CeADAR team receives 2026 NovaUCD innovation champion of the year award
The European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) programme team at CeADAR, Ireland’s Centre for Applied AI and the EDIH Hub for AI in Ireland, has today been named the recipient of the 2026 NovaUCD innovation champion of the year award.
The EDIH team at CeADAR is focused on championing innovation and industry engagement for SMEs and public service organisations (PSOs), helping them to leverage the latest AI and digital advances. The programme is co-funded by the European Union’s Digital Europe Programme and the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment through Enterprise Ireland.
Laura Plunkett, EDIH Programme Manager at CeADAR (pictured) was presented with the Award, on behalf of the team, by Prof Orla Feely, President, University College Dublin (UCD) during the annual presentation of the NovaUCD Innovation Awards which took place at the UCD University Club.
On receiving the 2026 NovaUCD innovation champion of the year award, Plunkett said: “This recognition is a testament to the dedication and expertise of the team at CeADAR, and the strength of collaboration with our partners and the organisations we support across Ireland. Through the EDIH for AI programme, we are enabling SMEs and public sector organisations to adopt AI in a practical, ethical and responsible way, while delivering real-world impact.”
To date the EDIH programme first phase (2023-2026) has supported and developed projects with more than 100 Irish SMEs and PSOs. In parallel, over 4,800 participants have directly engaged in on-demand AI training, complemented by 18 practical generative AI webinars.
The team has also played a central role in ecosystem development, participating in 36 national events and contributing to nine European collaborations.
The team is partnering with NovaUCD to deliver the six-month AI Ecosystem Accelerator programme, which is now in its third year, with 20 start-ups having completed the programme to date.
Earlier this year it was announced that CeADAR has been awarded €5.675 million in funding to deliver the second phase of the EDIH programme (2027-2029) which will allow the required significant scale-up of digitalisation efforts among SMEs and PSOs.
Dr Ricardo Simon Carbajo, Director of Innovation and EDIH Programme at CeADAR, said: “Helping companies and the public sector adopt AI has never been more critical, as Ireland and Europe undergo a very rapid and disruptive digital and AI‑driven transformation. While technology and processes are central to this shift, the greatest need is the upskilling and empowerment of the workforce.
“As Ireland’s national Centre for Applied AI, and the designated European Digital Innovation Hub for AI, CeADAR is funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Commission specifically to support organisations as they navigate these transitions.”
The annual NovaUCD Innovation Awards celebrate outstanding achievements in knowledge transfer, consultancy, entrepreneurship and the promotion of an innovation culture within UCD’s research and start-up communities.
Professor Orla Feely, President, UCD said, “At University College Dublin we are dedicated to driving research and innovation activities by leveraging our expertise and partnerships to develop talent and to achieve meaningful impact.
“The NovaUCD Innovation Awards, a key annual event in the University’s calendar, celebrate and recognise the remarkable work of our research and entrepreneurial communities in creating and applying their knowledge to deliver impact. I offer my warmest congratulations to this year’s Awardees and look forward to their continued success as they advance Irish research and innovation on a global stage.”
NovaUCD is supported under the KT Boost Programme co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union, through the ERDF Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021-2027.
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