Published on: Monday, 18 February 2013

CIT will launch the week with a “Find the Robot” competition and a keynote address from Gillian Keating, Vice President of Cork Chamber of Commerce. There will be five cash prizes of €100 on offer for those who successfully find the hidden robots on campus.

This year marks eleven years of the highly successful CIT Prize for Innovation Competition sponsored by the Cork County and City Enterprise Boards.  The competition for CIT students has always been a two-day event featuring an exhibition of innovation and enterprise at third level. The title of CIT Entrepreneur of the Year will be announced at an Awards Ceremony with a keynote address on Friday 8th March 2013.

CIT will also host the Cork Schools Enterprise Programme which will coincide with the CIT Prize for Innovation. The Cork Schools Programme aims to educate second level students about the realities of setting up and running a business.  There will be over 50 teams of second level students showcasing their mini companies at the regional heats in CIT on Friday 8th March. 

The Idea Hub Society at CIT will run a ‘Bright Ideas’ competition which will take place before the awards ceremony on Friday 8th March with a prize of an iPhone for the person who has the “Brightest Idea” on Innovation Day.

The School of Business at CIT will host an ‘APP-rentice’ competition and programming or technical experience is not required to enter, just good APP ideas that will be showcased on the day.

The CIT Coder Dojo chapter will host a competition for members on Friday 8th March in the NIMBUS Research Centre on the CIT campus.

CIT is recognised as a key thought-leader at national level in entrepreneurship. This is evidenced by initiatives such as the appointment of Ireland’s first Entrepreneur In Residence in 2010; the very successful Rubicon Centre for business incubation as well Innovation Week and the CIT Prize for Innovation, run in conjunction with Cork County and City Enterprise Boards, the appointment of two Enterprise Interns within the Industry Liaison Office and more recently the creation of its new Centre for Entrepreneurship Excellence, The Hincks Centre.

“We are looking forward to the buzz of activity that will be present on the campus during Innovation Week and further integration of business ideas between the staff, students and existing and emerging companies” Carole O’Leary said.

The week will finish up with a rocket launch by future entrepreneurs from national schools around the city and county, at CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory, again with more prizes on offer for the furthest rockets launched.