Fifteen Participants Selected for Specialist Entrepreneurship Programme to Drive Innovation in Ireland’s Food and Agri Sector

University College Dublin (UCD) has announced that fifteen participants have been selected for a new specialist food and agriculture entrepreneurship programme being delivered by the UCD School of Biosystems and Food Engineering in partnership with Teagasc.

The announcement was made in Enterprise Ireland’s Innovation Arena at the 2024 National Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska, Co. Laois, and was attended by Peter Burke TD, Minster for Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

Peter Burke TD, Minster for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, said, “I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the fifteen participants who have been selected to take part in the inaugural 12-month Food and Agriculture Sustainable Technology Innovation Programme or FAST-IP. The ambition of FAST-IP is to drive innovation in Ireland’s food and agricultural sector by supporting needs-led innovation, creating start-ups with the capability to scale and sell internationally, and generating new jobs for the sector in Ireland.  I wish the participants every success in the year ahead.”

FAST-IP will further enhance innovation in the food and agri sector by providing programme participants with the necessary skills to evaluate, select and validate ideas for new products and services in this sector and to accelerate the commercialisation pathway for the identified products and services.

FAST-IP is currently underway at the AgTechUCD Innovation Centre at UCD Lyons Farm in Co. Kildare and will be delivered annually until the end of 2029. FAST-IP is accredited by UCD at Level 9 on the National Qualifications Framework and participants who complete the programme will be awarded a Graduate Diploma in Agrifood Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Professor Kate Robson Brown, UCD Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact, said, “We were delighted to receive nearly 200 applications for FAST-IP’s inaugural programme which is a strong indication of the demand for this exciting Innovators’ Initiative programme from across Ireland and indeed internationally.  I would especially like to congratulate the fifteen participants who have been selected for the first programme following a rigorous interview process and I wish them every success over the coming year.

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.”

Participant Brian Russell, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, said, “I am excited to be accepted as a participant in the first year of the FAST-IP programme. As I change my career trajectory the programme provides me with a unique opportunity to bring my experience from manufacturing, project management and quality, into a diverse team driving sustainable technology and innovation in the Food and Agriculture sector, turning transformative ideas into viable business propositions.  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 incredibly resource to be part of.”

FAST-IP uses design-thinking methodologies and has a practical focus. Through the programme, participants will learn how to conduct needs-led innovation to develop market-validated solutions to unmet needs in the areas of agricultural technology and food sustainability sectors. Participants will also spend 8-10 weeks immersed in agricultural environments, including farms, food processing companies and Teagasc locations throughout the programme.

Professor Frank O’Mara, Teagasc Director, said, “The world leading research, expertise and facilities from the UCD and Teagasc partnership and supporting industry networks, will demonstrate the breadth and depth of the agri-food sector to the participants. We look forward to seeing the emerging opportunities from the participants to deliver new solutions for the longer term sustainability of the agri-food sector.”

Marina Donohoe, Head of Research and Innovation at Enterprise Ireland, said, “Enterprise Ireland is delighted to be partnering with UCD and Teagasc on the FAST-IP programme and congratulates the 15 fellows as they begin their studies and innovation journey. FAST-IP is designed to fast-track problem-solving and idea generation in the AgTech sector, and Enterprise Ireland is excited about the potential to develop new start-ups and drive an innovation agenda in this critical sector for Ireland.”

During this year’s programme and the programmes to follow UCD and Teagasc, with strong reputations for academic and research excellence in the areas of Sustainable Food Systems, Agriculture, and Food Science, will be utilising their extensive networks, connections, domain expertise, entrepreneurial experience, and track-record for supporting, fostering and spinning out start-up companies.

The AgTechUCD Innovation Centre, which is part of NovaUCD, is focused on promoting and accelerating early-stage start-ups and SMEs with disruptive innovations in the agri, agtech, agrifood, equine and veterinary sectors, as they build their innovative businesses into leading enterprises creating jobs.

FAST-IP is supported under the Innovators’ Initiative Programme co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021-2027.