Published on: Tuesday, 12 October 2010

Search for Next Generation of Irish Innovators was launched on Tuesday 12 October in CIT

The fifth annual Newstalk 106-108 fm Student Enterprise Competition, in association with The Irish Times, was launched today at Cork Institute of Technology.

The competition is designed to develop an understanding of business management and promote early-stage entrepreneurship among third level students. Using a case study format, the competition encourages participants to research companies and, as part of a team, devise solutions to real life business scenarios.

The overall prize for the winning team, and its team coach, is a study trip to the Caribbean where they will shadow senior executives in leading telecommunications company, Digicel Group.

The competition is exclusively open to students based in Ireland’s 15 Institutes of Technology and National College of Ireland. A record 1,400 students, representing 350 teams, entered the Newstalk 106-108 fm Student Enterprise Competition last year.

Commenting on the launch of the competition, Mr Denis O’Brien, competition Chairperson, said: “The Newstalk Student Enterprise Competition has grown significantly since its inception in 2006. With Ireland experiencing an extensive period of economic difficulty, today’s third level students will play a pivotal role in Ireland’s return to growth. Many of these students will go on to establish businesses that will provide vital employment and support local commerce.”

“It is essential that we equip these students with as much business knowledge as possible to achieve their full potential. This competition instils a sense of entrepreneurship in students and the case study format provides them with a platform to apply the knowledge which they have gained through their studies”, Mr O’Brien concluded.

During the preliminary stage of the competition, teams must submit written proposals to their local co-ordinator for the first round, which will be judged by their colleges. The top four entries from each college will then be given a second case study on which they present their submission to a local judging committee. Each of the 16 judging committees will consist of top local business and media representatives. The winning team from each college will receive prize money along with accommodation and hospitality in Tipperary for the National Semi-Final and Final in February 2011.

For further information and to enter the 2010/2011 Newstalk 106-108 fm Student Enterprise Competition, log on here

(L - R) Mary Sherry, Competition Manager, Newstalk 106-108 fm Student Enterprise Competition; Don Crowley, Acting Head, Accounting & Information Systems, CIT; and Lisa Scannell, Dept of Management and Marketing, CIT; with Bobby Kerr, RTE's Dragon's Den & Chairman, Insomnia Coffee Co.