Thursday March 23rd: After an intensive four-day programme, the winners of the annual BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp have been announced. NutriSoil was named as the overall “Best Group” and Tara Mulhall was presented with the title overall “Best Individual”.
The BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp, delivered in partnership with NovaUCD, encourages further innovation amongst BT young scientists and technologists, providing them with commercial skills to carry forward into their future careers.
The project titled “NutriSoil” examines the long-term effects of a more sustainable method of keeping nutrients in the soil as an alternative to an artificially made granule. The winning group was made up of Sean Allen, a 5th year student from Roscommon Community College, Roscommon, Rosheen Sharma, a 3rd year student from Rockford Manor Secondary School, Dublin, Julian Lewandowski, a 4th year student from Sutton Park School, Dublin, Erica O’Brien Murray, a 5th year student from Loreto Secondary School, Dublin and Alanna Hayes, a 5th year student from Social Mhuire, Clare. Sean Allen was project lead who entered the project into the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition 2023 in January.
Tara Mulhall, a 5th year student from Newbridge College, Co. Kildare, was presented with the title of overall "Best Individual”.
Bootcamp aims to help second level students gain a practical understanding of what it takes to bring an idea from concept to market while also encouraging interpersonal skills such as teamwork, decision making and leadership. A total of 30 students took part in bootcamp and were all prize winners from the 2023 BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition. They were divided into six project teams, each of the six projects selected was a project entry from this year’s exhibition in January.
The overall BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp winning project was chosen after each group pitched their ideas to an expert panel of judges following the four-day bootcamp, delivered in partnership with Nova UCD. BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp judging panel included, Shay Walsh, Managing Director, BT Ireland, Dr Tony Scott, Co-founder of the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, Ann O’Dea, CEO and Co-Founder, Silicon Republic and Anna-Marie Turley, Department Manager for Entrepreneurship and HPSU, Enterprise Ireland.
Over the years several past participants of the BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp have gone on to become successful entrepreneurs, founding organisations such as Evervault, betterexaminations.ie and Protex AI.
Shay Walsh, Managing Director at BT Ireland and BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp judge said:
“The projects chosen for this year’s BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp reflect issues that are top of the agenda for our young people, from looking at environmental and sustainability issues to the way in which students learn. It has been inspiring to watch how the students have applied the skills they’ve learned to develop these projects into a business proposition in the space of four days.
“Alumni of BT Business Bootcamp have a track record in turning ideas into real life successful businesses, and I am immensely proud of the work BT Ireland continues to do to encourage and nurture Ireland’s young entrepreneurs in this space. Congratulations to the 2023 class of BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp.”
Speaking at the end of the BT Business Bootcamp 2023, UCD Professor Pat Guiry said: “With learning and innovation at the centre of everything we do at UCD, we have found the perfect partner in the BT Business Bootcamp, and we are delighted to continue that partnership, which is now in its 14th year.
“It has been a fantastic week of creativity, collaboration and sheer hard work, and I wish to extend my sincere congratulations to all who participated in the 2023 programme – I'm sure this isn’t the last we’ll hear of them. My congratulations also to this year’s winners, who fought off stiff competition to come out on top. If the past week is anything to go by, I believe our future is in safe hands!”
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