Enterprise Ireland is calling on students from third level institutions nationwide with an innovative business idea, technology or solution to apply to this year’s 39th Student Entrepreneur Awards.
This year the awards are co-sponsored by Cruickshank, Grant Thornton and the Local Enterprise Offices.
Finalists will be selected to compete for several awards such as the Cruickshank Intellectual Property High Achieving Merit Award, the Grant Thornton Emerging Business Award and the Local Enterprise Office ICT Award.
The overall winner will share in a €35,000 prize fund and receive mentoring from Enterprise Ireland to develop the commercial viability of their concept.
The winners will also share a €30,000 consultancy fund that will enable them to turn their ideas into a commercial reality.
National University of Ireland Galway student Christopher McBrearty was named as last year’s Enterprise Ireland Student Entrepreneur of the Year for his cancer detection technology, NanoDetect.
Other award winners included Micron Agritech Limited, developed by students in Technological University Dublin and Crafted Equestrian created by Ulster University student, Jenny Gregg.
Cork Institute of Technology’s StomAssure was recognised for their implantable alternative to the current stoma treatment method.
Richard Murphy, Manager LEO Support, Policy & Co-ordination Unit, Enterprise Ireland said these awards have been a breeding ground for entrepreneurship in Ireland for close to forty years.
“Students in Ireland are becoming more and more ambitious and focused on achieving entrepreneurial success – this is clear from the 1,000 high quality, innovative entries in last year’s awards that identified challenges across a range of sectors and provided solutions to overcome them.
“Nurturing this talent and helping to foster that entrepreneurship is essential not just to turn ideas into thriving businesses but to help drive Ireland’s global reputation in business.
“We are looking to support great ideas with commercial and export potential and if you have an idea with commercial focus then the Student Entrepreneur Awards is the competition for you.
“It could be the first step on the way to becoming a business leader in 2020,” he said.
The award winners will be announced at a ceremony in NUI Galway on June 12 2020.
