UCD, Teagasc to deliver €7m entrepreneurship programme
University College Dublin is to deliver a €7 million food and agriculture innovation and entrepreneurship training programme in partnership with Teagasc.
Over the next six years the Food and Agriculture Sustainable Technology Innovation Programme (FAST-IP) aims to increase innovation knowledge within the food and agriculture sector leading to the creation of more high potential start-ups (HPSUs) and jobs in this sector of the economy.
The programme forms part of Enterprise Ireland’s Innovators’ Initiative which is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment.
FAST-IP will be delivered by the UCD School of Biosystems and Food Engineering, in partnership with Teagasc, at the newly opened AgTechUCD Innovation Centre at UCD Lyons Farm in Co. Kildare.
FAST-IP will have five intakes of 15 participants, beginning in September 2024 and running until the end of 2029. The 12-month in-person programme for mid-career professionals, is accredited by UCD at Level 9 on the National Qualifications Framework. Participants who complete the programme will be awarded a graduate diploma in Agricultural Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
Marina Donohoe, Head of Research and Innovation, Enterprise Ireland, said, “The agri-food sector is an integral part of the Irish economy and society, both nationally and regionally, in particular for rural communities. Through the Innovators’ Initiative funding announced today FAST-IP will further build resilience and strengthen innovation within the agri-food sector through training and entrepreneurship leading to the creation of more start-ups with global potential and jobs across the country.”
UCD and Teagasc, with strong reputations for academic and research excellence in the areas of sustainable food systems, agriculture, and food science, will utilise their extensive networks, connections, domain expertise, entrepreneurial experience, and track-record for supporting, fostering and spinning out start-ups over the next six years.
Gary Ryan, director, AgTechUCD Innovation Centre, said: “The key objective of FAST-IP is the creation of a pipeline of commercialisation fund applications and an increase in the number of HPSUs in the sustainable food systems and AgTech sectors. The exciting and dynamic programme will deliver a unique perspective to the participants in each cohort that will position them to carry out real-world needs identification and follow that through with innovative, realistic, and commercial solutions.”
“Placing high calibre, passionate, mid-career professionals in agricultural immersive environments will facilitate the development of high quality, commercially viable business ideas. These ideas will have the potential to develop into solutions that will make the industry more sustainable and profitable. From the outset programme participants will be encouraged to focus on innovations that have a positive impact on climate change and the environment.”
Dr Siobhán Jordan, head of technology transfer & commercialisation, Teagasc, said: “Ireland’s national agri-food strategy, Food Vision 2030, has a goal for Ireland to become a world leader in sustainable food systems over the next decade by balancing climate, smart agriculture, environmental and economic sustainability, health, and innovation. Teagasc will play a key role in the programme enabling the participants to evaluate, select and validate compelling ideas for new products, processes and services to address the range of current challenges faced by the global agri-food sector.”
Prof Nick Holden, Professor of Biosystems Engineering in the UCD School of Biosystems and Food Engineering is the Academic Director of the Graduate Diploma Programme. Prof Holden is also a co-founder of Proveye, a UCD spin-out company, which is pioneering the use of digital imagery for more predictable and profitable decision-making for agriculture and the environment.
FAST-IP provides participants with a tax-free €38,000 stipend over the 12-month duration of the programme. The first FAST-IP programme will begin at the AgTechUCD Innovation Centre in September 2024.
TechCentral Reporters
Subscribers 0
Fans 0
Followers 0
Followers