Along with the programme fees being paid for, FAST-IP participants will also receive a €38,000 tax-free scholarship.
15 participants have been chosen to take part in a new specialist food and agriculture entrepreneurship programme being delivered by University College Dublin’s (UCD) School of Biosystems and Engineering.
The Food and Agriculture Sustainable Technology Innovation Programme (FAST-IP) is a 12-month course that will be delivered in partnership with Teagasc, the food and agriculture advisory board in Ireland. The participants were announced today (19 September) at Enterprise Ireland’s Innovation Arena at the 2024 National Ploughing Championships in Co Laois.
The inaugural FAST-IP is already underway at the AgTechUCD Innovation Centre at UCD Lyons Farm in Co Kildare and will run annually until 2029.
FAST-IP is a specialist agrifood programme with a “practical focus” that will enable professionals to learn, explore and apply their skills for market-ready business solutions, says UCD.
The participants, selected out of a pool of 200 applicants, will also receive a €38,000 tax-free scholarship in addition to having their €9,000 FAST-IP fee paid for.
Programme participants will spend eight to 10 weeks in agricultural environments including farms, food processing companies and Teagasc locations throughout the programme.
“During the next year, the participants will work together to discover real-world needs in the food and agricultural sector through their immersive experiences in industry environments and bring innovative solutions to address the identified needs in a commercially viable manner with the aim of creating start-ups and generating new jobs,” said Prof Kate Robson Brown, UCD’s vice-president for research, innovation and impact.
The programme is accredited by UCD at Level 9 on the National Qualifications Framework and the participants will be awarded with a graduate diploma in Agrifood Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
The programme is supported under Enterprise Ireland’s Innovators’ Initiative Programme, which is co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Union through the Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021-2027.
Brian Russell, a FAST-IP participant, said he is “excited” to be accepted as a participant in the first year of the programme.
“With most of my career having been overseas, the contact network that the programme offers, meeting, learning and collaborating with industry leaders and experts is an incredible resource to be part of.”
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