Innovation at the Cutting Edge

Innovation at the Cutting Edge was a SATLE-funded pilot course delivered twice in 2020 with 20 participants per cohort. The initiative set out to test whether empathy could be explicitly taught, measured and whether empathy-driven insights could directly enhance innovation in healthcare. Through immersive lived-experience simulations, reflective journaling, and design challenges, students were encouraged to “walk in the shoes” of patients and apply those insights in creative problem-solving.

The pilot proved its hypothesis: empathy can be developed as a teachable skill and act as a catalyst for innovation. This success seeded the establishment of Ireland’s first Empathy Studio and informed a successful Human Capital Initiative (HCI) bid, ensuring long-term sustainability. To date, the approach has generated 7,500+ learner engagements, 20+ enterprise partnerships, and 10 accredited modules embedding empathy in design and innovation. The project demonstrates how targeted SATLE funding can spark nationally significant pedagogical transformation.

SATLE priority area: Interdisciplinary collaboration (under any of the 3 themes)

In 2020, the University of Galway launched Innovation at the Cutting Edge with SATLE funding. The project emerged as COVID-19 disrupted healthcare education, highlighting the urgent need for resilient, creative, and human-centred approaches to teaching and learning.

Two core needs drove the initiative:

1. Growing demand for innovation skills in healthcare.

   Clinicians and students needed more than technical expertise; they required the ability to collaborate across disciplines and design solutions centred on patient experience.

2. Integrating empathy into innovation.

   Traditional innovation processes often focused on speed and efficiency, overlooking lived realities and producing socially tone-deaf outcomes.

The project aimed to show that empathy is not in tension with innovation but strengthens it, requiring learners to slow down and understand before designing.

Goals and Key Activities

The project ran twice in 2020 with 20 participants in each cohort. Its goals were to:

• Develop empathy as a measurable and teachable skill.

• Test empathy as a driver of healthcare innovation.

• Pilot teaching methods that could be adapted and scaled across disciplines.

Key activities included:

• Immersive simulations

  of restricted mobility or sensory impairment, enabling students to “walk in the shoes” of others.

• Virtual Reality contexts

  , widely used during COVID-19, to provide insights into surgical environments and patient journeys.

• Structured reflection

  through journaling and facilitated dialogue to deepen learning.

• Innovation challenges

  where empathy-derived insights informed healthcare solutions.

Evaluation confirmed that students developed a richer understanding of patient experiences and produced more creative, human-centred outputs.

Key Stakeholders Involved

The project worked with a diverse set of stakeholders to ensure authenticity and impact:

• Students

  from medicine and health sciences, who piloted the approach.

• Academic staff

  trained in design thinking and pedagogy.

• Clinical partners

  including surgeons and healthcare professionals providing real-world contexts.

• Patients and public (PPI)

  whose narratives and case studies grounded learning in lived experience.

This multi-stakeholder, co-creation approach reflected the complexity of healthcare innovation and ensured genuine patient and public involvement.

With the expansion of the work undertaken we now have a broader team that includes 9 patient partners, 20 new academic partners, 11 core enterprise partners and 1 new academic partner(Penn State)

Challenges Encountered and How They Were Addressed

The project faced three main challenges:

1. COVID-19 restrictions.

   In-person immersive activities were limited.

   • Response: VR was used extensively to deliver safe, individualised immersive experiences. While valuable, evaluation showed VR alone was insufficient.

2. Recognising VR’s limits.

   At first, we believed VR could be the “next big thing” for empathy education. However, through listening, prototyping, and engaging stakeholders in a mini design thinking process, we realised that VR on its own could not capture the full depth of human experience. Empathy is multi-sensory; sight and sound mattered, but so too did touch, smell, balance, and embodiment.

   • Response: This insight directly shaped the design of the Empathy Studio (formally established in 2023), which moved beyond VR to include full-body simulation suits, soundscapes, and olfactory elements. Its guiding philosophy became clear: all senses matter when cultivating empathy, and humans must remain central rather than peripheral to the process.

3. Measuring empathy.

   Capturing empathy as a skill proved especially challenging. This required engaging with ethical considerations—such as data collection, consent, and the use of reflective materials—which represented new ground for our professional services team.

   • Response: This challenge sparked an ongoing exploration of measurement tools and approaches, ranging from validated empathy scales to reflective journals and design rubrics. These are now embedded in our classes, enabling us to track growth and integrate empathy as both a learning outcome and an innovation driver.

Sustainability was also a concern, as initial cohorts reached only 40 students. This was resolved when Human Capital Initiative (HCI) funding built on the SATLE pilot, embedding empathy education at scale and embed the establishment of the Empathy Studio.

Impact and Legacy

The SATLE-funded pilot fundamentally reshaped how empathy and innovation are taught at the University of Galway. It provided the foundation for a new pedagogical model that blends human-centred design, reflection, and measurable empathy outcomes , now adopted across medicine, design thinking, and entrepreneurship programmes. Its success informed the design of two accredited “Empathy in Action” modules within the School of Medicine and College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities(also open to College of Engineering and Science students). The project has also inspired national collaborations through the Empathy Studio, now recognised with multiple innovation awards and international partnerships (e.g., Penn State). By embedding empathy as a core graduate attribute, the initiative has contributed directly to the University’s strategic priorities in teaching excellence, inclusion, and societal impact , demonstrating how SATLE investment can catalyse sustainable, system-wide change.

Strategic alignment with national policies and relevant SATLE priority area

At its core, the project made explicit the importance empathy in education and innovation. By intentionally teaching and measuring empathy, and demonstrating how it can be harnessed to drive innovation, the initiative placed socio-emotional learning at the centre of the student experience. This is central to ESD, which emphasises the development of competencies that enable learners to shape a sustainable, just, and inclusive society.

Empathy requires us to slow down to go further: pausing to listen, understand, and reflect before designing or acting. By building this into the curriculum, the project directly cultivated the critical thinking, perspective-taking, and collaborative capacities needed for sustainable development.

National and European Policy Alignment

The project is fully aligned with major Irish and European education policies:

• National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development to 2030: This strategy highlights empathy, responsibility, and global citizenship as essential transformative competencies. The project operationalised this by embedding empathy into experiential learning, enabling students to engage more deeply with societal and patient needs.
• National Access Plan (2022–2028) and HEA Equality, Diversity and Inclusion priorities: By rolling out the Autism Reality Experience and expanding empathy education across disciplines, the project directly supports widening participation and inclusive teaching.
• Human Capital Initiative (HCI): The cross-pollination of SATLE and HCI created an integrated pipeline. While SATLE seeded the pilot, HCI funding enabled long-term scaling, resulting in over 7,500 learner engagements, 20 enterprise partnerships, and the development of 10 modules embedding empathy into design and innovation education.
• European Skills Agenda (2020): The project explicitly fosters transversal skills such as empathy, creativity, and resilience, which the EU has identified as critical for employability and innovation.
• OECD Learning Compass 2030: OECD defines “transformative competencies” including empathy, responsibility, and collaboration. The project not only develops these competencies but also measures them through validated tools such as the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) and the Kiersma-Chen Empathy Scale Revised (KCES-R).
• UNESCO ESD Roadmap (2020): UNESCO highlights empathy and perspective-taking as key to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This project directly operationalises these ambitions within higher education teaching and learning.
• Inner Development Goals (IDGs): The Empathy Studio and its methods map closely to the IDG framework, which describes the inner capacities (including empathy, humility, and presence) needed to deliver the UN SDGs. By connecting classroom pedagogy to the IDGs, the project positions itself within a globally recognised movement.

Broader Impact and Sustainability

The alignment with these policies is not abstract but practical and measurable. Outcomes to date include:

• Three accredited empathy modules and seven design thinking modules embedding empathy studio experiences.
• Over 7,500 engagements with students across five years, spanning medicine, arts, humanities, entrepreneurship, and enterprise.
• Integration of neurodiversity perspectives through the Autism Reality Experience.
• National and international dissemination, positioning empathy as a driver of sustainable learning and innovation.

The SATLE pilot proved that empathy could be intentionally taught and used to shape innovation. Its expansion through HCI investment demonstrates how small-scale pilots can grow into institution-wide, and soon national change when aligned with ESD and policy frameworks.

Innovation in specified SATLE priority area

The project demonstrated innovation across four dimensions: pedagogy, measurement, co-creation, and institutional change. It reframed empathy as a teachable, measurable, and actionable driver of innovation in higher education.

Pedagogical Innovation

• Shift in learning philosophy: Instead of prioritising speed and efficiency in healthcare innovation, the project asked students to slow down to go further — pausing to immerse, reflect, and empathise before moving to solutions.
• Multi-sensory learning: Initially VR-based due to COVID restrictions, the project recognised VR’s limits. This insight directly led to the creation of the Empathy Studio (2023), integrating VR with simulation suits, soundscapes, and olfactory cues. This approach positioned empathy as a whole-body, multi-sensory learning experience — the first of its kind in Ireland.
• Inclusive pedagogy: Neurodiversity simulations (Autism Reality Experience) were integrated, linking empathy to inclusive education and innovation.

Methodological Innovation: Measuring Empathy

• Piloted validated measurement tools rarely used in higher education pedagogy:
  • Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE): baseline and post-intervention measurement.
  • Kiersma-Chen Empathy Scale Revised (KCES-R): adopted to capture both perceived ability and attitudes toward empathy in practice.
• This dual-tool approach produced robust, publishable datasets and positioned empathy not just as a philosophy but as a quantifiable competency.
• The project thus advanced the field by demonstrating that empathy can be both taught and scientifically evaluated within innovation education.

Innovation through Co-Creation

• Students as partners: Learners co-designed innovation challenges and shaped pedagogy. Their feedback on VR limitations directly influenced the move to multi-sensory immersion.
• Patients and public as co-creators: Through PPI (Patient & Public Involvement), lived narratives shaped scenarios, ensuring authenticity and embedding empathy into the design process.
• Enterprise partnerships: 20+ companies (e.g., Medtronic, Boston Scientific) co-developed empathy-based challenges, embedding learning in real-world contexts and linking higher education to enterprise innovation practices.

Institutional & Cultural Innovation

• SATLE acted as a seed: proving that empathy could be developed and linked to innovation.
• HCI acted as a scale mechanism: securing resources to embed empathy education into strategy and infrastructure.
• Outcomes include:
  • Establishment of the Empathy Studio (Ireland’s first immersive empathy teaching facility).
  • Creation of 10 accredited modules embedding empathy into curricula.
  • Over 7,500 engagements across students, staff, and enterprise partners.
• The cultural signal is clear: empathy is now treated as a strategic advantage in innovation education at the University of Galway.

To summarise, this SATLE project was innovative because it:

1. Redefined pedagogy — empathy as a multi-sensory, teachable skill.
2. Pioneered measurement — using validated scales to evidence learning impact.
3. Embedded co-creation — involving students, patients, and enterprise as partners.
4. Catalysed cultural change — leading to institutional embedding and national significance through HCI.

It represents a paradigm shift: from empathy as a “soft skill” to empathy as a measurable, scalable, and innovation-driving competency for sustainable education.

Outcomes

Impact

The project has demonstrated significant and multi-layered impact, benefitting students, staff, and wider stakeholders at the University of Galway and beyond. From its origins as a pilot course for 40 students, it has grown into an institution-wide agenda on empathy and innovation, supported by Human Capital Initiative (HCI) funding and embodied in the Empathy Studio.

The impact is evident across four areas: improvements to teaching and learning, benefits to students and staff, development of strategic partnerships, and potential for wider replicability across the higher education sector.

Benefits to Students and Staff

Students have been the primary beneficiaries. Across the SATLE pilot and subsequent HCI-supported activities, more than 7,500 students and staff have engaged in empathy-based learning. The project has delivered:

• Enhanced empathy skills:

  measurable improvements using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) and, more recently, the Kiersma-Chen Empathy Scale Revised (KCES-R). Students reported deeper understanding of patient experience and greater capacity for perspective-taking.

• Innovation outcomes:

  participants translated empathy insights into tangible innovations through design challenges, including patient-centred healthcare tools, service redesigns, and inclusive digital resources.

• Cross-disciplinary collaboration:

  students from medicine, arts, humanities, social sciences, pharmacy, and entrepreneurship worked together, enriching their ability to collaborate across boundaries.

• Improved reflective practice:

  structured journaling and facilitated reflection enhanced critical thinking and resilience.

Staff also benefitted through professional development in empathy-based pedagogy. More than 50 academic and professional staff have participated in Empathy Studio workshops, with many embedding immersive empathy activities into their modules. Staff feedback highlights improved teaching quality, stronger student engagement, and enhanced capacity to deliver inclusive education.

Improvements to Teaching and Learning

The project has transformed teaching and learning in multiple ways:

• New accredited modules:

  three dedicated empathy modules (Empathy in Action for Medicine; Empathy in Society for Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; and a postgraduate module in development for 2026), plus seven design thinking modules embedding empathy experiences.

• Novel pedagogies:

  integration of multi-sensory immersion—including VR, simulation suits, soundscapes, and olfactory cues—has created a new model of experiential learning. Students learn empathy not only cognitively but also physically and emotionally.

• Inclusive teaching:

  the Autism Reality Experience (ARE) has enabled students and staff to better understand neurodiversity. Feedback shows increased awareness of challenges faced by autistic people and stronger commitment to inclusive practice.

• Evidence-based practice:

  use of JSE and KCES-R provides measurable outcomes, ensuring pedagogy is both innovative and evidence-led.

Strategic Partnerships and Collaboration

The project has established new and strengthened existing collaborations:

• Enterprise partners:

  more than 20 companies, including Medtronic, Liberty IT, and Boston Scientific, have co-created empathy experiences with the Empathy Studio. These collaborations enabled students to work on real-world challenges while demonstrating to industry the value of empathy in innovation.

• Patient and Public Involvement (PPI):

  as Co-Lead of PPI in research at the University of Galway, I embedded co-creation with patients and the public into the project. Their lived experiences shaped immersive scenarios and guided reflective practice, ensuring authenticity and relevance.

• Internal partnerships:

  the project connected colleagues across disciplines, embedding empathy in diverse curricular and co-curricular contexts.

• National and international dissemination:

  the project has been presented at the UIIN Conference (2024), Madeira StartUp Week (2024), THE FIX Festival (2025), and the Restorative Justice Conference (2025), positioning the University of Galway as a leader in empathy education.

Replicability and Sectoral Impact

A core strength of the project is its potential for replication across higher education. Lessons learned through SATLE and scaled through HCI have been codified into the Empathy Driven Innovation Method (EDIM). Built on four stages (Immerse, Interpret, Innovate, Integrate), EDIM combines immersive experiences, reflective practice, validated measurement, and co-creation with industry and the public. It offers a transferable framework that can be adopted by other institutions.

Since 2020, the work seeded by SATLE has secured over €3M in additional national and European grants (EIT, Erasmus+, HEA, Rethink Ireland), evidencing external recognition and ensuring sustainable sectoral impact. The emphasis on validated measurement tools (JSE and KCES-R) makes the work particularly replicable, allowing institutions to demonstrate impact using internationally recognised metrics. The integration of the Autism Reality Experience also offers a scalable model for embedding neurodiversity awareness into higher education teaching and innovation.

Embedding for the Future

The outcomes of the project is now embedded in the University of Galway’s long-term teaching and learning strategy:

• Curricular integration:

  empathy modules are formally accredited and embedded in degree programmes.

• Infrastructure:

  the Empathy Studio provides a sustainable environment for immersive teaching.

• Future publications:

  from 2026, peer-reviewed outputs will share evidence and methodology nationally and internationally.

• Our own growth:

  for us as project leads, this work was transformative. It set both Neil and I on a new professional trajectory, deepening our expertise in empathy education, patient and public involvement, and innovation. It has shaped our leadership roles and enabled us to drive larger national and international collaborations.