Irish creative institutions: The National College of Art and Design (NCAD), University College Dublin (UCD), and the Institute of Art, Design + Technology (IADT). It offers new skills, networks, and learning opportunities for early and mid-career creative professionals through accredited micro-courses, degree, and master's programmes across disciplines such as animation, digital technologies, creative writing, music, performing arts, visual and applied arts, and design. The academy emphasises flexible, lifelong learning tailored to individual career needs and fosters collaboration between academia, industry, and the creative arts sector.

The CFA is funded primarily through the Human Capital Initiative (HCI), an initiative of the Higher Education Authority (HEA) under Pillar 3: Innovation and Agility. This funding supports the development and delivery of new programmes, infrastructure transformation, and engagement with industry partners. Additional support comes from Future Jobs Ireland and the Programme for Government. The total funding awarded to CFA exceeds €10 million, enabling the partnership to innovate creative education and respond to the evolving needs of Ireland’s creative economy.