Each year, the Next Generation session on the main stage at Inspirefest continues to draw an enthusiastic crowd as we showcase some of the smartest kids who will change how we invent and create the future. This year, two BTYSTE Bootcamp winners will join them.
Last week, a group of enterprising school students gathered at NovaUCD for the 10th annual Business Bootcamp for participants from the 2019 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE).
Silicon Republic CEO and Inspirefest founder Ann O’Dea joined an illustrious panel of judges on Friday, 8 March, to pick the winners. The panel also included Shay Walsh, managing director of BT Ireland; Dr Tony Scott, co-founder of the BTYSTE; Will Goodbody, business editor at RTÉ; and Gearóid Mooney of Enterprise Ireland.
Jennifer McCarthy, Danila Fedotov, Jack O’Connor, Michael Kirby and Roisin O’Connor were crowned Best Group winners, for their project titled ‘The Design of a Nano-Formulation to Increase the Absorption of Cannabidiol in the Gastro-Intestinal Tract’. The winning project was developed by Jennifer, who had presented the idea at the 2019 BTYSTE earlier this year. Meanwhile, Anna O’Connor was presented with the Best Individual award.
Jennifer and Anna will now go on to speak on the main stage at Inspirefest on 16 May 2019, where they will join former BTYSTE Bootcamp winner, Ciara-Beth Griffin. Since her bootcamp success, Ciara has developed her Mi Contact app aimed at people on the autistic spectrum, and it will officially be launched in Galway at the end of March.
“The BT Business Bootcamp has been an integral part of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition programme for 10 years, and in that time I am proud to say that many of our alumni have gone on to huge success in business,” said Walsh, representing BT Ireland.
“We were blown away by the sheer quality of the finalists this year,” said O’Dea. “Any international event would be proud to have these remarkable young people on stage. We know our audience is going to love hearing from Jennifer and Anna at Inspirefest. Hats off to BTYSTE and the range of opportunities that they offer imaginative students in Ireland.”
Inspirefest is Silicon Republic’s international event celebrating the point where science, technology and the arts collide. Early Bird tickets for Inspirefest 2019 are available now.