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Feb 11 2025

NEW Accelerator Bootcamp Launched for 2025

By Blog, Case Studies, Media

 
 

NEW Innovation Accelerator Camp

– in collaboration with Patch

 

Five lucky student enterprise teams will be hanging out at the Patch Accelerator Innovation Hub this Summer thanks to a very exciting new initiative at the Student Enterprise Programme (SEP).

 

A brand-new element to the SEP for 2025, this new initiative gives students an incredible opportunity to accelerate the potential of their business ideas with guidance from a team of world class entrepreneurs. Patch is a business accelerator programme for talented young people who want to work on impactful projects and creative business ideas. Located in the heart of Dublin’s digital docklands, it is located in a unique and thriving community of Irish start-ups, international companies and innovative social enterprises.

Our mission at the Student Enterprise Programme is to foster a spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation in second level schools across the country. Year on year we are truly amazed at the creative thinking and business acumen shown by our participants. We understand that it is not always possible, with the confines of time and resources, for students to bring a highly innovative business idea to market within the 8 months of the Programme. Our new accelerator programme will give students who have come up with a particularly innovative idea this year the opportunity to see just where their idea can go! Regardless of whether they made it to their County Finals or National Final.

Each of the 31 LEO regions have been invited to nominate one student enterprise to be put forward for consideration for the accelerator programme and a special selection committee will shortlist nominations to the Final 5 lucky winners.

Winners will be announced in April.

Dec 18 2024

SEP 2024/25 Official Launch

By Blog, Case Studies

IRELAND’S LARGEST STUDENT BUSINESS PROGRAMME LAUNCHED FOR 24/25

The largest student entrepreneurship programme in the country was launched today for it’s 23rd year. The Student Enterprise Programme, an initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices, has seen over 400,000 students take part since it began.

The Student Enterprise Programme, which is funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland and delivered by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities throughout the country, saw over 28,000 students from almost 500 secondary schools across the country take part in 2023/2024.

Participating students will compete across three categories, Junior (1st year), Intermediate (2nd and 3rd year) and Senior (4th, 5th and 6th year, LVA, LCA and Youth Outreach). Each student enterprise is challenged with creating, setting up and running their own business, which must show viable sales of their service or product. Following county and regional finals Student Enterprises from across the country will take part in the Final next May.

Students at the National Final will compete to be named overall Student Enterprise of the Year 2025 with the Final taking place on the 8th May, 2025.

Gareth Evans, Chair of the Enterprise Education Committee, Local Enterprise Offices, said; “The Student Enterprise Programme continues to play a key role for the Local Enterprise Offices in helping to foster entrepreneurship and business skills in students at an early age. Each year we receive an overwhelming number of submissions which shows the true appetite amongst Irish school students who wish to learn the skills and practices for a successful life in business and no doubt this year will be no different. No matter what happens they are transferable skills they can bring forward in their lives and that’s the greatest thing about the programme. We’re looking forward to seeing all the amazing ideas coming through from the Student Enterprise Programme Class of 2025.”

The Student Enterprise of the Year for 2024 was “High Lift” from St. Patrick’s Classical School in Navan, Co. Meath. The idea, created by Sean Finnegan and his business Finnegan Fabrication, manufactures portable cranes that can be fitted to the interior of commercial vans to help those in construction and similar industries to lift heavy materials in and out.

Feb 02 2024

SEP Alumni Trailblazing in The World of Dementia Care

By Blog, Case Studies, Media

SEP Alumni Trailblazing in The World of Dementia Care

We love bringing you updates on the many successes and achievements of our community of SEP Alumni! This month we are proud to follow up with former 2015 3rd place National Winner, Niamh Murray from Westmeath, who is co-founder of a ground breaking new business called Forget Me Not which is changing the lives of people with dementia.

Niamh was the Westmeath entry from Moate Community School back in 2015 with her business Once Upon A Rhyme – a creative idea that brought nursery rhymes into the 21st century by featuring them on a range of products such as t-shirts and jumpers alongside eye catching artwork.

Following her win Niamh was one of 15 lucky students who attended the Student Enterprise Summer Business Bootcamp at University College Cork to develop her business idea further.

Her stint at the Bootcamp resulted in Niamh heading to UCC for her undergrad degree and subsequently she entered the IGNITE Incubation Centre where her entrepreneurial passion really flourished.

At IGNITE, Niamh and her business partner Amy Boyden developed a ground breaking new business idea called Forget Me Not that is aimed at helping improve communication skills for dementia patients. Based on Reminiscence Therapy, Forget Me Not is an app that uses music, video and voice recordings to help patients remember people, events and places from their past. More about Niamh’s entrepreneurial journey …

Find out more about Forget Me Not App                     Meet Niamh Murray