ManageEngine, a division of Zoho Corporation and a leading provider of enterprise IT management and security solutions, has announced post-deployment automation for transport layer security (TLS) certificates in Key Manager Plus, its certificate lifecycle and machine identity management solution. Key Manager Plus now automates the final stages of certificate renewal, pushing certificates to the target server, running configured scripts, restarting dependent services, and notifying stakeholders, so the whole certificate lifecycle runs without manual intervention.

Historically, most organisations did not have much incentive to automate certificate management. Even the ones that did adopt automation workflows limited it to discovery, periodic expiration alerts, and in some instances, automated renewals. That changed when the CA/Browser Forum voted to reduce the maximum validity of public TLS certificates, phasing down from the legacy 398-day validity period to a 200-day period in March 2026 (current cadence), which will drop to 100 days by March 2027, and finally 47 days by March 2029.

“We’re going from under 200 certificates to over 2,000, across a lot of domains, different server setups, credentials and post-deployment actions for nearly all of it. We’ve had to dedicate significant engineering time to certificate management alone since the change to 200 days. With the 47-day certificate renewals coming up, automation is the only way we can keep up, and Key Manager Plus’ CA-agnostic, certificate lifecycle management has helped us automate the whole thing,” said Jonathan Choiniere, infrastructure manager at RevSpring, a payment solutions provider based in Nashville, Tennessee.

Automating the Last Step of Certificate Renewal

Getting the certificate live is the last step in the renewal process, and this post-deployment task has primarily been handled manually by many teams. While this works when teams are renewing one certificate a year, as certificate lifespans shrink and the same steps repeat roughly eight times as often, manual errors become more likely and the cost of an outage can run into the millions.

“Certificate renewal is rarely the hard part. The work that piles up on teams is what comes after it, at scale: pushing certificates to the server, restarting the services, and confirming they actually went live. End-to-end automation is what turns a 47-day renewal cycle from a scramble into something that runs on its own. With Key Manager Plus, we are eliminating the last manual step in the lifecycle management loop,” said Vasudevan Seshadri, director of product management at ManageEngine.

Quantifying the 47-Day Shift

To help organisations assess their own exposure to the reduced certificate validity mandate, ManageEngine has also released a 47-day TLS impact calculator. It lets enterprises quantify what the mandate means for them based on three factors: the size of their certificate estate, their current renewal labour, and their outage exposure. From there, it compares those numbers against what they will look like once their TLS certificate lifecycle is fully automated. That automation is what Key Manager Plus delivers, and it runs identically whether teams deploy on-premises or in the cloud.

See more stories here.

Irish employers are receiving more job applications than ever before, yet hiring the right people is becoming increasingly difficult. The problem may not be a shortage of candidates—but a recruitment process that was never designed for the age of AI.

Guest post By Edward Bowman MSc, Organisational Psychologist 

Not long ago, the biggest recruitment challenge for many Irish businesses was attracting enough applicants.

Today, for many employers, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the challenge has become something entirely different: identifying the right candidates from an evergrowing volume of applications. Irish SMEs are creating jobs at the fastest pace in nearly a decade.

At first glance, this seems like a positive problem to have. More applicants should mean more choice. Yet the evidence suggests that both employers and job seekers are finding recruitment increasingly frustrating. SMEs are facing a hiring crunch in 2026. With only 12% of small businesses fully staffed, unfilled roles are stalling growth, delaying projects, and increasing costs.

Recent hiring benchmarks indicate that approximately 15% of job applications resulted in an interview in 2016. By 2023, that figure had fallen to around 8%, while more recent research suggests interview rates now sit closer to 2–3% across many industries. In other words, candidates are submitting more applications than ever before, yet securing fewer interviews.

The reasons for this shift are complex, but one factor has transformed recruitment more rapidly than almost any other: artificial intelligence.

Generative AI has dramatically reduced the time required to create polished CVs and tailored cover letters. Candidates can now produce highly professional applications within minutes, optimise them for applicant tracking systems (ATS), and apply for significantly more roles than was previously possible.

While this undoubtedly benefits job seekers, it also means employers are receiving unprecedented numbers of applications that often appear remarkably similar in quality. This has led to what has been described as an AI Arms Race whereby companies have introduced more sophisticated filtering techniques which then leads to more AI being adopted by the job seeker to circumvent them.

For hiring managers, this creates a very different challenge.

Recruitment is no longer simply about attracting candidates; it is about finding meaningful differences between them.

Many organisations continue to rely heavily on applicant tracking systems that screen CVs using keywords and predefined criteria. While these systems are efficient for managing large applicant volumes, they are only as effective as the information they receive. Research by Harvard Business School and Accenture found that 88% of employers acknowledged that qualified candidates are sometimes filtered out because their applications fail to match the precise criteria configured within screening software.

This is not necessarily a reflection of candidate quality.

It is often a reflection of how recruitment systems process information.

For SMEs, the consequences can be particularly significant.

Unlike larger organisations with dedicated recruitment teams, smaller businesses often ask managers to recruit alongside their existing responsibilities. Reviewing hundreds of applications, many of which have been professionally written or AI assisted, consumes valuable hours that could otherwise be spent running the business.

The alternative is often to outsource recruitment to external agencies, an option that may cost between 15% and 20% of a successful candidate’s starting salary. For many SMEs, neither option is ideal.

Having worked in several countries and applied for many roles throughout my own career, I have experienced recruitment from both sides of the process. Like many professionals, I have invested considerable time tailoring CVs and cover letters, only to receive no response or feedback. Employers, meanwhile, frequently describe spending evenings reviewing applications while worrying that they may still overlook excellent candidates.

Both experiences point towards the same conclusion.

The current recruitment process is placing increasing pressure on employers and applicants alike.

Perhaps the most important question we should now be asking is whether we are looking at the right information first.

A curriculum vitae remains an important record of experience, qualifications and career progression. However, anyone who has managed people understands that successful performance depends on far more than previous job titles or years of experience.

Every role contains behavioural demands that rarely appear on a CV.

Some positions require individuals who thrive in highly structured environments. Others demand adaptability, resilience and comfort with ambiguity. Teamwork, communication style, motivation, learning agility, problem-solving and autonomy all influence whether someone is likely to succeed in a particular working environment.

These characteristics are often discovered only after interview or sometimes only after someone has already been hired.

The challenge facing modern recruitment is therefore not whether CVs should disappear.

They should not.

Rather, it is whether CVs alone provide sufficient information at the earliest stages of recruitment, particularly when advances in AI mean that application quality increasingly reflects access to technology rather than genuine suitability for the role.

The future of hiring is unlikely to involve replacing human judgement with algorithms.

Instead, the organisations that recruit most effectively will probably combine multiple sources of evidence: experience, structured assessment, interviews and professional judgement. Technology should support better decision-making, not replace it.

For Irish SMEs, this shift could be particularly valuable. Better early-stage information has the potential to reduce unnecessary screening, improve hiring confidence and create a more transparent experience for candidates, while allowing employers to spend less time sorting applications and more time engaging with the people who are genuinely suited to the role.

Artificial intelligence has undoubtedly changed recruitment.

Our hiring processes now need to evolve alongside it.

The CV is unlikely to disappear any time soon.

But in an era where almost every application can appear polished and professionally written, it may no longer be enough to begin and end the recruitment conversation.

Edward Bowman MSc is an Organisational Psychologist and founder of Psych-Fit, an Irish HR technology company researching assessment-first approaches to recruitment in the age of artificial intelligence.

He previously was a key member of the winning team and business concept in the An Forbairt Student Enterprise Awards at Dublin City University.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-bowman-msc-42a20259/

Website: https://psychfit.org

Email: ed@psychfit.org

Are you out of contract or looking for a better deal for your mobile phone? If so, there are some great SIM Only deals available in Ireland right now with huge savings to be made over long contract plans.

We’ve teamed up with Switcher.ie, the free and impartial price comparison and switching service, to find the best SIM Only deals available every month.

Check back regularly to stay informed of the latest deals and offers, and visit the Switcher.ie website to order one of these great packages.

Best SIM Only Deals

For consumers seeking an affordable, commitment-free SIM-only option, 48 offers a flexible prepay solution, available exclusively through Switcher.ie. Their SIM-only plan, requiring a monthly top-up of €10.99, includes 100GB of 4G data, 5,000 minutes, 5,000 texts, and a 17GB EU/UK roaming allowance. Offer ends 30/09/2026.

For a limited time, you can sign up for Lyca Mobile’s National Unlimited Plan, available exclusively through Switcher.ie. This prepaid plan costs just €10.99 top-up every 4 weeks and delivers 100GB of data alongside unlimited calls and texts, plus a 17GB EU roaming allowance.

Another budget-friendly SIM-only option is available from Clear Mobile. For €12.99 per month on a flexible 30-day rolling bill-pay contract, their plan provides unlimited data and calls, as well as 10,000 texts. It also features a 23GB roaming allowance for use across the EU and UK. Plus, a current promotion gives new customers their first month completely free.

(If you’ve come across this article after some of these deals may have expired, check out our main SIM Only category page to find the latest offers.)

Irish company SIS Pitches advanced sports pitch technology is in action on football’s biggest global stage this weekend.

SIS Grass Hybrid is being used at the New York New Jersey Stadium, which will host the World Cup Final between Argentina and Spain on Sunday.

The hybrid system sees synthetic fibres stitched into the surface across the entire field to provide increased durability enhanced root growth. This helps each hybrid pitch recover and perform consistently across different climates and grass types.

SIS Pitches — which is a global company but established in Sligo —  contributed to high-performance playing surfaces across nine of the 16 host stadiums across the United States, Canada and Mexico. As well as New York New Jersey, SIS Grass Hybrid was in action in San Francisco, Miami, Kansas City, Toronto and Monterrey.

SIS Pitches was set up in 2001 by Sligo man George Mullan who is currently Chairman of the global company. The company has been involved in projects at some of the country’s most high-profile grounds including: Donnybrook Stadium in Dublin, Thomond Park in Limerick, the Connacht GAA Air Dome at Bekan in Co. Mayo, the two indoor pitches at the FAI and the IRFU’s High Performance Centre at Sports Ireland Campus in Blanchardstown. It also completed a full pitch construction of Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork.

George Mullan, Executive Chairman and Founder at SIS Pitches says:

“Seeing our technology present at nine of the 16 stadiums being used this summer is a huge moment for SIS Pitches and a reflection of the reputation it has around the globe. Having been heavily involved in the previous two tournaments in Russia and Qatar, and also involved in Germany, we understand how important it is that our technology works alongside that of other partners to ensure each pitch system performs as intended. For this tournament in particular, expert grounds teams and the best companies in the industry have come together across the stadium network to transform multi-use NFL and MLS venues into high-quality hybrid surfaces for the world’s best players.”

See more stories here.

Esri Ireland, the market leader in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), has announced that Esri’s ArcGIS  technology is underpinning the delivery of critical infrastructure projects across Ireland for TLI Group.

TLI Group designs, builds and maintains power, renewable energy, smart energy services and telecommunications infrastructure across Ireland. As the business expanded, the company required a digital platform that could support future growth and diverse large-scale infrastructure projects. Using Esri’s ArcGIS technology, TLI Group has created a connected digital system that supports and streamlines operations right across the business.

Operational teams across the organisation now use the online platform and mapping technology, with multiple users working in the field through mobile applications. It is being used across several major infrastructure projects, including the delivery of the national broadband plan and the national smart metering rollout. In addition, Engineers use the technology to locate poles and manage overhead power line upgrade works in the field, and it is also used to plan and track trenching and ducting works for wind and solar farm grid connection routes.

TLI Group’s operational staff use mobile apps to collect and share live information directly from sites. This data feeds back to the office-based teams who use web apps, dashboards and desktop tools to manage projects and provide updates to clients. By providing both field and office teams with access to the same real-time information, the platform improves collaboration and supports faster and more informed decision-making.

A key system developed by TLI Group using the technology is its company-wide “Near-Miss, Good-Catch” reporting platform, which allows team members to instantly report potential safety risks using mobile devices. Managers receive immediate alerts about potential risks and can monitor trends or patterns through live dashboards. TLI Group now captures and reviews multiple digital health and safety reports every week, helping to strengthen safety standards across multi-disciplinary operations.

Paul Sweeney, GIS and Data Manager, TLI Group, said: “ArcGIS gives us a lot of off-the-shelf functionality, as well as the flexibility to build the GIS services we need on a project-by-project basis. This is all without bespoke code or the need for a supplementary development budget.

“The platform gives our teams instant access to information both in the field and in the office, helping staff work more efficiently and make faster decisions. Having live data available through mobile apps means teams can instantly identify and quickly risk assess any issues that arise. At TLI Group, safety is a core company value, and by making it easier for employees to report potential risks, the technology has had a positive impact on health and safety and helped us build a stronger safety culture across the organisation.”

Jack French, Account Manager, Esri Ireland, said: “TLI Group’s success demonstrates how organisations can modernise operations and manage increasingly complex projects more effectively using location intelligence. Since its implementation, TLI Group has improved how information is collected and used across the organisation, streamlining processes and saving time and resources.

“Providing teams with access to real-time data has created greater visibility across critical infrastructure projects, replacing manual and time-consuming tasks and freeing up employees to focus on core value add business activities. New agile and efficient processes have established the flexible and scalable foundations for sustained business success as TLI Group continues to grow and evolve across the infrastructure industry.”

See more stories here.

Back in 2017 when the Irish Tech News podcast was in its second year, one of my guests was Darya Yegorina  the founder of CleverBooks. In 2020 I caught up with Darya and did a written interview to see what happened since the podcast.

Darya has recently launched a new venture Arventa, AI software designed in Ireland for Irish SMEs that helps to make business ops efficient and compliant, and to find out more about Arventa I caught with Darya .

Darya talks about her background, Arventa, AI and more.

More about Arventa:

Arventa provides an all-in-one toolkit designed specifically for startups and freelancers. Our platform enhances productivity with tools for invoicing, proposals, CRM, time tracking, social media management, and compliance. We complement, not replace, accountants and accounting software, working seamlessly alongside them. Arventa’s mission is to deliver an affordable solution tailored to meet the unique needs of micro businesses, helping them streamline their operations and achieve growth.

See more podcasts here.

AI Agent Wallets Keep Getting Robbed, The Industry Launched Anyway

Analysis by Iaroslav Belkin, founder of Belkin Marketing. Iaros Belkin is the founder of Belkin Marketing, a boutique agency that has served as a strategic advisor to deep tech, Web3, and AI founders for over 20 years.

On May 4, 2026, an attacker drained roughly $175,000 from a cryptocurrency wallet tied to Grok’s X account without a stolen key or a single smart contract vulnerability. It was way more sophisticated. A gifted NFT that silently unlocked transfer permissions, followed by a Morse code message that Grok decoded and posted publicly, which an automated trading bot then treated as an authenticated instruction and executed.

AI Agent Wallets

The incident is formally logged in the OECD’s AI incident tracker. And the timing is exactly the point. Three days later, AWS launched Bedrock AgentCore Payments in partnership with Coinbase and Stripe, giving AI agents cryptocurrency wallets capable of discovering services, negotiating prices, and executing transactions autonomously, with no requirement to pause for human approval. Five weeks after that, Consensys shipped MetaMask Agent Wallet in early access, a self-custodial wallet letting AI agents transact across ten blockchain networks. Neither launch was delayed, reconsidered, or publicly reframed in response to what had just happened.

The market’s appetite for agent-wallet infrastructure is running well ahead of any shared standard for what safe means in this category.

The Detail That Got the Least Coverage

A safety block preventing exactly this injection path had already been implemented after a similar $330,000 attack on the same wallet in March 2025. It did not survive a subsequent rewrite of the agent system. Not because anyone decided the risk was acceptable. It simply was not tracked as a permanent requirement, so it disappeared the next time an engineer rewrote the system.

That is the single most useful fact in the entire episode. A security control that lives only inside a specific version of a codebase is not a control. It is a temporary condition that the next engineering decision can silently undo.

It happened here twice, on the same wallet, via the same injection path, fourteen months apart.

The Pattern Did Not Stop There

The Grok incident was not an outlier that the industry absorbed and corrected.

By April 2026, Kelp DAO and Drift Protocol had lost a combined roughly $600 million to related failures — three and a half thousand times the size of the original loss. Step Finance lost $40 million to an AI agent treasury exploit and did not recover. The protocol shut down permanently. That is the consequence this category of failure actually produces once the numbers stop being small enough to argue about.

On July 7, 2026, security researchers at NSFOCUS disclosed JadePuffer, described as the first fully AI-agent-driven ransomware attack observed end to end: reconnaissance, lateral movement, and encryption, all executed by an autonomous agent with no human operating any individual stage. A different failure category from a drained wallet, but the same underlying condition: autonomous systems now hold enough independent capability that a single successful manipulation can execute to completion without a human anywhere in the loop to interrupt it.

None of this slowed the infrastructure buildout. The gap between deployment speed and security maturity did not close. It widened — measured in how much larger each incident was than the last.

What the Scale of the Problem Actually Looks Like

Analysts estimate autonomous AI agents will manage more than $50 billion in on-chain assets by 2027. On-chain agent deployments had already passed 122,000 on BNB Chain alone by March 2026. The broader AI agents market is projected to grow from $7.63 billion in 2025 to nearly $183 billion by 2033. That growth curve is not waiting for the security conversation to finish.

The Outside-the-Model Standard

The Grok incident’s root cause generalises into a specific, testable standard for evaluating any agent-wallet product before integration. Call it the Outside-the-Model Standard.

Spending limits must be enforced at the wallet or custody infrastructure layer, not inside a model’s system prompt. A prompt-level instruction like “never spend more than X” is a suggestion. Prompt injection routes around it — precisely as the Morse code message in this incident demonstrated. Permissions must expire by default rather than persist indefinitely. Privilege escalation, such as receiving a gifted NFT that unlocks transfer permissions, must require a separate, explicit confirmation step outside the primary interaction channel. Any safety control implemented after a past incident must be tracked as a permanent policy requirement with formal review before removal, not as an implementation detail that vanishes during the next rewrite. And responsibility must be contractually assigned at every handoff point between the model, the wallet, and the execution layer.

The researcher who analysed the original incident put the accountability gap plainly: it is Bankr’s problem, not Grok’s: an LLM cannot defensively word every reply. True. Also exactly the gap an attacker exploits when no one has formally agreed whose problem it is.

Analysts estimate autonomous AI agents will manage more than $50 billion in on-chain assets by 2027. The industry did not pause to close the gap before scaling past it. It shipped the next version instead.

Iaros Belkin is the founder of Belkin Marketing, a boutique agency that has served as a strategic advisor to deep tech, Web3, and AI founders for over 20 years.

See more breaking stories here.

The broadband market in Ireland is now flooded with providers all offering a myriad of deals. We know it’s hard to find the perfect deal that suits your needs, but we’re here to help.

We’ve teamed up with Switcher.ie, the free and impartial price comparison and switching service, to find the best broadband deals available every month.

Check back regularly to stay informed of the latest deals and offers, and visit the Switcher.ie website to order one of these great packages.

Best Broadband Deals

The Fibre Broadband, Talk – 24 Month Discount package from eir offers excellent value for new customers. Priced at €34.99 per month on a 24-month contract, this plan provides unlimited broadband with speeds up to 500Mb and unlimited off-peak local and national calls. Additionally, customers who sign up by 04/08/2026 can enjoy further savings with a €100 bill credit applied to their broadband bill.

If you’re interested in a broadband and TV package, eir’s Fibre Broadband with TV Plus, Talk – 24 Month Discount plan is available at €49.98 per month. This plan includes unlimited broadband with speeds up to 500Mb, unlimited off-peak local and national calls, and access to over 50 TV channels. Also included is Amazon Prime, which allows eir TV customers to enjoy exclusive deals, fast and free delivery, as well as a range of popular TV shows and movies. Sign up before 04/08/2026 and get €100 off your eir broadband bill.

Vodafone’s 500Mb Full Fibre Broadband – 24 Month plan delivers unlimited data with speeds of up to 500Mb, priced at €25 per month for the first six months, which then moves to €40 per month. With Vodafone, you’ll no longer see a significant increase to your monthly price once your minimum contract term ends. So you can enjoy great value over the long term! Plus, as a limited-time bonus, new customers signing up by 31/08/2026 will have €75 credited to their Vodafone broadband bill.

Vodafone also provides a TV and broadband bundle starting at €30 per month. Their 500Mb Full Fibre Broadband & TV – 24 Month plan includes unlimited data with speeds up to 500Mb and more than 95 channels. It costs €30 monthly for the initial six months, increasing to €65 per month afterwards. Additionally, get €75 off your Vodafone broadband bill if you sign up by 31/08/2026.

Virgin Media offers an affordable deal with its 500Mb Broadband – 24 Month package. For only €40 per month, households can enjoy unlimited broadband with speeds reaching up to 500Mb. Furthermore, new customers who sign up before 31/07/2026 will benefit from substantial savings, receiving a €105 credit on their Virgin Media broadband bill.

Looking for TV? Get Virgin Media’s 500Mb Broadband with Basic TV – 24 Month Discount for only €50 per month. This plan offers unlimited broadband with speeds up to 500Mb and more than 30 TV channels. Sign up before 31/07/2026 to receive a €105 credit on your Virgin Media broadband bill.

(If you’ve come across this article after some of these deals may have expired, check out our main Broadband Deals category page to find the latest offers)

Pure Telecom, Ireland’s high-speed broadband and telecoms provider, has announced the results of new research from its Connected Lives 2026 study, which reveals that Irish adults spend an estimated €1.95 billion on streaming subscriptions each year. The research also found that the average Irish streamer now watches 2 hours and 58 minutes of streamed content every day, up from 2 hours and 22 minutes last year. Over the course of a year, this equates to approximately 45 days of watching streamed video content.

The research, carried out by Censuswide on behalf of Pure Telecom, surveyed 1,000 employees in the Republic of Ireland. It found that two-thirds (66%) of adults in Ireland currently pay for at least one streaming service, slightly down from 68% last year. Among those who do subscribe, the average monthly spend has climbed to €41.93, up from €36.87 last year.

While spending is up, the research suggests that Irish consumers are becoming increasingly selective about where that money goes. Seven-in-ten (70%) subscribers say they have cancelled at least one streaming service in the past 12 months. The most common reason for cancelling a subscription was rising prices (30%), followed by dissatisfaction with available content (27%) and switching to another service perceived to offer better content (23%).

The study also points to ongoing complexity around password sharing and access to subscriptions. Two-in-five adults (41%) access streaming services through someone else’s household subscription. Meanwhile, 27% of paying subscribers admit that they share passwords with someone outside of their household without paying extra for the privilege.

Public attitudes on the issue appear divided. Almost half (48%) believe streaming services charge too much and that password sharing is therefore justifiable. Yet an identical proportion (48%) agree that streaming providers are right to crack down on password sharing across households. In recent years, many streaming providers, including Netflix, have introduced measures to restrict account sharingoutside of a subscriber’s household. The same proportion (48%) also say the practice is comparable to stealing.

Paul Connell, CEO, Pure Telecom, said: “Streaming services have become a central part of how people consume entertainment and media content. What is particularly interesting from this year’s research is that while spending on streaming subscriptions continues to rise, consumers are becoming much more selective about where they spend their money.

“This is reflected in the high number of subscribers who have cancelled at least one service over the past year. Consumers have more choice than ever before and are clearly willing to switch providers if they feel another platform offers better value or content. If streaming services continue to produce high-quality content, people will flock to them, but if not, it is clear that they are not afraid to switch, creating an interesting battleground for consumers’ attention.”

See more stories here.

The New Terminal One at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) has entered into a strategic partnership with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) a global leader in IT services, consulting, and business solutions, who operate a global distribution centre in Letterkenny in Ireland, to shape the world’s most advanced airport experience.

As the strategic technology and innovation partner to the New Terminal One, TCS will support the delivery of an intelligent, digitally-enabled guest experience at the new terminal, delivering cost efficiencies to airlines and transforming international travel at JFK, the largest global gateway to the United States.

The New Terminal One is a key component of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s $19 billion transformation of JFK Airport into a world-class gateway, with two new terminals, two expanded and modernised terminals, a new ground transportation center and an entirely new, simplified roadway network.

Drawing from its track record of reliably managing complex systems and creating personalised, engaging guest experiences, TCS will help lay the digital foundation for the New Terminal One, enhancing terminal-wide decision-making for efficient airline operations and a seamless guest experience. TCS will support all technology systems at the terminal, including passenger processing systems, AI-driven IT operations, infrastructure management, enterprise application support, and cybersecurity services.

Under the partnership, TCS will help develop a next-generation airport operations and guest experience spanning digital infrastructure, AI-enabled IT operations, and innovation initiatives. Developed with TCS’ Cognix and ignio solutions, the solutions will provide the New Terminal One and its partner airlines end-to-end visibility and proactive management of key components of the guest experience. Irish flyers to the US will notice improved passenger processing and baggage handling to terminal security. This will pave the way for lower operating costs for airlines and a more efficient travel experience for their passengers.

Jennifer Aument, CEO, The New Terminal One, said, “New York City and global travelers deserve an international airport terminal that offers an extraordinary experience. With TCS as our technology partner, we look forward to the New Terminal One earning its place among the world’s best, delivering a transformational guest experience for our partner airlines and their customers, while setting new standards in airport operations and innovation.”

Amit Bajaj, President – North America, TCS, said, “Airports are evolving into dynamic consumer ecosystems where operations, hospitality, retail, and personalization work together in real time. Our partnership with New Terminal One is about helping build that future. As a gateway to the world’s most iconic city – New York, it is designed from the ground up to exceed the growing expectations of global travelers. AI will facilitate a seamless and reliable passenger experience and help evolve New Terminal One into a state-of-the-art experiential zone that will attract global travelers and keep them engaged in exciting new ways.”

As the new international terminal at JFK, the New Terminal One is uniquely positioned to redefine what a modern airport can be, transforming a transportation gateway to a platform for operational excellence, elevated service, experiential retail and personalised engagement.

This partnership rests on the expertise of TCS’ Travel, Transport, and Hospitality (TTH) practice which helps global airlines, hotels, and logistics providers build resilient, interconnected ecosystems. By leveraging AI, cloud-native environments, and prescriptive analytics, TCS enables clients to modernize legacy systems, optimise operations, and deliver hyper-personalised customer experiences.

Artificial intelligence is transforming the way organisations approach video surveillance, moving it far beyond traditional monitoring. Businesses now rely on smarter, automated solutions to keep pace with evolving security demands and operational challenges. AI-powered analytics can bring efficiency and faster incident response to a sector in need of more than constant streams of footage.

The introduction of AI into modern security strategy has shifted the landscape for commercial cctv, offering both new capabilities and important considerations for organisations. Machine learning and video analytics enable cameras to do more than simply record events—they now identify, assess, and alert on situations in real time.

This evolution assists businesses in managing larger premises, addressing staffing constraints, and improving the speed of incident detection. As expectations around security increase, AI-enhanced systems offer practical solutions for faster response and reduced manual workload for security teams.

Transformation from traditional surveillance to data-driven insight

Originally, commercial cameras were limited to passively capturing video and sometimes triggering alerts based solely on motion. These systems often generated large volumes of irrelevant alarms, requiring time-consuming manual review and filtering.

Today’s video analytics use advanced algorithms to distinguish between significant events and everyday activity. Moving beyond basic motion detection, AI now enables interpretation of patterns and the prioritisation of alerts so genuine risks are identified and surfaced more quickly.

The shift towards data-driven surveillance has also enabled predictive capabilities that were previously impossible with conventional systems. By analysing historical footage and identifying recurring patterns, AI can help security teams anticipate potential incidents before they escalate. This proactive approach allows organisations to allocate resources more effectively, positioning personnel in areas where risks are statistically higher during specific times or conditions. The ability to extract actionable intelligence from video data transforms surveillance from a purely reactive tool into a strategic asset that informs broader security planning and risk management decisions.

Deployment of object detection and rule-driven alerts

Modern AI-enabled surveillance uses tools for object detection and classification, separating people, vehicles, and other relevant objects in a monitored environment. These features help identify restricted area intrusions, unauthorised access, or potentially suspicious activity without the need for constant human monitoring.

Behaviour-based analytics can detect patterns such as loitering, tailgating, crowding, or after-hours movement, supporting both safety and compliance requirements. Some systems also provide search capabilities using specific object attributes, allowing operators to locate relevant footage more efficiently.

Operational improvements and practical value delivered

One measurable advantage of integrating AI is a reduction in false alarms and alert fatigue for monitoring teams. By analysing video feeds in real time, the system filters non-essential events, helping personnel to focus on critical incidents and respond more efficiently.

Improvements in alert triage mean urgent threats can be highlighted, while routine or harmless activities are deprioritised within the workflow. This functionality can support incident response and compliance, but it is essential to calibrate systems carefully and avoid overestimating AI performance.

Governance, integration, and deployment considerations

As AI becomes central to video surveillance, decisions about what to log, how long to retain footage, and who reviews alerts are crucial for accountability and data protection. Organisations must manage error rates and ensure human oversight remains integral to avoid over-reliance on automation.

Privacy-by-design principles should guide deployments, aligning with regulations and user expectations. Technical decisions, such as running analytics at the edge or in the cloud, present trade-offs in costs, latency, and resilience.

Integrating commercial cctv with access control systems and security operations platforms can provide consolidated visibility and more streamlined incident management. These integrations require careful planning and strong cybersecurity practices.

Performance may be affected by factors like lighting, weather, or camera positioning, so thorough testing and regular tuning are important. Setting clear metrics and reviewing vendor transparency regarding software updates and system performance help ensure the chosen solution matches organisational needs and remains reliable as threats evolve.

LearnUpon has announced the launch of its Agentic Learning Platform, completely reimagining how organisations unlock human capability and potential. This announcement sets a bold new vision for the industry—and the future of the LMS—by advancing learning technology from a passive administrative system into an intelligent, strategic partner.

Elevating Human Capability with LearnUpon’s Agentic Learning Platform

LearnUpon created the Agentic Learning Platform to break traditional software bottlenecks and establish a compounding learning loop. Engineered on a “human-leading-the-loop” framework, the platform independently executes complex administrative workflows while keeping critical oversight in human hands. By offloading routine operational friction, it transforms learning professionals into strategic architects who direct the technology—empowering organisations to accelerate learning and business growth.

This launch arrives as enterprise AI reshapes how humans work, and roles and skills evolve. While market commentary frequently highlights automation as a threat to human roles, LearnUpon has a different perspective, believing the future is intelligent, not artificial. Successful intelligent technology doesn’t sideline people; its ultimate power is to liberate human capability. Currently, traditional software traps teams in heavy administrative overhead, forcing professionals to spend up to 80% of their daily effort managing a system rather than inspiring their people.

“We didn’t want to just rush another AI tool to market and ask learning teams to operate on blind trust,” said Brendan Noud, CEO of LearnUpon. “By taking a modular, ‘human-leading-the-loop’ approach, we are giving organisations the transparency and control that other platforms miss. The Agentic Learning Platform moves human input higher up the value chain, liberating L&D teams to do what they do best: building genuine human capability and driving strategic business growth.”

One Intelligent Platform: Built Around How Businesses Work

At the centre of LearnUpon’s Agentic Learning Platform is LearnUpon IQ, an integrated intelligence layer providing the governance, strategic direction, and human control organisations need to deliver robust personalised learning at scale. This layer hosts an open-protocol server (MCP) that securely connects external agents and AI tooling like Claude, Gemini, or ChatGPT directly to an organisation’s learning data, letting teams pull live reporting insights straight into their preferred AI workspace.

Operating as a unified ecosystem, LearnUpon IQ orchestrates its agentic capabilities across three specialised hubs, absorbing daily administrative overhead so teams can transition from transactional execution to architecting global learning programs:

The Profile Hub: Replaces static user data by tracking real-time skills and capability gaps based on live performance. By securely drawing insights from across an organization’s active workflows, the hub dynamically updates learner profiles to give learning architects the predictive visibility needed to anticipate development needs.

The Content Hub: Centralises and automates asset management to support the continuous expansion of global learning libraries. The hub is driven by tools like Create+ to seamlessly create new interactive courses, while its Agentic Editor enables teams to craft learning materials using conversational AI—ensuring content remains fresh and compliant without manual intervention.

The Delivery Hub: Engineered to find learners within their flow of work, rather than requiring users to search for training. Powered by real-time signals, this hub injects contextual learning exactly when and where it is needed—whether through LearnUpon’s native conversational assistant, Ask Lia, or automated via a built-in Journey Agent to launch personalised development paths.

“Sticking strictly to the traditional blueprint of an LMS is no longer enough to support the modern workforce,” said Des Anderson, CTO and Co-Founder at LearnUpon. “Technology must actively work for our customers, not the other way around. By transitioning to a modular, agentic architecture—built on a single intelligence layer and three specialized hubs—we are fulfilling the long-awaited promise of hyper-personalised learning at scale while permanently removing the administrative friction that has historically held L&D teams back.”

Built on Deep Collaboration and Research

The development of the Agentic Learning Platform is the result of intensive collaboration. LearnUpon worked closely with customers and industry stakeholders, while backing its strategy with proprietary research to ensure the platform solves real-world operational challenges.

“LearnUpon’s vision for an Agentic Learning Platform aligns with where we see the future of learning and workforce development. Learning Journeys and Create+ have already helped us accelerate how we develop and deliver learning, and we’re excited to build on that foundation as we launch our Skills strategy. It’s been rewarding to collaborate through the Customer Advisory Board and help shape capabilities that connect learning, skills, and AI in ways that deliver real business value.” added Jennifer Hovestadt, Director of Learning & Development at Premium Retail Services.

This launch marks the first step in a long-term product roadmap designed to address a critical new reality: the AI era makes human capability more important than ever before. As role requirements and technology continue to shift, organisations cannot rely on static learning blueprints. LearnUpon’s Agentic Learning Platform is engineered to allow organisational leaders to focus entirely on the strategy behind building a resilient, future-ready workforce.

See more stories here.

New research from Ford Pro highlights the growing administrative burden facing fleet managers and business owners, with many spending up to 20 hours every month on routine fleet management tasks.

The findings come as Ford Pro introduces Ford Pro AI across Europe, giving commercial vehicle customers a new way to quickly access vehicle information, identify maintenance needs and make faster operational decisions.

Research conducted by Ford Pro among 200 fleet managers in the UK and Germany found that a single unexpected vehicle downtime incident creates an average of 2.4 hours of administration, rising to 2.7 hours for medium and large fleets.

For business owners, finance directors and operations managers responsible for fleets alongside their primary roles, routine administration accounts for between 5 and 10 per cent of their working time. This equates to approximately 15 to 20 hours each month spent managing tasks such as low-emission zone charges, accident claims, fuel receipts and lease administration.

The research also found that 60 per cent of fleet managers regularly spend time tracking and analysing the total cost of vehicle ownership.

Ford Pro AI has been developed to simplify these day-to-day responsibilities by allowing fleet managers to ask questions in natural language and receive immediate answers using data generated by their connected vehicles.

The system analyses information including engine health, maintenance status and vehicle usage to help identify potential issues before they result in unplanned downtime, enabling fleet operators to make informed decisions more quickly.

By reducing the time spent searching through reports and vehicle data, Ford Pro AI enables fleet managers to focus more of their time on planning, customer service and keeping vehicles on the road.

See more stories here.

Teams from Munster Technological University (MTU) and University College Dublin (UCD) are among a 50-strong international field taking part in this year’s IMechE Formula Student competition, which takes place at the iconic UK racetrack Silverstone (July 15-19).

Silverstone Formula Student race this week

Now in its 28th year, Formula Student – backed by the UK Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) – is Europe’s most established educational engineering competition. The programme invites university teams from around the world to design, build and race a single-seater racing car from scratch, giving third-level engineering teams real-world experience of the challenges and demands of motor racing.

RS, a global leading provider of industrial and electronic solutions, sponsors the EV category within the Formula Student Class, which also includes categories for internal combustion vehicles (CV) as well as hybrid vehicles. Other classes in the competition include FS-AI (artificial intelligence) and the Concept Class.

RS also supports the initiative through its hugely popular Formula Student Build Fund. The fund offers teams from around the world the opportunity to build their cars and develop their engineering skills with £1,000 (approx. €1,110) worth of products from their local RS outlet.

This year’s Formula Student Build Fund saw the largest response since RS established the fund six years ago, with 137 applications from 33 countries. Of the total number of applicants, 50 teams were selected to receive funding from RS including two Irish teams representing UCD and MTU who will pit their skills against teams from the UK, USA, Germany, Mexico, Singapore and many other countries.

Product, technical support from RS Ireland

Thanks to the Formula Student Build Fund, both Irish teams were able to design and build their racing cars with the help of €1,100 worth of products from RS Ireland. The students from UCD and MTU also had access to RS’s technical resources and engineering support network, providing valuable assistance with product selection, troubleshooting and prototype development.

“We know that designing and building a Formula Student racing car is an expensive challenge, so we’re delighted to have been able to help the teams from UCD and MTU to bring their visions to life,” said Gary Bradley, country manager at RS Ireland.

“Of course, there’s more to Formula Student than just the engineering element,” Mr Bradley said. “Teams also compete in areas like design, cost, presentation and project management, all while adhering to strict guidelines that require real multidisciplinary team collaboration. It’s one of the most prestigious student engineering competitions in the world and we can’t wait for the action to start this weekend.”

“Hands-on experience in engineering design”

Harry Stevens of University College Dublin’s Formula Student team says: “The project brings together mechanical, electrical, powertrain, business and operations students, giving the team hands-on experience in real engineering design, manufacturing, testing and competition. Our latest car, E135, has been designed around a simple and reliable electric concept, with a strong focus on endurance completion, low build risk and predictable handling. What makes E135 special is its clear design philosophy: every major choice is made to support reliability, drivability, and consistent performance.”

Alan O’Sullivan of Munster Technological University says: “MTU Formula Student is competing in Formula Student UK for the third time but the first time in the Formula Student Combustion class. This year, the team made the decision to switch to a combustion engine over electric which has been a huge challenge after two years of EV development, but the team has worked hard all year long and are looking forward to bringing the car to competition. RS has been vital in the building of this year’s car as they have provided many key components for our electrical system and safety systems on the car.”

Since the Formula Student Build Fund was launched in 2021, RS has supported 54 different Formula Student teams across Ireland and the UK, providing 125 individual funding awards in the process. This year, the fund awarded £50,000 worth of RS products to the teams that will be competing at Silverstone or other international Formula Student competitions.

Single board computers (SBCs) powering Autonomous racing cars

This year’s Formula Student programme has seen a number of striking trends, including:

• Increasing adoption of SBCs by teams competing in the Autonomous category to support high-performance computational requirements
• Continued reliance on microcontrollers (many of which are available within the RS portfolio) due to their capability to handle real-time and safety-critical function: key considerations in Formula Student vehicle design
• Use of sensors to support Formula Student car monitoring and performance.

“Overall, we find that teams are selecting our products due to their industrial-grade quality, certification, and reliability,” said Elvis Tinago, Education Community Engineer with

RS Group.

“In addition, many students are designing and manufacturing custom circuit boards using our soldering and prototyping tools,” said Mr Tinago. “From a strategic perspective, the RS product portfolio is well positioned to support these teams in building systems that are both safe and compliant with industry standards. Furthermore, for teams developing autonomous vehicles, our SBC offerings enable effective testing and iteration of advanced software and algorithms.”

About RS

RS is a high-service global product and service solutions provider for industrial customers, enabling them to operate efficiently and sustainably.

We operate in 36 markets, stock over 830,000 industrial and specialist products and list an additional five million relevant for our industrial customers, sourced from over 2,500 suppliers. This extensive range supports our customers across the industrial lifecycle of designing, building and maintaining equipment and operations. We enhance their experience through a tailored service model, leveraging our efficient physical, digital and process infrastructure sustainably. We combine a technically led and digitally enabled approach with an exceptional team of experts; ultimately, it’s our people that make the difference.

Our purpose, making amazing happen for a better world, reflects our focus on delivering results for people, planet and profit.

RS Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange with stock ticker RS1 and in the year ended 31 March 2025 reported revenue of £2,904 million.

See more breaking stories here.

Artificial intelligence can answer almost any question in seconds. YouTube and TikTok have become the world’s largest classrooms. Yet millions of people are still enrolling in structured online courses. Why? The answer tells us something important about the future of work.

The Rise of Employability Platforms: The Future of Learning Series – Part I

Artificial intelligence can answer almost any question in seconds. YouTube and TikTok have become the world’s largest classrooms. Yet millions of people are still enrolling in structured online courses. Why? The answer tells us something important about the future of work.

There is a quiet revolution taking place in learning. For most of modern history, education followed a predictable path. We attended school, perhaps university, entered the workforce, and periodically returned to training when our employer required it. Learning was largely front-loaded into the first quarter of our lives. That model is rapidly disappearing.

Artificial intelligence has changed not just how we work, but how we learn. Millions of people now turn first to AI assistants when they need an answer. Others head to YouTube to understand a process visually, or to TikTok to pick up practical tips in minutes rather than hours. Knowledge has never been more accessible.

Yet this explosion in informal learning has not made structured learning obsolete. In many respects, it has made it more important.

As work becomes more dynamic and careers increasingly span multiple industries and technologies, learning is no longer about accumulating knowledge alone. It is about developing demonstrable capability. That shift may explain why a new generation of digital platforms is emerging—what might reasonably be described as ’employability platforms’. These combine structured learning, assessment, skills evaluation and career development into a single learner experience.

Learning has changed—but so has the purpose of learning

There is a temptation to view AI, YouTube, online courses and professional certifications as competing alternatives but in reality they increasingly serve different purposes within the learning journey. Artificial intelligence excels at providing immediate answers. Need to understand a concept, draft a report or troubleshoot a problem? AI can help in seconds.

Video platforms such as YouTube and TikTok are exceptional at demonstrating techniques and introducing ideas. Their accessibility has transformed informal learning, enabling people to acquire practical knowledge at unprecedented speed. Structured learning serves a different purpose.

Courses guide learners through a carefully designed progression of concepts. They encourage practice, reinforce understanding through assessment and provide evidence that learning has taken place. These different forms of learning increasingly complement rather than replace one another. Someone learning project management, for example, might ask an AI assistant to explain Agile methodologies, watch several YouTube demonstrations of sprint planning, and then complete a structured course with assessment to consolidate their understanding and gain a recognised credential. The future of learning is unlikely to belong to any single format. It will belong to those who combine them effectively. Professor Tony Hall, at the University of Galway believes that while artificial intelligence is transforming access to knowledge, access alone should not be confused with learning.

“Deep understanding still develops through reflection, structured engagement and opportunities to apply knowledge. The technologies we use to learn are evolving rapidly, but the principles of effective learning remain remarkably consistent.”

From learning platforms to employability platforms

This evolution is changing the role of online learning providers. The earliest generation of online education platforms focused primarily on making learning materials accessible. Success was measured in registrations and course catalogues. Today’s learners increasingly expect more. They want to understand not only what they know, but how prepared they are for work. That has led to the emergence of a broader category of services supporting employability itself.

Alongside courses, many platforms now provide workplace personality assessments, aptitude testing, verbal and numerical reasoning exercises, English language assessment and other tools traditionally associated with recruitment or professional development. This reflects a broader change in labour markets.

Employers are increasingly looking beyond qualifications alone. They want evidence of problem-solving ability, communication skills, adaptability and continuous learning. For individuals, these tools provide something equally valuable: greater self-awareness and a clearer understanding of how they present themselves in an increasingly competitive labour market. Learning and employability are becoming inseparable.

For decades, qualifications acted as proxies for capability. A university degree suggested a level of knowledge and commitment. Professional experience demonstrated exposure to particular tasks. While these remain important, they are no longer sufficient on their own. Technological change means skills can become outdated within a few years. Employers increasingly value individuals who demonstrate the capacity to learn continuously, adapt quickly and develop new competencies throughout their careers. That is changing recruitment itself.

Rather than asking only where someone studied, employers increasingly ask: Can they solve problems? Can they learn quickly? Can they communicate effectively? Can they adapt? These are questions that traditional qualifications alone cannot fully answer.

David Barrett, CEO, Welliba and former CEO of Cut-e (Now part of AON).believes the implications for employers are significant and his view unequivocal:

“Artificial intelligence has democratised access to information, but it hasn’t democratised evidence of capability. If anything, employers now place greater value on verified skills, reasoning ability and behavioural insights because these provide a more complete picture of an individual’s potential. Assessment is evolving from being purely a selection tool into an employability tool that helps people understand and develop their strengths throughout their careers.”

Measuring learning differently

One consequence of digital learning is that it can generate insights that traditional education systems have often struggled to capture. Historically, education statistics have focused on enrolment, attendance and graduation.Digital platforms can go further. They can measure completed learning.Not simply how many people signed up but  how many completed courses and how many successfully passed assessments.They can assess how many returned to learn again and how many developed skills across multiple disciplines. These data provide a richer understanding of lifelong learning than enrolment statistics alone.

This shift is already visible across a new generation of digital learning providers that are combining education with career development and employability services.One platform illustrating this evolution is Alison.

Founded in Ireland in 2007 as one of the world’s first free online learning platforms, Alison has increasingly expanded beyond courses to support broader employability. Alongside thousands of free courses, the platform now offers workplace personality assessment, aptitude testing, reasoning assessments, English language evaluation and career-focused tools designed to help learners better understand their strengths while providing employers with additional evidence of capability. With over 53 million registered users, 15 million graduates and over 125 million hours of completed free learning worldwide, global platforms like Alison are integrating learning into a much broader offering.

Online learning is only one part of helping people improve their employability. Increasingly, learners also want to understand their strengths, measure their progress and demonstrate their capabilities to employers. That’s why Alison has expanded beyond free courses into a broader platform serving individuals, businesses, governments and the non-profit sector.” says CEO/Founder Mike Feerick.

One notable characteristic shared by Alison and many of today’s most widely used digital learning tools is accessibility. Whether through AI assistants, video platforms or free online courses, learners increasingly expect high-quality learning resources to be available at little or no cost. In that environment, the differentiator increasingly becomes not access to information, but the ability to guide learning, assess understanding and recognise achievement.

The next chapter of online learning

It is easy to think that AI will replace online courses but the evidence suggests something more nuanced. AI is becoming the world’s fastest source of on-demand knowledge. Video platforms have become the world’s largest demonstration classrooms.Structured learning continues to provide something neither can fully replace: progression, assessment, reflection and recognised achievement. The future is unlikely to be a competition between these approaches.

Instead, they will increasingly form an integrated learning ecosystem in which each plays a different role. In that ecosystem, the most successful platforms may no longer be those that simply offer video or the largest catalogue of courses. They are likely to be those that help individuals become more employable

As economies adapt to artificial intelligence and the pace of technological change accelerates, lifelong learning will become less about collecting information and more about continuously building capability. The platforms that succeed will not simply help people learn but will help them thrive in work. People no longer learn once but learn continuously and perhaps, the defining characteristic of the AI era may not be artificial intelligence itself, but the normalisation of continuous learning throughout adult life.

See more breaking stories here.

Landmark Technologies, an Irish provider of IT and cybersecurity services, has announced the results of new research which reveals that a fifth of office workers in Ireland (20%) expect to have AI colleagues in the next three years.

The research, carried out by Censuswide on behalf of Landmark, surveyed 1,000 employees in Ireland on attitudes towards AI and its integration into the workplace. A quarter (25%) confessed that they would feel nervous about working alongside AI co-workers that handle tasks independently, due to concerns that their own job would become redundant. However, the research found that 38% would be excited as they believe AI co-workers would make them more efficient.

Employees increasingly expect that AI will move beyond administrative support and begin taking on more autonomous responsibilities. In the next three years, 29% of office workers believe that AI assistants will frequently make judgement-based decisions on their behalf, such as prioritising emails or declining meetings.

Others, meanwhile, are expecting even greater transformation to their workplace within the next three years. More than one in ten (12%) believe that remote workers will have the ability to ‘appear’ as holograms in the office.

While workers expect autonomous technologies to play a greater role in their day-to-day jobs, they also believe it will deliver tangible personal benefits. The top expected benefits of increased use of AI over the next three years are better work-life balance, cited by 29%; more time for creative and strategic thinking (27%); and more flexible hours to fit around family commitments (27%).

Ken Kelleher, Managing Director, Landmark Technologies: “AI is rapidly moving from being a productivity tool to becoming a digital colleague that supports employees in their day-to-day work. The next few years will increasingly see organisations adopt AI assistants that can automate routine tasks and help employees make better decisions. However, businesses must ensure that these technologies are introduced responsibly, with governance and compliance in mind.

“As AI becomes more embedded in the workplace, businesses have an important role to play in helping employees understand how it can make their jobs easier. By providing the right training, organisations can reduce uncertainty and help employees see AI as a valuable colleague, enabling them to focus on their work instead of worrying about being replaced.”

See more stories here.

Legislation will accelerate the deployment of district heating, strengthen consumer protections and boost Ireland’s energy security

Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O’Brien has secured Government approval for revisions to the General Scheme of the Heat (Networks and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024. This legislation will put a regulatory framework in place to enable the roll out of district heating, contributing to the decarbonisation of Ireland’s heating sector and helping to meet national climate targets.

District heating uses insulated water-pipe networks to deliver heated water from centralised heat sources – to networks of residential, commercial and public sector buildings.

Ecological benefits of District Heating for Ireland

Research by Codema (Dublin’s Energy Agency) has shown that, collectively, there are enough waste heat and renewable sources (for example, waste heat from data centres or pharmaceutical plants) in Dublin to heat over 1 million homes and that approximately 80% of heat demand in Dublin could be met by district heating by 2050. The National Heat Study published by SEAI (Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland) found that district heating has the potential to supply a significant share of Ireland’s future heating demand.

The Tallaght District Heating Scheme is Ireland’s first district heating network using recovered waste heat from a data centre. Since 2023 it has generated almost 6,000 MWh of energy and is projected to generate around 270,000 MWh over its 30-year lifetime. This has helped to avoid approximately 1,265 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in 2024 alone. By efficiently re-using waste heat, the scheme reduces reliance on fossil fuels and optimises recyclable energy, establishing Tallaght and South Dublin County Council as leaders in local energy action.

Welcoming the decision, Minister O’Brien said:

“This step in the process represents another important milestone in delivering a cleaner, more resilient and more affordable energy future for Ireland.

“District heating has enormous potential to transform how we heat our homes, businesses and public buildings – by capturing energy that would otherwise be wasted, and putting it to productive use.

“This legislation will provide the certainty needed to attract investment, accelerate the development of district heating projects across the country and ensure that consumers are protected through robust regulation. This legislation will play an important part of strengthening Ireland’s long-term energy security.”

Consumer protections for district heating and communal heating customers

The Heat (Networks and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill will introduce consumer protections for existing and new district heating and communal heating customers, through price regulation of supplier tariffs. The CRU (Commission for Regulation of Utilities) will have powers to regulate the sector to ensure that providers have regard to vulnerable customers and have appropriate customer complaints processes in place. The CRU will also be granted a range of sanctions to pursue heat undertakings that fail to comply with the conditions of their licence.

The revised General Scheme also provides greater policy and regulatory certainty to potential project sponsors and investors – to drive the growth of district heating in Ireland. This is in keeping with the recommendations of the District Heating Steering Group, which have been adopted under the Climate Action Plan.

Accelerating the development of district heating is a key commitment in the Programme for Government. It forms part of the Government’s wider ambition to future-proof Ireland’s built environment, while delivering cleaner, more efficient energy solutions for communities across the country.

Government-supported district heating projects in Ireland

To date Government has supported two district heating projects in Ireland. The Tallaght District Heating Project, which is now operational, was developed by South Dublin County Council and received a total of €4.92 million funding from the Climate Action Fund (CAF).

Dublin City Council is leading the development of the Dublin District Hearing Project. The CAF has allocated €50 million funding to the Dublin District Heating Project, which will use waste heat generated by the Dublin Waste to Energy plant in Poolbeg.

In July 2025, the Minister approved a further €5 million from the CAF to support pre-construction of new district heating projects and as part of the Department’s Sectoral Capital Plan for 2026-2030 under the National Development Plan. €50-100 million of ICNF (Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund) funding was allocated to support the construction of district heating projects.

What is district heating?

District heating uses insulated water-pipe networks to deliver heated water from centralised heat sources to networks of residential, commercial and public sector buildings. There are approximately 70 million district heating customers across the EU. Similar but smaller heat networks supplying heated water to single buildings or complexes are commonly described as “communal networks”.

Key revisions to the General Scheme:

Minister O’Brien brought several revisions to the General Scheme to Cabinet this week, which were approved. These included:

Amendment of the Electricity Regulation Act 1999 to assign all functions relating to the regulation of heat networks to the CRU (Commission for Regulation of Utilities).
A legal basis for providing Exchequer funding to the CRU from voted expenditure for the purpose of regulating the heat sector. The CRU will be enabled to apply a levy to the heat sector, once sufficiently developed.
Introduction of a step-in, principles-based approach to price regulation, and consumer protection requirements such as vulnerable customer registers, customer charters, codes of practice and complaint handling procedures.
An expanded range of powers and administrative sanctions for the CRU.
Power to approve the District Heat Network Development Plan is transferred from the CRU to the Minister.
Existing heat undertakings will be required to register with the CRU while an enduring licensing system is developed.

Specification of functions of the interim Heat Network Authority.

Disincentives to investment are removed to encourage private sector involvement in building district heating.
New provisions for the opening of roads reflecting the precedent of the Water Services Act 2007.
Public buildings are not required to wait for any new public procurement methodologies before assessing the feasibility of connecting to district heating.

Climate Action Fund (CAF) support for the pre-construction of district heating projects:

In July 2025, Minister O’Brien approved €5 million from the Climate Action Fund (CAF) to support pre-construction of district heating projects. Following a competitive selection process, it is expected to support 5-7 district heating projects.

As part of the Department’s Sectoral Capital Plan for 2026-2030 under the National Development Plan, €50-100 million of CNF (Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund) funding was allocated for district heating infrastructure. The scheme is at the design stage and will be administered through the District Heating Centre of Excellence in the SEAI (Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland). It is expected that the grant support will be available from the start of 2027 until the end of 2030, up to a maximum of 50% of eligible costs.

Requirement for data centres to connect to district heating networks:

Article 26 of the Energy Efficiency Directive requires data centres with a total rated energy input exceeding 1 MW to either repurpose their waste heat within a district heating network, or adopt an alternative waste heat recovery application, unless they can show that it is not technically or economically feasible after conducting a cost-best analysis. This will be binding in Irish law as soon as the Energy Efficiency Directive is fully transposed.

See more breaking stories here.

Recently, I published a LinkedIn newsletter entitled “Banter or Bullying? – Did We Notice They Stopped Laughing?”

I expected it to resonate here in Ireland. After all, banter is very much part of our culture, inside and outside of work. It helps us build relationships, break the ice and often makes the workplace a more enjoyable place to be.

What I didn’t expect was the response from much further afield.

The article was read, shared and commented on by HR Directors, People & Culture Leaders and managers well beyond Ireland. Despite the different countries, industries and cultures represented, one thing became very clear.

This isn’t just an Irish issue.

It’s a human one.

My article asked one simple question:

“Did we notice they stopped laughing?”

As I reflected on the conversations it generated, I realised there was another question that perhaps matters even more.

“What happened because nobody said anything?”

Because, in my experience, that’s often where the greatest cost and pain begins for everyone involved.

During almost 30 years working in HR, I often became involved when issues had already escalated, with far-reaching consequences for the individual, their colleagues and the organisation.

A grievance had been raised.

An investigation had begun.

Other colleagues had often become involved and, sometimes unwittingly, contributed to the “banter.”

Well-being suffers.

Peace of mind is lost.

By that stage, the focus quite rightly turns to fact-finding, fairness and process.

With a heavy heart, I often found myself asking something different.

“When was the moment we could still have turned this around?”

The answer was often weeks, sometimes months—or even years—earlier.

Not because the original issue was insignificant.

But because the person affected didn’t have the confidence, the language or the practical skills to have that all-important honest conversation earlier.

The Cost to the Individual

When issues remain unspoken or unaddressed, the personal cost can be enormous.

People begin to dread coming to work.

Sleep is affected.

Stress and anxiety increase.

Confidence gradually erodes.

People withdraw from colleagues at work and often from family and friends outside of work.

Performance suffers.

Many quietly disengage long before they quietly quit, often carrying those scars long after they leave.

What started as a relatively small issue gradually escalates and affects well-being, relationships and performance.

The Cost to the Organisation

Organisations pay a price too.

Managers spend valuable time dealing with escalations instead of leading and supporting their teams.

Absenteeism increases.

Good people leave.

Recruitment starts again.

Time and money are invested in replacing and training new employees, while the original issue often remains unresolved, increasing the likelihood that the cycle simply repeats itself.

Then there is the cost that rarely appears on a balance sheet.

Reputation.

People talk.

“What’s it really like to work there?”

I’ve often thought there’s a very simple measure of an organisation’s culture.

Would you confidently bring in the CV of a friend or family member?

If the answer is yes, you’re probably doing a lot of things right.

If the answer is no…

Perhaps it’s worth asking why.

Culture is rarely defined by the policies sitting in a handbook.

It’s defined by the experiences people have every day.

Everyone Deserves the Opportunity to Change

One of the things that frustrated me most throughout my HR career was that the person whose behaviour had caused the upset was often never spoken to until a formal complaint had already been made.

Think about that for a moment.

If nobody tells me that my behaviour is having a negative impact…

How can I possibly change it?

Surely every one of us deserves the opportunity to understand the impact of our behaviour and the opportunity to adjust it.

It’s a question I ask on almost every Honest Conversations Framework training programme.

“If you were doing something that was upsetting a colleague, would you want someone to tell you?”

The answer is always immediate and resounding.

“Absolutely.”

Then I ask why.

The response is equally consistent.

“Because how can I change if I don’t know?”

That answer has always stayed with me.

One issue that came up time and again during my HR career was the use of nicknames.

For many people, a nickname is simply part of workplace banter. It can be a term of endearment, a sign of belonging or simply part of being “one of the gang.”

For others, however, the very same nickname can become a source of embarrassment, belittlement or even humiliation.

What struck me was how often this went unspoken.

The nickname simply became the default.

Day after day.

Week after week.

Sometimes for years.

I saw situations where something that began as harmless banter eventually came to a head on an ordinary day at work or even at a company social event, with consequences for everyone involved.

What stayed with me most was the genuine surprise—and sometimes shock—of the person using the nickname.

There was often no ill intention.

They simply had no idea of the impact it was having because nobody had ever told them.

And if they were never made aware of that impact…

How could they possibly have had the opportunity to stop?

The irony is that many of those same people openly admit they would struggle to have that very conversation if the roles were reversed.

Not because they don’t care.

Not because they’re weak.

But because, like most of us, they want to avoid conflict.

They worry about upsetting someone.

Making things worse.

Damaging the relationship.

Or simply don’t have the confidence or the practical communication toolkit to know where to begin.

A Better Way

As organisations, we rightly invest in Bullying & Harassment Policies, Dignity at Work Policies and Grievance Procedures.

They protect people.

They ensure fairness.

They provide a clear process when things go wrong.

But they generally come into play after the issue has escalated and the relationship has already broken down.

Given the choice, as an HR practitioner, I would much rather spend my time coaching someone to have one respectful, honest conversation before a situation escalates than spend weeks dealing with the aftermath once formal procedures have begun.

Looking back, I genuinely believe that an early, honest conversation would have resulted in a better outcome for all parties in the vast majority of the cases I dealt with.

That’s better for the individual raising the concern.

Better for the colleague whose behaviour may have been causing upset, often without ever realising it.

Better for the manager.

Better for the team.

And ultimately, better for the organisation and its culture.

Of course, not every situation can or should be resolved this way.

There are circumstances where formal procedures are absolutely necessary, and they remain an essential protection for everyone involved.

But my experience tells me that the majority of situations never needed to get that far.

Once people better understood the difference between intent and impact, awareness increased, behaviour changed, and relationships often began to recover. Prevention is better than cure.

The key, though, is training—a practical toolkit or framework to help people navigate that first, potentially game-changing honest conversation, one that can fundamentally change how the issue evolves for everyone involved.

Because my experience is that there are no real winners when issues escalate.

That is exactly why I developed the Honest Conversations Framework.

Not to replace formal procedures.

But to reduce the number of situations that ever need them.

Its purpose is simple.

To help people recognise concerns early, have the confidence to raise them respectfully and honestly and, in many cases, resolve issues before they escalate.

A Final Thought

Looking back over almost three decades in HR, one thing became very clear.

An honest conversation early on doesn’t just resolve issues.

It protects relationships.

If my recent newsletter asked,

“Did we notice they stopped laughing?”

Perhaps this one asks an even more important question.

“Did we give people the confidence and the tools to have the honest conversation before they stopped laughing?”

Whilst formal procedures are sometimes necessary, they rarely restore the relationship that existed before.

The greatest opportunity often comes much earlier.

With an early, honest conversation.

See it. Say it. Sort it.

Guest post by Mary Jo Parker. Mary is the Founder of Parker Training Specialists and creator of the Honest Conversations Framework.

With more than 30 years’ experience across HR, Learning & Development and Education, she is passionate about giving people the confidence and practical tools to have honest conversations early, preventing issues from escalating into costly workplace problems.

Her philosophy is simple: See it. Say it. Sort it. Her promise to every learner is equally simple: Learn it today. Use it tomorrow.

By Goutam Challagalla and Frédéric Dalsace, IMD Business School, authors of Clean Winners: Sustainability Strategy That Puts Customers First 

There is a belief embedded deep in most corporate sustainability strategies: if we just communicated better and showed customers the science and the stakes around our green products, more of them would come around to buying them (even if they were more expensive).

This may be a reasonable assumption for many services, but as it happens it is also largely wrong and, as our research shows, it is costing companies real money.

Clean Winners: Sustainability Strategy That Puts Customers First

Over the course of several years studying how firms create commercial value from sustainability, where we examined strategy, executive teaching, and consulting across both B2B and B2C sectors, we have arrived at a counterintuitive but commercially important conclusion. It is this: companies that profit from sustainability aren’t the ones that try hardest to convert their customers. It’s the ones that understand their customers most clearly, and design offerings accordingly.

When running sessions with senior executives, we always ask the same question: what is the highest share of customers in any of your product categories who actively prioritise sustainability in their purchasing decisions? Amazingly, the answers generally clusters between 10% and 15%, and that holds across industries and across B2B and B2C markets alike.

This matters because the surveys most companies rely on tell a very different story.

Countless research firms report consumer claims that they will pay more for sustainable products, or that they factor sustainability heavily into purchase decisions. But intent and behaviour are different things. A Zalando study of 2,500 consumers found that 60% said transparency about sustainability was important to them, but only 20% actively sought out such information when actually shopping.

The reality is here: while survey data flatters sustainability, transaction data doesn’t.

In our newly published book Clean Winners: Sustainability Strategy that Puts Customers First, we propose that companies stop thinking about “the sustainable consumer” as a monolith and start thinking about them as three distinct groups. (As the late marketing scholar Ted Levitt put it: “If you’re not thinking segments, you’re not thinking.”)

The first customer segment are the Greens. They place genuine, high value on sustainability in a given product category and will sacrifice some performance or pay more to have it. They are real, and they matter. But, as we’ve seen, they are rarely more than 10 to 15% of any market.

The second are the Blues. They care about sustainability under certain conditions: specifically, when it does not cost them more and does not require them to compromise on what the product actually does. They are the largest group in most markets, and they are winnable but not through moral appeals. They respond to products that simply work better.

The third are the Grays. They are indifferent to sustainability, or actively skeptical. Marketing sustainability to them is not just ineffective. In many categories, it actively damages purchase intent. When airport researchers labelled soap dispensers as “organic,” visitors used significantly more of the soap per hand wash than with an identical, unlabeled soap. That’s because they assumed organic meant weaker.

This is what we call sustainability liability: the perception that sustainable equals inferior. It is widespread in any category where strength, power, or performance is a core value. Bio detergents, construction materials, industrial equipment — in each of these, the sustainability signal can undermine the sales case instead of reinforcing it.

One more thing: these are not fixed identities. The same person can be a Green for energy choices, a Blue for packaging preferences, and a Gray for cleaning products. Context, category, and price point all shift the equation.

The temptation — and we hear it in boardrooms constantly — is to treat sustainability investment as a long-term consumer education play. If we just build awareness, the Grays will become Blues, and the Blues will become Greens. Our research is unambiguous here: a customer’s sustainability values in any given category are the product of prolonged maturation and are resistant to short-term change. Companies that set out to convert their customer base are, in effect, betting their strategy on shifting culture. That is a long game with no guaranteed return.

The more productive question is not “how do we change our customers?” but rather: “how do we build offerings that create real value for the customers we actually have?”

The companies we identify as Clean Winners have figured out a more commercially durable approach. Rather than adding sustainability as a feature and hoping customers notice, they engineer sustainability into the product in ways that make the core offering objectively better. We call this Resonance.

Consider a detergent that uses a natural ingredient that, as a by-product of its sustainability profile, removes stains more effectively and eliminates odour better than conventional alternatives. It may cost more to produce, but it outperforms competitors.

A customer who has no interest in sustainability still has reason to buy that product. A Blue customer gets better performance without compromise. And a Green customer gets all of that plus the ethical dimension. That product wins across the spectrum.

This is what makes Resonance so commercially powerful: it makes sustainability optional.

The firm does not need to lead with RTCs (“Reasons to Care”) for every segment. It can lead with RTBs (“Reasons to Buy”) the core product benefits that drive actual purchase decisions. Sustainability is present in the product. But whether it is present in the purchasing conversation depends on who you are talking to.

Ireland’s tech and innovation sectors are in a strong position here. The companies building software, platforms, data tools, and hardware that make sustainability measurable, efficient, or embedded in operations are not asking their customers to care about the planet. They are offering them something that works better, costs less to run, or reduces operational risk. That is a Resonance proposition.

What is dangerous, but still all too common, is the alternative: wrapping a product in sustainability language without the substance to match, then being surprised when it doesn’t move the needle commercially. Greenwashing is not just a reputational risk. It is a strategic signal that a company has not done the harder work of thinking clearly about what its customers actually value.

The most durable competitive advantage in sustainability is not the loudest claim. It is the clearest understanding of who your customer is and what they genuinely need, and then building something they cannot refuse, regardless of whether they care about the planet.

That is a product strategy. It always was.

Clean Winners: Sustainability Strategy That Puts Customers First by Goutam Challagalla and Frédéric Dalsace is published by Harvard Business Review Press, priced £25

See more breaking stories and reviews here.

By Selva Ozelli, Esq, CPA, Author of Sustainably Investing in Digital Assets Globally

John Greene is a course writer and technical writer for the Cardano Foundation, who authored the book “Midnight in Crypto: Rational Privacy for the Digital Age” which was published and released to the market on April 6, 2026.  His book became available  a month after Layer-1 Midnight blockchain founded by Cardano’s Charles Hoskinson, its native $NIGHT token completed its launch event, and the mainnet subsequently went live in March 2026.

Midnight in Crypto by John Greene, reviewed

In his book, John explores the 5,000 year old history of money; the utilitarian, legal, technological developments that gave rise to capital markets and transformed value transfer in global trade; the rise of the centralized surveillance state with the advent of the internet (1991); the global credit crises (the 1998 LTCM collapse and the 2008 Great Recession)  which directly drove Bitcoin’s creation by exposing deep-seated systemic risks in centralized finance government bailouts;  the high-profile banking secrecy Swiss bank scandals, and subsequent global tax evasion crackdowns resulting in global transparency tax legislation (FATCA, CRS), exposing how traditional offshore banking secrecy  prompted cypherpunks and developers to create privacy coins (like Monero, Z Cash), which global regulators effectively restrict by banning their use on licensed platforms to comply with strict Anti-Money Laundering (AML) standards; and the limitations of early first and second generation blockchains.  John in his book argues that while Bitcoin successfully provided decentralized “hard money,” it’s completely transparent public ledger inadvertently created a perfect tool for government and corporate regulators to track user activity.

In his book John points out that Charles Hoskinson whose pioneering impact on crypto spans his role as a co-creator of  BitUSD, widely recognized as the world’s first stablecoin, alongside Dan Larimer in July 2014, issued on the pioneering BitShares,  early co-founder of Ethereum, the creator of Cardano as well as Midnight, shaped the industry’s focus on decentralized governance, formal mathematical verification, and regulatory compliance.

He defines the generational framework for blockchain evolution  in four generations:

1. Bitcoin as the first generation (decentralized value);
2. Ethereum which Hoskinson co-founded as the second generation offering programmability/smart contracts;
3. Cardano as the third generation, designed to solve the scaling, interoperability, and governance limitations of earlier blockchain networks. Its development relies on peer-reviewed research to build a highly decentralized, multi-layered architecture focused on mainstream adoption.

Cardano’s ADA token was one of five specific digital assets (alongside Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP) named by President Trump for inclusion in the proposed U.S. digital asset stockpile. This endorsement spurred temporary market rallies and brought significant mainstream attention to the Cardano blockchain’s utility and decentralized governance model.  Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson was initially surprised by the inclusion, stating it highlighted Cardano’s 10-year focus on robust technology, deflationary tokenomics, and decentralization. However, he later expressed critical views of the broader political maneuvers surrounding the reserve.

Hoskinson has argued that government creation of digital asset reserves blurs the lines between national policy and personal interest. He advocated for a Bitcoin-only reserve approach, asserting that government selection of specific altcoins essentially equates to “picking winners and losers,” which breaches the decentralized, merit-based ethos of the cryptocurrency industry; and finally

1. Midnight  as the “fourth generation” evolutionary leap needed for blockchain technology that solves the remaining hurdles of data privacy, regulatory compliance, and identity by allowing users to selectively prove facts without revealing sensitive personal data.

Instead of forcing a binary choice between total transparency (like Bitcoin) or total opacity (like traditional privacy coins Monero or Zcash), John in his book explains how 4th generation blockchain Midnight introduces rational privacy, utilizing Zero-Knowledge (ZK) proofs to let users and enterprises selectively disclose specific truths without revealing underlying data.

The model relies on several core pillars to balance regulation, compliance, and individual data sovereignty such as

• Selective Disclosure: You only reveal the exact information required (e.g., proving you are over 18 or verifying a compliant balance) without exposing your entire identity or total net worth.
• Hybrid Ledger Architecture: Smart contracts allow data to remain shielded by default, while precisely revealing what needs to be seen by counterparties, auditors, or regulators.
• Dual-Token System: The network separates utility from privacy. The primary token (NIGHT) is transparent and public to satisfy network security and institutions, while the resource token (DUST) is used to power shielded, confidential transactions.
• Mainstream Usability: It allows developers to build ZK decentralized applications (dApps) using Compact, a smart contract language based on TypeScript, making it easier to integrate privacy features.

How Midnight Connects to Cardano

Cardano and Midnight handle ecosystem economics through fundamentally different architectures. Cardano utilizes a single-asset model designed for overall base-layer security, while Midnight uses a dual-token model built to ensure predictable data-protection transaction costs and to separate network governance/security from operational transaction costs.

Cardano’s ADA operates a straightforward layer-1 economic model centered entirely on ADA.

Fee Settlement: Users pay transaction fees directly using ADA.

Deflationary Burn: ADA is an expendable asset consumed during gas fees, meaning transactions directly cost the user their token balance.

Consensus Role: Users secure the network by staking ADA to stake pools to participate in Proof-of-Stake consensus.

Midnight is developed by Cardano’s parent company Input Output Global (IOG), and officially launched its mainnet as a functional partner chain. Its architectural relationship with Cardano involves several core features:

Dual-State Ledger: It operates a public coordination layer alongside a shielded execution layer. This allows data to be verified without exposing sensitive personal info or proprietary business metadata.

Zero-Knowledge (ZK) Proofs: By using ZK-proofs, developers can build decentralized applications (DApps) that remain legally compliant with global regulations while safeguarding user identity.

The Glacier Drop: To deeply intertwine the ecosystems, Midnight initiated a massive token distribution called the Glacier Drop, where a major share of Midnight’s native NIGHT tokens were allocated specifically to Cardano ($ADA) holders.

It should be noted that John’s book Midnight in Crypto does not mention the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Revenue Ruling 2023-14, which generally taxes airdrops like the Midnight Glacier Drop [similar to staking income] and treats these token distributions  as ordinary income at their fair market value (FMV) on the date taxpayer gains control of the tokens.

Enterprise Onboarding: Because commercial enterprises require data protection to protect secrets, Midnight acts as a bridge for institutions like Google Cloud, MoneyGram, Worldpay, Vodafone’s Pairpoint, eToro,  Blockdaemon, Webisoft  and others to legally interact with public blockchain networks.

The differences between the two blockchain tokenomics dictate how users interact with network fees and asset supplies as follows:

Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act

John’s book  does not provide information on  the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act (CLARITY Act) which is still stalled in the US Senate ahead of the August recess due to disagreements over ethics provisions, illicit finance controls, and law enforcement powers.   The health problems of Mitch McConnell and the unexpected sudden passing of Senator Lindsey Graham last night  complicated the passage of the CLARITY Act  by narrowing the already compressed legislative window for crypto legislation passing before the August 7 recess, with current political and legislative analyst’s pricing the odds at roughly a 50-50 coin flip.

The CLARITY Act severely restricts privacy coins but  does not explicitly ban privacy blockchains or zero-knowledge protocols. Instead, it preserves the Treasury Department’s broad authority over anti-money laundering (AML) and requires all registered digital asset intermediaries to screen for illicit finance using blockchain intelligence tools  to implement strict anti-money laundering (AML), tracking, and disclosure standards.

According to Hoskinson Clarity Act’s passage would be disastrous for the U.S. crypto industry.  He  asserts that the current draft classifies all new projects as securities by default, acting as a “15-year trap” of rulemaking, and hands excessive control back to the Securities Exchange Commission “for me, it’s my career. Midnight is the last major blockchain project that I think I’m going to work on…because if it doesn’t succeed then I don’t really want to be in crypto anymore” explained Charles Hoskinson, co-founder BitShares, Ethereum, Cardano & Midnight.

You can purchase a digital copy of John’s book Midnight in Crypto on Amazon.

About the Author:

Selva Ozelli Esq, CPA, is an international digital asset legal expert and author of Sustainably Investing in Digital Assets Globally.  Her writings are translated into 45 languages and republished in over 200 global publications.  She is recognized as an expert media/TV commentator on global digital asset regulation, tax, and technology matters.

See more reviews here.

Geotab, a global leader in connected vehicle and asset management solutions, today revealed that more than 1.58 million litres of fuel were burned while Geotab-connected vehicles sat stationary in traffic across Europe’s major capitals during last year. Across the vehicles analysed, idle fuel waste reached an estimated €2.6 million over twelve months.

The stark findings form part of Geotab’s European Urban Freight Efficiency Index, which analysed a full year of connected vehicle data across seven major capitals: Dublin, Berlin, Amsterdam, Rome, Paris, London and Madrid.

That figure reflects 2025 average European fuel prices. European diesel since rose above €2 per litre in the first half of the year , a 30% increase triggered by geopolitical instability in the Middle East, which would bring the cost of the same volume of idle waste to approximately €3.6 million.

Cities in Context

Across the seven cities in the study, the relationship between congestion and fuel efficiency diverges sharply depending on how traffic moves, not just how much of it there is. The most congested city is not necessarily the one costing fleets the most in fuel.

Dublin presents a distinctive pattern, ranking third overall with an Index score of 49. Despite moderate overall congestion, passenger vehicles waste 12.9% of fuel idling, among the higher rates in the study. The city’s stop-and-go arterial network generates concentrated idling rather than the steady, continuous movement that produces lower idle waste elsewhere. Commercial trucks performed markedly better at 5.8% idle waste, benefiting from off-peak scheduling that passenger fleets cannot as easily replicate.

Paris tells the complete opposite story. Where Dublin’s congestion disproportionately affects passenger vehicles, Paris shifts the burden almost entirely onto commercial fleets. Journey times are highly predictable, but commercial vehicles operating in the French capital lose almost one in every five litres of fuel while stationary, making it the highest truck idle waste rate in the study.

The Périphérique and inner arrondissements generate the kind of stop-start conditions that burn fuel without forward progress but almost exclusively for commercial vehicles. Passenger vehicles, making longer trips that allow engines to run efficiently, idle at just 5.7% of total fuel consumed, the lowest passenger rate in the study. The 12-point gap between truck and passenger idle in Paris is the widest of any city analysed.

London represents the most challenging operating environment for fuel efficiency among the seven cities. Like Dublin, passenger vehicles bear a greater idle fuel penalty than commercial fleets, but London’s heavier, less predictable congestion amplifies losses across both vehicle types. London is essentially Dublin under more severe congestion. Ranked sixth overall in the Index, its stop-start traffic patterns prevent engines from reaching operating temperature, while its unpredictability compounds the problem.

London recorded the highest passenger vehicle fuel consumption of any city analysed, at 15.60 litres per 100 kilometres, with 13.6% of fuel consumed while stationary, almost two-and-a-half times higher than Paris. Commercial trucks performed comparatively better, idle at 11.1% of total fuel consumed. Lower than the passenger rate, but still among the higher truck figures across the study, reflecting the loading restrictions, bus lane exclusions and concentrated delivery windows that make London uniquely challenging for commercial vehicle operations.

Berlin serves as the closest thing to a benchmark operating environment, leading with an overall Index of 61. Journey times are reliable, harsh event rates are low, and the network’s predictability means scheduling commitments are achievable. The city records truck idle waste of 8.5%, fuel consumed with engines running and wheels stationary in comparison to total fuel consumed.  Its polycentric road network distributes traffic across the city, limiting the stop-start conditions that drive up fuel consumption. Passenger vehicles idle at a higher rate of 13.2%, consistent with the broader study finding that professionally managed commercial fleets extract more from the same road network than general traffic.

Edward Kulperger, Senior Vice President, EMEA at Geotab, said:

“Congestion has traditionally been measured through the lens of time. How long journeys take, how busy roads become and how delays affect operations. What this analysis shows is that there is another layer of cost sitting beneath that discussion.

“When vehicles are idling, fleets are effectively burning money. Our data shows it costs them millions: fuel consumed with engines running and wheels going nowhere. Every litre of that is also an emissions cost. Beyond the time lost, the burden of congestion is financial and environmental. The fleets navigating it best are those with the clearest picture of where those costs are falling.”

Read the full report here. Access infographics here.

See more stories here.

Integrity360, one of the leading pan-European cyber security specialists, has announced that it is helping secure the operational systems for FBD Insurance.

FBD operates from headquarters in Dublin, with 34 branch offices nationwide and a large central contact centre in Mullingar. Established over 50 years ago, the company originally served the agricultural community and has since grown tobecome one of Ireland’s leading general insurers.

Due to the highly sensitive nature of the business that FBD operates in, the insurer needs to keep pace with an increasingly complex cyber security landscape – in terms of both evolving attack methods and growing regulatory requirements. To counter rising attack attempts, Integrity360 delivered a managed firewall service for FBD. It also implemented a managed threat and vulnerability management solution to boost the company’s alignment with regulations such as the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA).

The solution proactively monitors and mitigates cyber risks for FBD. This enables the company to securely deliver its services across home, car, travel, and life insurance, while protecting the confidential data of more than half a million customers in Ireland. In addition, it ensures compliance with new and changing industry regulations and legislation. It also provides deeper cyber insights and analytics, enabling more informed decision-making.

In turn, the system increases visibility and reduces the burden on internal teams, enabling FBD’s 1,000 employees to focus on strategic priorities. Furthermore, Integrity360 offers 24/7 monitoring and support to teams in the event of an incident. As cyber threats continue to evolve, Integrity360 and FBD plan to expand the partnership to incorporate deeper threat intelligence and cloud security.

Enda Kyne, Chief Technology and Operations Officer, FBD Insurance, said: “While enhanced regulations bring improved standards and alignment across the financial services industry, it also adds a layer of complexity to everyday operations. Integrity360 has deep cyber security expertise and a strong understanding of highly regulated industries, making this partnership a natural fit. We now have much greater control and visibility of specific defensive tools, as well as access to expert guidance. The solution enables us to remain competitive in a fast-moving industry and confidently deliver a secure service offering to customers.”

Kias Carroll, Strategic Client Partner, Integrity360, said: “This solution is enabling FBD to remove complexity, enhance compliance, and strengthen its security posture. This improved resilience provides peace of mind to FBD as it serves high volumes of customers within a strict regulatory environment. Our team provides a breadth of knowledge across IT risk frameworks and understands the critical importance of good governance. The solution is flexible and will scale with FBD as the company continues to expand and evolve.”

See more stories here.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a global leader in IT services, consulting, and business solutions and operating a global delivery centre out of Letterkenny in Ireland, today announced an expanded collaboration with ABB, a global technology leader in electrification and automation, to transform its global network operations. The engagement marks the next phase of a trusted 20-year partnership. As part of this multi-million, multi-year deal, TCS will scale its role from managing infrastructure and applications to delivering end-to-end global network operations, through an integrated network-as-a-service model.

TCS will help ABB improve user experience, enhance operational efficiency, strengthen security and compliance, scale service delivery, and prepare for next-generation digital operations. At the core of this engagement is ABB’s Future Network Model programme, an enterprise-wide initiative to transform its global network into a standardised, centrally managed digital infrastructure. As a strategic programme partner, TCS will design, integrate, and run ABB’s global network ecosystem as a secure, modern, and AI-driven service. It will also orchestrate ABB’s multi-vendor environment to ensure seamless, standardised operations worldwide.

The programme will replace fragmented network environments with a secure, scalable, and service-driven architecture. It will use a centralised control framework to bring together:

— Service integration and management (SIAM)
— A global network operations centre
— Advanced security capabilities to safeguard infrastructure, and
— Modernised local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN) and software-defined WAN systems

TCS will further enable end-to-end monitoring and orchestrations, delivering high-performance connectivity across ABB’s network services.

Alec Joannou, Group CIO, ABB, said, “The Future Network Model represents an important milestone in reinforcing the digital foundation of ABB’s global operations. As our business evolves, it is critical to have an ecosystem that is resilient, secure, and aligned with long-term transformation goals. Our association with TCS reflects a shared focus on delivery excellence, continuous enhancement, and building capabilities that can support our strategic priorities.”

Anupam Singhal, President, Manufacturing, TCS, said:

“For over two decades, TCS has had the privilege of supporting ABB’s transformation journey, and the Future Network Model marks the next chapter in this partnership. With AI embedded into the network operations model, supported by secure digital infrastructure and our deep domain expertise, we are bringing our ‘infrastructure to intelligence’ approach to build a resilient, intelligent network backbone. Through this engagement, we will enable network systems that can sense, adapt, and improve continuously, while strengthening reliability, security, user experience, and scale as ABB continues to advance as a future-ready enterprise.”

Over the past two decades, the TCS-ABB partnership has delivered several transformational programmes that have strengthened ABB’s technology foundation. These include consolidating multiple ERP systems into a unified SAP platform, accelerating cloud transformation and adoption. Together, these initiatives reflect a deep, outcome-driven partnership that continues to evolve with ABB’s business priorities.

SMEs make up 99.8 per cent of active enterprises in Ireland and employ two-thirds (66.9 per cent) of the workforce (CSO, 2025). Yet the people managing HR in those businesses are under mounting strain from rising admin demands, growing compliance pressures and a lack of support networks. Many are handling complex responsibilities while working remotely, without the supportive team environment typically found in large organisations and, in some cases, without any formal HR training or qualifications. Almost all (99.5 per cent) report feeling burned out. To help close this gap, HRLocker has announced the launch of HRLocker Hub, an online HR community created to support anyone with HR responsibilities across the country.

The launch follows HRLocker’s recent research with Irish SMEs, which revealed the scale of the challenge. HR teams now spend an average of nine hours a week on admin, with 85 per cent saying this is not an efficient use of their time. Compliance confidence is also low, with 74 per cent fearing they would fail an unannounced WRC inspection, and many lacking complete, up-to-date contracts, policies and essential records. These pressures are intensifying as expectations from both employees and employers continue to rise.

The HRLocker Hub has been designed to address these challenges by offering a safe, supportive online space where HR practitioners of all experience levels can connect, learn and share real?world solutions. The community is free and open to anyone working in HR in Ireland, including those who do not have HR in their job title, and is fully accessible to people working in organisations that are not HRLocker customers.

A core feature of the Hub is access to expert support. A select group of HR specialists, employment law advisors and industry practitioners from across Ireland will regularly contribute guidance, resources and practical insights directly into the community. Members will gain access to expert?led discussions, live events, Q&A features and dedicated resources that support every aspect of their day?to?day HR work.

Crystel Robbins Rynne, CEO of HRLocker, said the Hub reflects the company’s mission to strengthen the HR ecosystem in Ireland. “We’ve built the foundations, but the Hub will be shaped by its members. It’s a collaborative space where people can share challenges, spark ideas and support one another in real time. While it includes resources and tools, it is far more than a static library. It’s a community that will grow and evolve as the needs and voices of its members do.”

As a homegrown Irish business and the country’s leading people?management platform for SMEs, HRLocker has long been embedded in the HR landscape. The company was founded by HR consultants who understood firsthand how demanding and isolating the role can be. The Hub reflects that heritage. HRLocker acts as the quiet facilitator behind the scenes, providing the structure, safety and culture that allow members to thrive without dominating the conversation.

The platform is organised into dedicated spaces, including community threads for open discussion, an ask anonymously function for questions about sensitive issues, a wealth of practical tools and a member centre to help newcomers settle in. HRLocker customers also have access to a dedicated customer zone, with plans for a learning centre focused on product?specific training and accreditation.

Membership is free and open now to anyone with HR responsibilities in Ireland.

A podcast with Crystel Robbins Rynne, CEO of HRLocker can be heard here.

See more stories here.

The Government recently adopted a new Risk Appetite Statement to support speedier and more efficient delivery of Ireland’s critical infrastructure. There is now an acceptance that responsible, informed and calculated risk taking is needed in order to deliver the necessary infrastructure and growth that Ireland needs for us to be progressive, sustainable and competitive.

Risk aversion is often blamed for slow delivery. In reality, the situation is much more complex than that.

Complexity

Across the public sector, projects are increasingly required to navigate multiple hurdles such as governance structures, approvals, consultations, reporting and tick box mechanisms. Each may seem to have a legitimate and legitimate purpose, but put it all together they can create a system where progress becomes painfully slow, decision-making becomes fragmented and accountability becomes non existent.

The end result is not simply more delay and increased costs, it is simply inefficiency.

All too often, the response is to call for more funding, more staff or legislative reform. We have a tendency to blame the EU, national and local government and delivery teams, but this does not address the underlying and often real issue and that is the way we design and manage delivery.

In truth no one sets out to delay projects. The reality is that High-performing organisations and individuals- whether in the public or private sector—understand that efficiency is not about cutting corners. It is about removing unnecessary friction and non essential components.

That means asking difficult questions:

• Why does this approval process exist?
• Can decisions be made earlier?
• Are we asking multiple agencies to assess the same issue?
• Is technology being used to simplify administration or simply digitise bureaucracy?
• Are we measuring activity instead of outcomes?

It is true what Peter Drucker said “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all”.

The countries and territories that consistently deliver major infrastructure projects well are not necessarily those with the largest budgets. They are often those with the clearest governance, the simplest decision-making structures and the strongest culture of accountability.

Being less risk averse should never mean lowering standards or weakening oversight. It is not a race to the bottom.

We need to have the confidence and courage to simplify systems, empower decision-makers and trust experienced professionals to exercise informed judgement.

Efficiency and accountability are not competing objectives—they are complementary. They can exist side by side in harmony.

In truth this country has no shortage of ambition, expertise or commitment within its public or private sectors. The real challenge is creating systems that allow those strengths to flourish and grow.

If we genuinely want to accelerate the delivery of critical infrastructure, we should spend less time debating and arguing whether the public sector is too cautious and instead we should be more concerned that our systems are preventing people delivering more time asking a fundamental question:

The greatest opportunity we have now is not simply to take more risk, it’s to become dramatically more efficient.

Guest post by Tom Gilligan, founder of EfficiencyDoctors. Tom founded Efficiency Doctors to bring a disciplined, results-driven approach from his work in the public sector, to a wider audience — turning bureaucratic excellence, accountability and delivery into a real competitive advantage.

Something that is not talked about enough is pay transparency and the fact that on the 7th of June 2026 all EU countries had to comply with the EU pay discrepancy act. Ireland missed this deadline but will bring it on a phased basis and employers have been urged to take steps to prepare for its full implementation. To find out more about pay transparency and the EU pay discrepancy act I spoke to Crystel Robbins Rynne CEO HRLocker and Fredericka Sheppard Co-Founder and Managing Director Voltedge Management.

Crystal and Fredericka talk about their backgrounds, salaries, putting good frameworks in place and more.

More about HRLocker and Voltedge Management:

HRLocker is the Irish people-management platform that transforms admin-heavy tasks, such as time & attendance and leave management, into one secure, intuitive system, so HR teams reclaim hours, eliminate errors, and focus on strategic people initiatives, not paperwork.

Voltedge Management is an Irish-based HR consultancy supporting scaling businesses, SMEs, and multinational organisations with strategic HR, leadership, and organisational development solutions. The firm partners with clients across Ireland, the UK, and internationally to build high-performing teams and drive sustainable growth.

See more podcasts here.

New data from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) shows Ireland continuing to make progress in transitioning to cleaner energy, but the country remains heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels, leaving Ireland exposed to international energy price volatility.

SEAI’s latest First Look: Ireland’s Energy Supply and Security of Supply 2025 note shows renewable energy continued to grow while fossil fuel use declined in 2025.

However, imported fuels still dominate Ireland’s energy system.

• Overall, almost four-fifths (78.2%) of Ireland’s energy requirement continued to be met through imports in 2025, substantially higher than the latest available EU average of 57.3%.
• Almost 93% of those imports were fossil fuels, with Ireland importing all of its oil and coal requirements and more than 82% of its natural gas.
• The note also demonstrates continued progress in Ireland’s energy transition. Renewable energy accounted for a record 15.9% of Ireland’s total energy requirement in 2025, increasing by 6.8% compared with the previous year.
• At the same time, fossil fuel use declined by 4.7%, with coal use falling sharply by almost 45%.
• Ireland’s overall energy requirement also reduced by 2.2% compared with 2024, while energy-related emissions fell by 3.7% to their lowest level in more than three decades.

The UK remained Ireland’s largest supplier, accounting for more than half (55.5%) of all energy imports in 2025, followed by the US (16.9%) and EU countries (16.2%). Expanding indigenous renewable energy continues to strengthen national energy security and reduce dependence on both imported fuels and declining national gas reserves.

Wind remained Ireland’s largest renewable energy source, accounting for almost half of all renewable energy supplied in 2025. Solar PV continued its strong growth – up 50% since 2024 and 150% since 2023 – recording the largest annual increase of any renewable technology, reflecting continued investment in both rooftop solar and utility-scale developments.

Solar PV accounted for over 6% of Ireland’s renewable energy supply in 2025. Heat pumps, biomass and biofuels also contributed to growth in renewable energy supply, meaning that almost two-thirds (64.9%) of all energy produced within Ireland now comes from renewable sources.

Publishing the findings, CEO of SEAI William Walsh said:

“While we are making some progress on renewables – with solar in particular continuing its remarkable growth, Ireland is still too reliant on imported fossil fuels, leaving our economy vulnerable to events outside of our control. We’ve seen in recent months how quickly sharp increases in global oil and gas prices can feed into our home heating bills, transport costs and overheads for business. By continuing to invest in our country’s huge potential for wind and solar, we can give homes and businesses better security and certainty over the cost of the energy they use, as well as improving health and comfort levels.”

Despite progress, fossil fuels still accounted for 79.2% of Ireland’s overall energy requirement in 2025, with oil and natural gas together supplying more than three-quarters of the country’s energy needs. Less than half of Ireland’s electricity supply came from fully indigenous sources and fuels during the year, underlining the importance of further continuing to accelerate renewable electricity deployment, invest in electricity networks and storage, and improve energy efficiency.

William Walsh added: “We made some good progress last year, getting our reliance on fossil fuel down below 80% for the first time and bringing renewable energy share to record levels, but we need to do a lot more. Continuing to grow our capacity for wind and solar, improving energy efficiency – doing more with less, and reducing overall energy demand will be critical to strengthening Ireland’s energy security, reducing dependence on imported fuels and building a more resilient, affordable and sustainable energy system.”

Intel has announced a €5 billion ($5.7 billion) capital investment at its Leixlip campus in Ireland, marking the next phase in the site’s capacity expansion.

Global demand for AI and high-performance computing is driving the need for advanced silicon to power AI Factories, and Intel is scaling capacity in Ireland to deliver Intel Xeon 6 and next gen Intel Xeon built on its Intel 3 node. This strategic investment expands current production output, advances research and development activities and utilises capacity across existing cleanroom space, strengthening Europe’s semiconductor supply chain and serving industry need.

The expansion involves upgrading existing fabrication facilities and the installation of leading-edge manufacturing equipment. Key infrastructure enhancements include the expansion of the automated track system to integrate disparate campus modules into a singular, high-velocity production environment.

The execution of this €5 billion capital expenditure programme began earlier this year. This project is expected to engage specialised tradespeople across construction and equipment install, in addition to full-time high-tech jobs at Intel.

Naga Chandrasekaran, Executive Vice President, Chief Technology and Operations Officer and General Manager of Intel Foundry said, “This €5 billion investment represents a definitive commitment to maximize capacity at our Leixlip campus and increase what we can deliver to Intel Foundry customers.

“By investing in our existing fabs with state-of-the-art technology and installing cutting-edge tools, we are not just increasing output of critical products like Xeon 6 and next gen Intel Xeon processors built on Intel 3, we are ensuring that Ireland remains at the forefront of the world’s most advanced manufacturing ecosystems, while strengthening the region’s role in the global technology landscape.”

This commitment supports a key pillar to grow and strengthen Ireland’s semiconductor ecosystem, positioning Ireland as a leading European manufacturing hub. It further serves as a critical contribution to the European Union’s Tech-Sovereigntyambitions, facilitating a resilient, domestic supply of leading-edge processors.

Intel has invested more than €30 billion in Ireland since establishing operations in 1989, with the Leixlip campus serving as one of the company’s most advanced manufacturing facilities. The site employs 4,900 people and has been at the forefront of semiconductor innovation, contributing significantly to Ireland’s reputation as a global technology hub.

Welcoming the announcement, An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin T.D. said: “Intel’s latest multi-billion-euro investment in Leixlip is a powerful vote of confidence in Ireland, our skills base and our position at the heart of Europe’s most advanced manufacturing ecosystem. At a time of rapid technological change and global competition, this expansion strengthens Ireland’s role in securing resilient semiconductor supply chains and reinforces our ambition to remain a global leader in innovation, productivity and sustainable economic growth.”

IDA Ireland CEO Michael Lohan said: “Intel is one of Ireland’s longest standing and most strategically important investors. This project demonstrates the value of Ireland’s skilled workforce, innovation ecosystem and stable business environment, while reinforcing Ireland’s leadership in advanced semiconductor manufacturing, supporting both European competitiveness and resilient global supply chains.”

See more stories here.

Students from four post-primary schools in County Longford took part in a VEX IQ Robotics Competition at The Temperance Hall, Longford Town, bringing together teams for a day of design, coding and problem-solving challenges.

The event provided a fun and practical learning experience, where students worked in teams to design, build and programme robots while developing communication and critical thinking skills.

Skills Award – Helena Heaney, Christine Collins, students from Meán Scoil Mhuire, Siobhán Grealy & Kelley Keogh(Westmeath CoCo)

VEX IQ is an educational robotics programme delivered by Longford County Council’s IT Department. It introduces students to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) through hands-on design, build and coding tasks, while also strengthening teamwork and creativity.

Programmes such as VEX IQ play an important role in encouraging interest in STEM and helping young people build skills for the future.

Judges Award – Templemichael College – Christine Collins, Helena Heaney, students from Templemichael College, Siobhán Grealy, Kelley Keogh(Westmeath CoCo) & teacher Justin Quinn

Participating schools included:

• Lanesboro Community College
• Meán Scoil Mhuire
• St Mel’s College
• Templemichael College

Throughout the day, students took part in a series of robot challenges, showing creativity and determination as they competed with and learned from each other.

The VEX IQ equipment has now been rolled out to all nine post-primary schools in County Longford. The programme is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the EU Just Transition Fund Programme 2021–2027, supporting STEM education and digital skills across the county. The programme is strongly supported by Longford County Council’s ongoing commitment to STEM education and digital skills development.

Design Award – Longford County Council IT, Helena Heaney, Christine Collins, Kelley Keogh(Westmeath CoCo), students from Lanesborough Community College, teacher Emmett Dolan & Siobhán Grealy

Congratulations to the winning teams:

• Design Award: Lanesboro Community College
• Judges’ Award: Templemichael College
• Teamwork Champions: Meán Scoil Mhuire & St Mel’s College
• Excellence Award:  St Mel’s College
• Skills Award: Meán Scoil Mhuire

Speaking after the event, representatives from Longford County Council praised the students and the impact of the programme.

Excellence Award Winners: St Mel’s College; Christine Collins, Broadband Officer, Longford County Council, Helena Heaney, Longford County Council IT, Kelley Keogh, STEM Engagement Officer, Westmeath County Council, Siobhán Grealy, STEM Engagement Officer with Longford County Council, Paula Feeney, St Mel’s College, students from St Mel’s College and teacher Fergal Counihan. 

Cathaoirleach of Longford County Council, Cllr Gerry Hagan said, “It is very encouraging to see such strong participation from schools across the county. Initiatives like VEX IQ give young people the chance to try new skills, work together and build confidence in a supportive environment.”

Deputy Chief Executive of Longford County Council, John Brannigan said, “This programme shows what can be achieved when practical learning is supported in schools. Students are gaining real experience in coding, design and teamwork that will stand to them in further education and employment.”

Lhyfe one of the world’s pioneers in the production of green and renewable hydrogen for decarbonisation, is strengthening its logistics capabilities, which since 2021 have supported some sixty or so industrial and mobility players in their energy transition.

Lhyfe is thereby reinforcing its ability to further develop the European green and RFNBO hydrogen market through bulk distribution. On this occasion, the company is proud to present the key pillars of its supply chain.

Decarbonisation hydrogen developments

Green hydrogen production and supply: key drivers of Lhyfe’s growth

In 2021, Lhyfe commissioned its first green hydrogen production site in France (Pays de la Loire), followed by two additional sites in Brittany and Occitanie. In 2025, a first site was installed in Germany (Baden-Württemberg). These four sites obtained RFNBO certification in 2025.

The company now has 21 MW of installed capacity, which is set to increase by 70% in 2026, enabling broader territorial coverage and closer proximity to customers.

Alongside its production activities, Lhyfe has developed one of the most advanced hydrogen supply operations in the European market:

Acquisition of 84 Type IV containers, the most advanced on the market: lighter, more resistant, compliant with RFNBO-certification requirements, and able to withstanding high pressure—these containers allow more hydrogen to be transported per trip. Lhyfe now operates four container sizes and two compression levels to meet a wide range of customer needs.

For the order of its 10 new containers, Lhyfe once again placed its trust in Hexagon Purus. The two companies share a strategic industrial shareholder, Mitsui & Co., a global trading and investment company headquartered in Japan.

15 container storage sites secured across Europe to optimise costs and ensure reliable deliveries.
Partnerships with four transport providers specialising in hazardous materials transport. To date, Lhyfe has certified and trained 60 drivers for hydrogen container transport and delivery, operating both on its own sites and those of partners and clients.

Partnerships with third-party local producers to cover regions where Lhyfe does not yet have local production capacity.

Development of advanced digital tools for bulk management: Lhyfe has created a suite of innovative tools to enhance the efficiency of its European supply teams in coordinating bulk hydrogen production and distribution. These include demand forecasting, filling planning, compatibility management, production monitoring, carrier scheduling, and customer information systems. By securing and optimising these parameters, Lhyfe strengthens its ability to ensure reliable deliveries and high service quality.

Investment to support ramp-up in deliveries

In 2025, Lhyfe passed the milestone of 1,000 deliveries. The company significantly accelerated operations in France, Sweden, and Germany, averaging 55 deliveries per month to mobility and industrial customers, thereby strengthening its European footprint.

Over the year, the Group completed more than 850 deliveries in Europe, an increase of over 80% compared to 2024. Lhyfe works with a wide range of players: mobility players (such as BMW Group, TEAL Mobility, H2 MOBILITY) and industrial companies (including Karp Kneip, Essent – energy supplier for the industry), illustrating the broad spectrum of decarbonised hydrogen applications—from heavy mobility to industrial processes.
In mobility, green hydrogen is emerging as an alternative to fossil fuels and complementary to battery electric solutions. It is particularly relevant for applications requiring long range, fast refuelling, or heavy loads (SUVs, taxis, vans, forklifts, tractors, trucks, etc.), in regions where the power grid cannot support large-scale electrification, or for vehicles operating in extreme conditions (very cold or hot climates).

In industry, green hydrogen is proving to be a key decarbonisation solution, replacing fossil fuels and grey hydrogen, especially in energy-intensive processes that are difficult to electrify. It is particularly suited for applications requiring high temperatures, continuous production, or hydrogen as a feedstock (chemicals, refining, steelmaking, glassmaking, etc.), as well as for industrial sites facing strong energy constraints or limited access to abundant low-carbon electricity.

Lhyfe’s expansion of its operational and logistics capabilities gives it access to the most demanding markets—particularly the chemicals sector—which require not only high hydrogen purity but also absolute reliability and consistency of supply.

Since commissioning its first site in 2021, Lhyfe has avoided the emission of 4 million tonnes of CO2 thanks to its green hydrogen production[1].

Matthieu Guesné, Founder and CEO of Lhyfe: “The development of the green hydrogen supply chain is a cornerstone of the sector’s growth. The bulk market is the first to scale up—it is already enabling pioneering players to initiate their energy transition. To support them, we have been committed since 2021 to building a comprehensive, efficient, reliable, and flexible supply chain.

Beyond challenging traditional hydrogen industry practices, we have fundamentally rethought them, particularly to adapt to production based on renewable energy. It is an exciting challenge that we continue to address every day, constantly improving our model alongside our on-site projects—installed directly at customer facilities with hydrogen supplied via pipelines—and pipeline network solutions. The sector will require multiple distribution formats to meet diverse use cases, and we are ready to deliver on those needs.”

A propos de Lhyfe

Lhyfe is a European group devoted to energy transition, and a producer and supplier of green and renewable hydrogen. Through its production sites and portfolio of projects, it seeks to provide access to green and renewable hydrogen in industrial quantities, fostering a virtuous energy model that both decarbonises entire sectors of industry and transport, and enhances regional energy sovereignty.

In 2021, Lhyfe inaugurated the first industrial-scale green hydrogen production plant in the world to be interconnected with a wind farm. In 2022, it inaugurated the first offshore green hydrogen production pilot platform in the world.

Since then, Lhyfe has installed four other production sites and has several sites under construction or extension across Europe. In September 2025, Lhyfe became Europe’s largest producer of bulk RFNBO hydrogen from the electrolysis of water.

Lhyfe is represented in 11 European countries and had 188 staff at the end of December 2025. The company is listed on the Euronext market in Paris (ISIN: FR0014009YQ1 – mnemonic: LHYFE).
For more information go to Lhyfe.com.

See more breaking stories here.

An early snapshot of a new survey into Ireland’s renewable energy sector points to emerging skills bottlenecks and challenges recruiting experienced talent across parts of the sector.

Solar Ireland has partnered with recruitment and HR specialists Collins McNicholas to deliver Ireland’s first Renewable Energy Workforce & Skills Survey, which is currently underway with organisations across the renewable energy sector.

The survey will create the first dedicated benchmark of workforce and skills needs across Ireland’s renewable energy sector.

Renewable Energy Workforce & Skills Survey

The sector is growing rapidly, creating new opportunities across a range of services including engineering, construction, project delivery, operations, planning, policy and professional services.

The aim of the Renewable Energy Workforce & Skills Survey is to better understand the sector’s workforce needs. It will provide key insights into the sector and identify current recruitment challenges, skills shortages, regional labour gaps, training requirements and future workforce demand within the sector.

While the survey will continue until the end of the year, early responses are beginning to highlight several emerging themes, including:

• Continued demand for engineers, project managers, electricians, planning specialists and technical delivery roles.
• Demand for expertise in grid integration, planning and permitting, electrical engineering, project management and solar-specific technical skills.
• Respondents expect workforce requirements to continue growing over short to medium term and are confident in long-term sector growth.
• Challenges recruiting experienced personnel, particularly in specialist technical and delivery-focused roles.

As part of the ongoing survey, Collins McNicholas will conduct a series of follow up interviews with selected respondents operating in the renewable energy sector. These conversations will provide valuable additional insights to complement the survey findings and help shape a clearer picture of the sector’s workforce needs.

Solar Ireland will publish the full findings of the Renewable Energy Workforce & Skills Survey later this year.

An initial snapshot of responses featured in Solar Ireland’s Scale of Solar report, launched by Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O’ Brien T.D at the association’s annual conference.

The Scale of Solar report provides a comprehensive analysis of the Irish solar market and focuses on the growing role of solar in strengthening energy resilience, supporting economic development and delivering clean electricity across Ireland.

Workforce requirements are expected to increase as Ireland’s renewable energy sector continues to grow, reflecting one of the fastest periods of renewable energy deployment in the country’s history.

Solar Ireland CEO Ronan Power:

“Ireland’s renewable energy sector is entering a new phase of growth. Delivering the projects needed to meet our climate and energy ambitions will depend not only on investment in infrastructure, but on having the skilled people needed to design, build, connect and operate them.

“This survey is about building a better understanding of those workforce needs. By working with industry, education providers and Government, we can help ensure Ireland develops the skills and talent required to support continued growth across the renewable energy sector. The findings will provide an important evidence base for future workforce planning, industry engagement and policy development.”

Collins McNicholas’ Director Michelle Murphy said:

“The initial findings of the survey reinforce a broader reality facing Ireland’s renewable energy sector: achieving climate and energy targets will require investment not only in infrastructure, but also in people. The energy transition is ultimately a people transition. Developing skills and talent needed to support Ireland’s growing solar sector will be essential to delivering our renewable energy ambitions.”

“Collins McNicholas is delighted to work alongside Solar Ireland in delivering the sector’s first dedicated workforce and skills survey. The more organisations that participate the richer the evidence base will be, helping industry and policymakers make informed decisions about future workforce development.”

Photo: Collins McNicholas representatives attend Solar Ireland Annual Conference 2026 at RDS Dublin – (L-R) Gillian Nicholson (Recruitment Manager – Technical Engineering for Leinster), Jamie Fannon (Recruitment Consultant) and Michelle Murphy (Director).

About Collins McNicholas:

www.collinsmcnicholas.ie

Established in 1990, Collins McNicholas Recruitment & HR Services Group is an award-winning Irish company that sources talent and provides hiring solutions across a wide variety of sectors for its client companies. With a nationwide presence, Collins McNicholas offers a full spectrum of services to meet the evolving needs of its customers.

About Solar Ireland

www.solarireland.ie

Solar Ireland is the representative body for Ireland’s solar industry, bringing together developers, investors, technology providers, installers, professional services firms and organisations working across the solar value chain. The association champions the interests of its members through policy advocacy, trusted market insights, and opportunities for collaboration, helping to accelerate the sustainable growth of Ireland’s solar sector.

See more breaking stories here.

By David Stephen

There is a recent feature on Space Daily, Physicist Roger Penrose has spent decades arguing that consciousness isn’t something the brain produces, but that explaining it will require physics we haven’t yet discovered, stating that, “Roger Penrose does not think a computer will ever be conscious, and he does not think a brain running on ordinary neural computation would be conscious either. For close to forty years, the Oxford mathematical physicist has argued that consciousness cannot be the product of algorithmic processing at all, and that explaining it will require physics we have not yet discovered.”

Questions for Roger Penrose on Orch-OR quantum consciousness

“Penrose developed the idea, called Orchestrated Objective Reduction, with the anaesthesiologist Stuart Hameroff, whose interest came from watching what general anaesthetics do to consciousness.”

“Orch-OR is unusual among consciousness theories in making a claim precise enough to test outside the brain altogether. If gravity really does trigger the collapse of quantum superpositions at the scale Penrose describes, that collapse should show up in careful physics experiments that have nothing to do with biology.”

“Put together, the theory says something specific and testable in principle: that consciousness arises not from information processing in the ordinary computational sense, but from a physical event, gravity-linked quantum collapse, occurring inside a particular cellular structure.”

Questions for Penrose and Hameroff

What exactly is the purpose of solving consciousness?

What is the seriousness of the problem, if Orch-OR is an option to solve consciousness?

Is consciousness harder to solve than human intelligence? Is consciousness tougher to solve than neurological disorders? Is consciousness more complex to solve than mental disorders?

Assuming that it is proven that Orch-OR has solved consciousness, is there anything about it that says that it would solve or explain human intelligence, mental disorders or neurological disorders?

If Orch-OR has predictions, if it can be generalized, if it can be falsified, if it can be measured, does that make it right? This question means that since different people have different ways to describe consciousness, one person can solve their own version of consciousness, but what else can Orch-OR solve about the brain, or at least explain that would show that it is crossover theory or can be useful beyond niche definition?

Why does it feel like Orch-OR is trying to use physics to validate itself?

Can Orch-OR be used to explain any addiction: drugs, gambling, social media or anything?

Can Orch-OR explain emotion, memory or feeling?

Simply, in July, 2026 is there any major problem that Orch-OR can solve at scale or at least explain, to move any central neuroscience knowledge forward?

Consciousness

Across neuroscience, electrical and chemical signals have been demonstrated to be more implicated in functions that microtubules. There are [more] therapies in psychiatry targeting for electrical and, or for chemical signals, than microtubules.

There are ways to explain biological factors of functions — in the brain — by electrical and chemical signals, than by microtubules.

It does not appear that if the human mind is defined, it will be defined with microtubules.

So, while it is possible that their version of what consciousness is, can be defined and solved with Orch-OR, it does not seem that it can actually be used to describe much else, regarding the mind.

So, human consciousness can be defined, conceptually, as the interaction of the electrical and chemical signals, in sets — in clusters of neurons — with their features, grading those interactions into functions and experiences.

Simply, for functions to occur, electrical and chemical signals, in sets, have to interact. However, attributes for those interactions are obtained by the states of electrical and chemical signals at the time of the interactions.

So, sets of electrical signals often have momentary states or statuses at which they interact [or strike] at sets of chemical signals, which also have momentary states or statuses. So, if, for example, in a set, electrical signals split, with some going ahead, it is in that state that they interact, initially, before the incoming ones follow, which may or may not interact the same way or at the same destination [or set of chemical signals]. If a set [of chemical signals] has more volumes of one of the constituents [chemical signals], more than the others, it is in that state too that they are interacted with.

So, while functions are produced by interactions, the states of the signals, at the time of the interactions, may determine the extent to which the interactions occur. This means that what is termed attention is an attribute of high volume for [a set of] chemical signals or high intensity for electrical signals [in a set]. Subjectivity is the variation of volume of chemical signals from side-to-side. Intent is a space of constant diameter, in some sets, for some volumes, conceptually.

There are other attributes like sequences, which are paths [old or new] traveled by the electrical signals. Sequences explain why several interpretations are quick and precise, since they [sets of electrical signals] use an old sequence or a defined route towards the interpretation. It means that what came in already knows which way to go, for interaction [of interpretation].

A reason some sudden sound could be jolting or shocking could be the use of a new sequence towards interpretation. This could also occur by the intensity of electrical signals or high-volume chemical signals [in a set].

Attributes also include thin and thick sets of chemical signals. There are splits of electrical signals, explaining what is called prediction. There is the principal spot [or measure] of a set, arrays, and so forth.

So, electrical and chemical signals interact to produce functions. The states of the signals at the time of the interactions become attributes that decide the extent to which they interact. Consciousness is principally a collection of all functions and attributes.

The measure of electrical and chemical signals for humans can be used for other organisms with electrical and chemical signals. For those without [interacting electrical and chemical] signals, the labels of emotions, feelings, memory and regulation of internal senses can also be used, with general attributes, attention, awareness, intent and subjectivity.

This is at least how to try to explain, using established evidence [electrical and chemical signals] in neuroscience to answer for what consciousness includes, especially to also explore a measure, where other organisms compare and maybe AI.

Human Intelligence

At this time, the most important conceptual brain problem is not consciousness, but intelligence, human intelligence.

This means that how does human intelligence work in the brain. Already, it is assumed that there is artificial intelligence, so what is human intelligence, exactly? How does AI compare? How distant is AGI?

What are the components of intelligence in the brain? What are their mechanisms? What is the relationship between intelligence and consciousness, regarding components and mechanisms?

For now, the next thing to solve or ask about is not AI consciousness, or LLMs sentience, if intelligence [in the brain] remains unknown.

Why, because there is already an availability of it [intelligence] in humans and machine.

Also, answering for human intelligence can prospect how to build new explanations for consciousness.

Orch-OR theory has no answer for anything about intelligence. An Orch-OR proponent rules out consciousness in machines, but has not defined what intent is in the brain, or subjective or attention, at least.

Orch-OR

The Orch-OR theory was first proposed in the mid 1990s. It has not solved or answered anything else [consequential] in the brain, to at least ensure it is useful. It does not matter if people counter it, but it if is useful, then it is cool.

It is possible that the proponents can wait for some new physics or whatever else, but it does not appear that Orch-OR is ready for primetime. Maybe they should look at the postulate in Conceptual Biomarkers and Theoretical Biological Factors for Psychiatric and Intelligence Nosology for a new direction with electrical and chemical signals, rather than microtubules, for something better before December, 2026.

There is a recent [July 5, 2026] analysis on Quantum Zeitgeist, Roger Penrose, The Definitive Profile Of The 2020 Nobel Quantum Mind, stating that, “It is important to be clear about the status of Orch-OR. It is a controversial, minority hypothesis, not established science, and most neuroscientists and physicists regard it as unproven at best. A common objection is that the warm, wet brain should destroy delicate quantum states far too quickly for them to matter.”

“Penrose and Hameroff have continued to defend and refine the theory, and a handful of experiments have probed quantum effects in biological molecules. Even so, no result has confirmed Orch-OR, and readers should treat it as a bold conjecture about consciousness rather than a settled account of how the brain works.”

David Stephen does research in conceptual brain science and served as a visiting scholar in medical entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He did computer vision research at Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona.

See more breaking stories here.

Guest post by  Andrew Lopianowski and Mike Pino who are the authors of HumanCorps: Redesigning Organisations for the Wisdom Age (Routledge, July 2026). Combining decades of expertise across human-centred transformation and organisational redesign with deep knowledge in AI, decision intelligence, enterprise learning, and synthetic enablement, they aim to educate on how organisations can evolve for the Wisdom Age.

Lessons from HumanCorps

Irish businesses don’t need another breathless AI trend report. What they need is a way to turn AI into day-to-day advantage, without breaking trust, burning out teams, or buying yet another platform that nobody uses.

That’s the core idea behind Andrew Lopianowski and my book HumanCorps: Redesigning Organisations for the Wisdom Age (forthcoming, Routledge). The book’s argument is simple (and uncomfortably familiar): we’re trying to run AI-era work on Industrial-era operating models. If your organisation still depends on rigid hierarchies, slow approvals, siloed data, and “tick-box” transformation, the cleverest tools in the world may make you faster, but running in circles faster.

So what does “future-proofing” look like in practice, especially for Irish SMEs and scaling teams that have to compete for talent, serve customers faster, and stay on the right side of European regulation?

Below is a practical, HumanCorps-inspired playbook you can implement without a moonshot budget.

1) Start with the real constraint: structure beats technology

A recurring theme in HumanCorps is that many digital transformations underdeliver because organisations adopt tools without redesigning the system those tools will live inside. The result is familiar: staff work around the shiny new system, adoption stalls, and leaders conclude the tech “didn’t work” when the real issue was how decisions, information, and incentives were set up.

The AI era amplifies that problem. If your workflows and governance are unclear, AI will faithfully automate confusion.

A future-proofing move (this week): pick one customer-facing workflow (e.g., handling inbound sales leads, responding to support queries, producing compliance documentation) and map it end-to-end. Don’t start with “Where can we add AI?” Start with: Where do we lose time, create rework, or wait for approvals?

2) Reset direction: choose 2–3 “boring” use cases that matter

The fastest way to waste your AI budget is to chase novelty. The fastest way to build momentum is to pick a small number of high-value, repeatable use cases where AI can act as a co-pilot.

Examples most Irish SMEs recognise immediately:

• Customer support triage (summarise, classify, draft responses, escalate correctly)
• Sales and tender writing (first drafts, meaningful tailoring based on research, summarising client context)
• Operations reporting (turn messy updates into consistent weekly insights based on Slack chatter, JIRA tickets, and/or email threads)
• Knowledge search (find the right internal answer, not just a web answer)

Rule of thumb: if the use case doesn’t save time, reduce errors, or improve customer response times in 30–60 days, it’s not a pilot, it’s a hobby.

3) Redefine leadership: from “control” to “enabling”

AI adoption isn’t primarily a technical change; it’s a leadership and behaviour change. HumanCorps places heavy emphasis on ownership and agency because in a fast, complex environment, the organisation that wins is the one where teams can act decisively without waiting for permission every time reality changes.

That doesn’t mean abandoning oversight. It means shifting leaders toward:

• setting clear outcomes and guardrails,
• funding experiments with measurable impact,
• rewarding learning (not punishing every imperfect first attempt).

A future-proofing move (this week): appoint an executive sponsor for each pilot with one clear job: remove blockers (access, data, approvals) and insist on metrics.

4) Reorganise decision-making: give teams decision rights with “risk envelopes”

One of the biggest challenges in organisations of any size often beings with decision rights (i.e., explicitly defining who may make, challenge, or override decisions, under what conditions, with what risk and accountability guardrails).

HumanCorps pushes a pragmatic twist: teams can move faster when they’re given risk envelopes—simple rules for:

• “how far we can go without asking,”
• “who we call when it gets hairy,”
• “where a human must touch the decision before it bites us.”

This is where AI becomes genuinely useful. Instead of staff asking Slack for the same clarifications repeatedly, you build a system where decisions are made closer to the work, supported by AI, but governed by humans.

A future-proofing move (this week): for your chosen workflow, list the top 10 recurring decisions. For each one, set:

• Owner (who decides),
• Boundary (what they can decide without escalation),
• Escalation trigger (when legal/security/leadership must be involved).

5) Reimagine work: build “human + AI” teams, not individual hacks

Right now, most workplaces are using AI like a glorified search engine (e.g., drafting emails, summarising text, polishing slides). HumanCorps argues that underplays AI’s potential, and it also creates risk: fragmented, ungoverned use happens in private, with inconsistent quality and unclear data handling.

Future-proofing means treating AI as a shared organisational capability, not a personal productivity trick.

Practical steps:

• Create approved prompt templates for key tasks (e.g., response drafting, report summarising, policy Q&A).
• Train people in AI supervision: checking outputs, citing sources, handling exceptions, spotting bias.
• Build “human-in-the-loop” checkpoints for higher-risk work (legal, HR, finance, safety).

A future-proofing move (this week): run a 60-minute “show your work” session where teams compare AI-assisted outputs, agree what “good” looks like, and standardise a shared approach.

6) Treat EU regulation as a trust advantage, not a blocker

In Europe, AI isn’t just about speed—it’s also about trust. HumanCorps explicitly connects future performance to trust and ethics, arguing that transparency and bias mitigation need to be designed in—not bolted on. You don’t need a heavyweight bureaucracy to start. You need a habit.

A future-proofing move (this week): create an AI Use Register (a living spreadsheet is fine):

• tool/model used,
• business purpose,
• data types involved,
• risk level,
• named owner,
• required human check.

That one artefact will make vendor conversations easier, internal adoption safer, and customer assurance more credible.

The takeaway: future-proofing is an operating model change, not a tool rollout

HumanCorps is essentially a reminder that the “future of work” is not a software update. It’s a redesign of how we set direction, how we lead, how decisions flow, and how teams learn together so that AI becomes an amplifier of good judgement rather than an accelerator of dysfunction.

If you want a simple challenge: by this time next week, map one workflow, assign decision rights with a risk envelope, and run one AI pilot with a measurable outcome. Do that, and you’ll be more future-proof than organisations still arguing about which chatbot to buy.

See more breaking stories here.

Guest post by Michael Kilarney Co-Founder Genghis AI

The 2023 idea of “tax AI” is already archaic.

A faster search box is not the future of tax advisory.

Finding legislation faster is useful. Finding guidance faster is useful. Finding case law faster is useful.

But it is not the prize.

The prize is completing complex tax technical work from end to end – with sources, structure, reasoning and professional review built into the process.

That is what Genghis AI is building.

Genghis AI is an Irish-built artificial intelligence platform for tax professionals, accountants and advisory firms. It is not trying to make advisers better at searching. It is trying to remove the manual assembly work that sits between a client question and a professional answer.

Tax advisory is one of the largest and most expensive labour markets in professional services. The global tax advisory labour market will be worth approximately $70 billion after 2030. Much of that market is still delivered through the same basic model: highly trained professionals manually reading, analysing, assembling and drafting technical advice.

Genghis AI is built on a different assumption.

A meaningful part of that labour can now become software.

The old model of tax AI was retrieval.

The new model is execution.

Genghis does not simply retrieve information. It performs the assembly layer of tax advice: issue identification, source review, technical reasoning, drafting and client-ready structure.

That is the part of the work that consumes days.

It is also the part of the work that firms have historically needed expensive, senior people to produce.

Genghis AI is designed to do in minutes what would otherwise require highly trained, six-figure salaried tax professionals with 15+ years of experience to assemble over days and weeks.

And this is not limited to Irish tax.

Genghis is built to work across every jurisdiction and every tax head. Corporation tax, VAT, capital gains tax, employment taxes, international tax, Pillar Two and specialist advisory can all be brought into the same execution layer.

The adviser still owns the answer.

But the starting point changes completely.

A tax adviser should not have to begin every complex query with a blank page, multiple search portals and days of manual drafting.

They should begin with a draft representing 95% completion.

Work that may previously have taken three, four or five days can now be brought to a reviewable position in minutes, with time redeployed to professional judgement, client-specific context and final edits.

That is the economic shift.

Users are already generating outputs through Genghis AI that would traditionally represent €10,000, €20,000 or €30,000 of billable advisory work.

But it is not a replacement story.

It is a leverage story.

The labour moves out of assembly.

The value moves further into judgement.

This exposes why the adviser was important in the first place.

Tax advice does not exist in a vacuum. Business owners are often making generational decisions involving family members, key management, customers, lenders and other stakeholders. AI may never replace the emotional intelligence of an adviser who understands the family dynamic, the commercial history and the personalities in the room. But it can map the technical scenarios around those human variables – the feasible structures, risks, reliefs, trade-offs and next steps – so the adviser can spend more time deciding which options should actually be put in front of the client.

The best advisers are not valuable because they can spend days assembling a first draft. They are valuable because they know where the judgement calls are. They understand the client. They can identify the risk. They can decide what matters.

Using Genghis AI is not a shortcut around expertise.

It is a sign of intelligence.

It shows that an adviser understands where human judgement actually belongs: not in repetitive assembly, but in interpretation, risk assessment, commercial application and client-specific advice.

The most intelligent professionals will use Genghis because they recognise that it gives them more leverage. They can do more work, and spend more time on the niche judgement calls that clients actually pay for.

Genghis AI is part of a new breed of company.

Not software that helps people manage work.

Software that performs the work.

That is why usage matters.

Genghis AI reports weekly active usage among deployed users consistently above 90 per cent.

That is the difference between curiosity and infrastructure.

Professionals return to the platform because it changes the economics of their work. It gives them back time, expands their capacity and raises the starting point for every technical answer.

This is the point.

Tax AI is no longer about search.

It is about execution.

Genghis AI is building the execution layer for tax advisory: software that can read, reason, draft and assemble complex technical analysis at a fraction of the traditional labour cost, while leaving final judgement with the professional.

Not a better search tool.

A new labour model for tax.

See more stories here.

HCS, the Irish IT managed services and digital transformation company, has announced the launch of its governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) practice. The practice will protect businesses in Ireland against growing threats such as ransomware, supply chain disruption, and service outages, and support compliance with new and changing industry regulations including NIS2 and DORA.

Key services within the practice include governance, compliance, and data protection maturity assessments, continuous compliance monitoring, and support with artificial intelligence and ISO readiness. It will also offer governance framework development, information security and policy development, and vendor risk and third-party reviews.

The practice is aimed at businesses that operate in regulated or high-trust environments, or need to demonstrate stronger governance to customers, boards, partners, or regulators. These include organisations in healthcare, public sector supply chains, critical service environments, technology, and professional services. It is also suited to mid-sized and scaling organisations that require practical governance and compliance support, but may not have the internal resources to build dedicated teams.

The GRC practice will not only design and implement governance and compliance frameworks for businesses, but also help to embed, sustain, and reinforce them through training, continuity planning, monitoring, and ongoing improvement. This will remove the need for businesses to build internal teams or divert existing resources, saving time and boosting productivity. The new practice is underpinned by HCS’ certifications with ISO 27001 for information security management and ISO 9001 for quality management, providing peace of mind for customers.

In addition, HCS will provide its Virtual CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) offering to businesses. This is a one-to-one service, offered on-site or remotely, that delivers in-depth cybersecurity assessments, conducts regulatory gap analysis, and ensures alignment with best-practice frameworks such as NIS2.

To support its planned growth, HCS has appointed Lesley Whelan as its Head of Risk and Compliance. Lesley brings 20 years of experience in governance, risk, and compliance in the IT industry to her new role. In HCS, she will lead the new GRC practice’s development, expand its customer base, and drive its strategic expansion.

Lesley Whelan, Head of Risk & Compliance, HCS, said: “For many organisations, governance and compliance are no longer viewed as box-ticking exercises; they are now central to winning business, maintaining trust, supporting growth, and demonstrating operational maturity. HCS is responding to that shift by building a practical and scalable service that connects governance and compliance support with resilience, awareness, and real-world security needs. It will help businesses to tackle several critical challenges, such as the ability to reduce risk exposure, improve internal clarity around roles, policies, and accountability, and prepare for regulatory change.”

Pamela Farrell, Managing Director, HCS, said: “HCS is launching this new division amid rising cyber and operational risk, a regulatory landscape that is becoming more complex, and greater board-level focus on governance. Cybersecurity, compliance, and resilience can no longer sit solely within the IT function. They are now business-critical issues that require board-level visibility, clear ownership, and ongoing accountability.

“This shift is driving organisations to look for practical governance support that connects technology, risk, people, and process. The new practice builds on HCS’ existing expertise in governance, assurance, and data security, formalising and scaling those capabilities into a dedicated offering. Our integrated approach will enable us to quickly and easily scale our capabilities, and we look forward to growing both the practice and our client base significantly over the coming years.”

See more stories here.

A lot of businesses are overpaying for outdated ways of working, and AI is reshaping their expectations around creative, strategy and operational costs. To find out more about this I spoke to Seamus Begley, founder of creative studio, The Studio of Possible.

Seamus talks about ahis background, what the Studio of Possible does, why many businesses overpay for outdated ways of working, how AI is reshaping expectations around creative, strategy and operational costs and more.

More about The Studio of Possible:

They are a Design Practice that works with forward thinking individuals, brands and businesses to increase their impact on the world around us.

See more podcasts here.

By David Stephen

If someone uses a chatbot for research, it means that the chatbot already knows [about] what the person wants to know.

If a chatbot knows a lot of the things — of productive and social value — that individuals seek to know, it means that chatbots have begun to exceed human intelligence, just like digital memory exceeded human memory.

Investigating the value of human intelligence research labs

Simply, a hard drive can store specific memory of anything, returning it accurately, at any time. This is more than what human memory can do. But memory is not exactly too daunting to surpass, per se. There are organisms with certain kinds of memories or senses beyond humans, but memory, as is, is not enough to take over.

However, intelligence, which is the use of memory, is quite threatening. For example, everyone can hear a certain sound in an automobile, but only a technician or someone familiar with it, can say for sure if it is faulty. The same with a baby that might make a sound, and to others, including the mother, might just be crying, but a neurologist might know if something is off.

Simply, intelligence is the use of memory, for expected, advantageous or desired outcome. So, it is how memory is used that means intelligence. For many people that are not doctors or familiar, medical knowledge is memory they cannot use. The same for others, regarding math knowledge, law, or finance and so forth.

All humans are intelligent, OK, until people begin to encounter memory of things that they cannot use — with valuable and consequential outcomes.

It is not just to see or hear, or even to infer what it might be, but to be able to use it. Now, with AI, if it is in an environment, it could tell things and what to do with them, more than most people. It can maximize facilities, and even instruct on safety or survival.

Already, AI is becoming a principal operator of a quality, intelligence that makes life different for humans — more than other organisms. And humans do not just have operational intelligence, humans have varied improvement intelligence. It is based on the ability to improve things that makes it possible advance society.

Still, human intelligence is not automatic to stay at the top, forever — the proficiency of AI shows. This means that anyone, organization or a system that works on defining human intelligence [in the brain] may actually hold the future of humanity.

And defining human intelligence, is basically working on what it is in the brain, by types, by mechanisms and how to prospect it for problem-solving in the era of AI.

This is the opportunity for Irish Universities. This means that on the entire earth, any of the top Irish Universities can set up the first lab for human intelligence research in the brain. So, rather than run at the same pole, AI, that everyone is, the schools can detour, take on human intelligence, because no one is.

There is a recent [June 18, 2026] report on The Journal, Six Irish universities rise in global rankings – here’s which one ranked best in the country, stating that, “Six of Ireland’s eight universities have moved up the global rankings, but Trinity College Dublin (TCD) remains the best rated third level institution in the country.”

“Released annually and compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), the World University Rankings are based on a number of factors, including academic reputation, employment outcomes, quality of faculty, international faculty and sustainability.”

“The 2027 survey evaluated over 1,500 institutions across 106 countries and territories.”

“Here’s how the country’s universities ranked: Trinity College Dublin – 75 (75 in 2026). University College Dublin – 100 (118 in 2026). University College Cork – 220 (246 in 2026). University of Galway – 275 (284 in 2026). University of Limerick – 388 (=401 in 2026). Dublin City University – 408 (=410 in 2026). National University of Ireland Maynooth – 721-730 (771-780 in 2026). Dublin Institute of Technology – 791-800 (781-790 in 2026).”

There is no need for any extra facility or to hire any new staff. Existing staff can be in charge of the theoretical lab, using existing offices.

Here is the objective of the lab, asking how electrical and chemical signals in the brain mechanize human intelligence. Then [to] develop a model, have it as a display, which can be used to explain learning, problem-solving, understanding and so forth. This product can become proprietary and commercialized.

Just to make a go at the future, striking out from the AI rush, which while it would define aspects of the future, the quiet path that the AI companies [human intelligence] have ignored can be explored by Irish Universities, making a great difference for the Republic of Ireland.

It is possible to get this stated on July 20, 2026. Move very fast, get ahead, ensure that the flag is planted, such that while also making some efforts in artificial intelligence — win exponentially at human intelligence. It possible to have a deliverable on the project by August, 2026.

The research into human intelligence will have three components, a conceptual brain science, math and data visualization. Aspects can be underscored by the postulate in Conceptual Biomarkers and Theoretical Biological Factors for Psychiatric and Intelligence Nosology.

Just to get ahead and do what no one has done. Human intelligence research lab. This is simply not an anti-AI lab, to ignore or refuse AI, but to basically work on how to define human intelligence in the brain, to make a lot of difference.

Also, even if students are cheating with AI, why does human intelligence seem susceptible to doing so, what can be understood about how to improve it, to stay ahead in the future? Human intelligence research lab, to know how the brain works intelligence.

There is a recent [June 28, 2026] report on EL PAÍS, Professor denounces mass AI fraud on an exam at Brown University: ‘Academic integrity is at risk’, stating that, “The temptation to use artificial intelligence (AI) to cheat is shaking up elite universities in the United States. Professor Roberto Serrano, who is the Harrison S. Kravis University Professor of Economics at Brown University, has detected a massive fraud in one of the classes he teaches, ECON 1170, an advanced undergraduate course in mathematical economics. He has conclusive evidence that at least 50 students cheated on the March midterm exam, making it the biggest known scandal at Brown and in the entire Ivy League, which brings together the East Coast’s eight most elite private universities, including Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth College and University of Pennsylvania.”

“Artificial intelligence is altering century-old traditions at America’s most elite universities. Princeton, for instance, has decided to end a practice that had been upheld for 133 years: from now on, professors will proctor in-person exams. This hadn’t been the case since 1893, when an Honor Code went into effect by which all students pledged not to cheat: the teacher would hand over the exam, leave the room, and walk back in to pick up the tests at the end. If anybody cheated, it would be up to other students to report it.”

David Stephen does research in conceptual brain science and served as a visiting scholar in medical entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He did computer vision research at Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona.

See more breaking stories here.

Investment of more than €100 million will double Tyndall’s footprint and strengthen Ireland’s semiconductor and research capabilities

During a visit to Tyndall National Institute based at University College Cork (UCC) to mark the commencement of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Taoiseach Micheál Martin and the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD, today announced a major expansion of the institute, marking a significant milestone for Ireland’s research, innovation and semiconductor ambitions.

€100 million for Tyndall National Institute expansion

The Government has approved the exchequer funding required for the project and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is now providing approval for UCC to enter into a contract with the preferred contractor to deliver the development.

The project will more than double the physical size and footprint of Tyndall National Institute through the construction of a new 17,500 square metre state-of-the-art facility adjacent to the existing institute in Cork.

The new development will include advanced laboratories, specialist research facilities, collaborative innovation spaces and enhanced facilities to support engagement with industry partners, start-ups and enterprise clients. The project is set to be delivered in Q4, 2028.

Speaking in Cork today, the Taoiseach said: “This major investment demonstrates the Government’s commitment to ensuring Ireland remains at the forefront of research, innovation and advanced technology. Tyndall National Institute is a nationally significant asset that plays a critical role in connecting world-class research with industry and enterprise. This expansion will strengthen Ireland’s position in strategically important sectors, including semiconductors, and support economic growth and job creation for years to come.”

Minister James Lawless TD said: “Today’s announcement is another important step in delivering on Ireland’s ambition to be a global leader in research and innovation. Funded through the Government’s INSPIRE programme, this investment will expand Tyndall’s world-class research infrastructure and strengthen Ireland’s capabilities in strategically important areas such as semiconductors and digital technologies.

“Tyndall has built an outstanding reputation for translating research excellence into real-world impact through strong partnerships with industry and academia. This investment will build on that success, supporting new collaborations, developing talent and creating opportunities for innovation that will benefit our economy and society for years to come.”

Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke TD said: “I welcome today’s announcement of the major expansion plan for Tyndall National Institute. It marks another step forward in delivering Silicon Island: Ireland’s National Semiconductor Strategy, which aims to strengthen our research capacity, develop a robust national talent pipeline and deepen industry partnerships across the semiconductor sector.

“Tyndall already makes a significant contribution to Ireland’s RD&I capability and competitiveness within the semiconductor ecosystem, a sector of strategic importance to both Ireland and the EU. This investment will cement Ireland’s position as a European and global leader in semiconductor RD&I, spanning the full value chain and supporting the use of semiconductors to drive the green and digital transitions.”

President of UCC Professor John O’Halloran said: “This investment aligns with our ambitious UCC Futures strategy, in which Quantum and Photonics forms a key pillar. We are deeply appreciative of the Government’s support for this vision, which will attract the very best global talent to develop the next generation of semiconductor technology in a world-class facility here at UCC in Cork.”

Established in 2004 as a partnership between the Irish Government and University College Cork, Tyndall National Institute is Ireland’s largest dedicated research institute and one of Europe’s leading centres for information and communications technology research.

The institute plays a central role in Ireland’s semiconductor ecosystem, working with leading global technology companies as well as a broad range of Irish enterprises. It also supports the development of highly skilled researchers and graduates, helping to build the talent pipeline required by the sector.

The expansion project has been developed in response to growing demand for Tyndall’s facilities and expertise. Capacity constraints at the existing site have increasingly limited opportunities for growth and expansion, particularly as Ireland seeks to build on its strengths in semiconductors and other deep-tech sectors.

Professor William Scanlon, CEO, Tyndall, said: “This investment marks a major milestone for Tyndall and for Ireland’s wider research and innovation landscape. It reflects the Government’s strong commitment to ensuring Ireland remains globally competitive in strategically important areas such as semiconductors and advanced technologies.

“Tyndall’s campus expansion is a key pillar of our Tyndall 2030 strategy and underpins our ambition to strengthen Europe’s leadership?in light of?the proposed EU tech sovereignty package, including Chips Act 2.0. By significantly expanding our capacity, this new facility will support future growth, deepen our engagement with industry and enterprise, and strengthen Ireland’s ability to develop the talent and research excellence needed to drive economic impact and long-term resilience.”

The new facility will provide the additional research infrastructure needed to support future growth and will reinforce Tyndall’s position as a national focal point for research, innovation and industry collaboration. The project aligns closely with a range of institutional, regional, national and international strategies and will support enterprise development, economic competitiveness and the continued growth of Ireland’s higher education and research system.

Construction is expected to commence following contract finalisation, with the project representing one of the most significant investments in Irish research infrastructure in recent years.

See more breaking stories here.

Ireland secures €10 million investment to launch national gateway to Europe’s AI network

New AIF IRL-Antenna initiative will provide Irish businesses, researchers and public sector organisations with direct access to Europe’s leading AI infrastructure, expertise and innovation networks
Ireland has secured €10 million in joint European and Irish Government funding to establish the AIF IRL-Antenna, a major national initiative that will accelerate artificial intelligence adoption and innovation across Ireland while strengthening the country’s position within Europe’s rapidly expanding AI ecosystem.

New Irish gateway to Europe’s AI network

The initiative is supported by the Irish Government through the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS), alongside European funding provided through EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU), Europe’s leading high-performance computing and AI infrastructure initiative.

Led by the Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC) at University of Galway, in partnership with CeADAR, Ireland’s Centre for AI, the AIF IRL-Antenna will serve as Ireland’s national access point to Europe’s advanced AI and high-performance computing infrastructure. The initiative will provide startups, SMEs, researchers and public sector organisations with streamlined access to world-class AI resources, technical expertise, training programmes and innovation support.

The initiative forms part of a broader European effort led through EuroHPC to strengthen AI excellence, foster innovation and ensure that businesses, researchers and public sector organisations across member states can benefit from access to cutting-edge AI technologies and infrastructure.

The investment represents a major opportunity for Irish organisations to access the advanced computing capabilities required to develop, test and deploy AI solutions at scale. Through the AIF IRL-Antenna, organisations will be able to engage with Europe’s growing network of AI Factories and high-performance computing facilities, enabling them to accelerate innovation, improve competitiveness and build AI capabilities that support long-term economic growth.

A particular focus of the AIF IRL-Antenna will be supporting Irish startups and SMEs, helping them overcome barriers to AI adoption by providing access to computing resources and specialist expertise that would otherwise be beyond reach for many growing businesses. By lowering these barriers, the initiative aims to accelerate the development of new products, services and business models powered by AI.

The programme will also support researchers and public sector organisations in developing responsible, scalable AI solutions that address societal and economic challenges while promoting trustworthy and ethical AI practices.

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless said: “The launch of the AI Factory Antenna marks an important step forward for Ireland’s digital future. By bringing together businesses, researchers and public sector organisations, it will help create an environment where innovation can thrive and where organisations of all sizes can access the support, they need to make the most of AI.

“This collaborative approach will strengthen Ireland’s position internationally, helping us remain competitive, attract talent and build on our reputation as a leader in innovation and digital technologies.
“The AI Factory Antenna also demonstrates the value of European collaboration. I would like to acknowledge the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking for its leadership in advancing this initiative, and thank our project partners in France and Luxembourg for their commitment and cooperation.”

ICHEC Director Prof. J.-C. Desplat commented that: “The AIF IRL-Antenna leverages Ireland’s leading Centres for Advanced Computing and Artificial Intelligence to streamline access to EU sovereign AI platforms and services, and to promote their adoption within the Irish start-up and scale-up ecosystem. The partnership involves seven regional innovation hubs, which ensures that all companies can equally benefit, irrespective of their location.”

CeADAR CEO Dr John Lonsdale said ‘CeADAR provides applied AI support to companies across Ireland and is delighted to be working with ICHEC to deliver the AIF IRL-Antenna programme, providing access for Irish businesses to first class AI resources, helping them innovative, grow and be competitive on the world stage’.

Interim VP of Research and Innovation Aengus Parsons, said “University of Galway is proud to support ICHEC as it leads this national initiative to bring AI infrastructure and services to Ireland’s innovation ecosystem. Building on ICHEC’s established track record in delivering advanced computing at national and European level, this work places Ireland at the forefront of the European AI Factories network – and reflects the University’s own mission to deliver education and research with profound impact. We look forward to supporting ICHEC, Government and our national partners as they ensure businesses, researchers, and the public sector can harness this capability for the benefit of communities across Ireland and beyond.”

The launch of the AIF IRL-Antenna reinforces Ireland’s commitment to becoming a leading European hub for AI innovation and digital transformation. By strengthening connections between industry, academia, government and European partners, the initiative will help position Ireland at the forefront of the next generation of AI-driven economic and societal transformation, ensuring that Ireland plays a central role in shaping responsible, inclusive and high-impact AI development across Europe.

For more information, visit AIFactory.ie.

The AIF IRL-Antenna is funded by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) and the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU).

See more breaking stories here.

Vodafone Ireland, in partnership with the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO), has successfully tested the integration of satellite technology for emergency and public service organisations.

Delivered under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the OGCIO, the technology would keep emergency services running during severe weather events or major outages, when mobile networks can be impacted by disruption to their power supply.

New Satellite Tech to keep emergency services connected

The trial, part of ongoing collaboration between Vodafone and the OGCIO on mission-critical communications (MCx), included a successful live test call on Clare Island, Co. Mayo — a first of its kind in Europe. The demonstration, carried out in partnership with Satellite Connect Europe, connecting to AST SpaceMobile’s satellite constellation, demonstrated how satellite connectivity on a standard smartphone could support voice and broadband data services for frontline responders when integrated with Ireland’s emergency communications environment and traditional coverage may be unavailable.

The satellite-enabled MCx group call was made by representatives of Vodafone and OGCIO to David Lund, Coordinator of the European Union Critical Communications Service (EUCCS) in the UK, marking a significant milestone not just for Ireland, but for the evolution of emergency communications across Europe.

Clare Island has played a central role in Vodafone Ireland’s satellite testing programme, including Ireland’s first mobile video call via satellite earlier this year. Its unique terrain makes it an ideal real-world environment for testing how satellite-enabled communications technologies can support rural communities and critical national infrastructure.

The trial showed how satellite connectivity can help maintain communications at all times, supporting access to 999 and 112 emergency services — regardless of mobile provider — as well as blue light organisations such as police, fire and ambulance services. Satellite technology provides an additional layer of connectivity alongside terrestrial networks, helping ensure that the public and emergency responders can stay connected when it matters most.

As Vodafone Ireland marks 25 years in the country, it continues to invest in strengthening national digital infrastructure, including a recent €360 million investment in network and digital capabilities.

Vodafone Ireland secured the country’s first test and trial licence for direct-to-device satellite technology and is working closely with ComReg on the necessary regulatory frameworks to support rollout to customers and emergency services.

Sheila Kavanagh, Network Director, Vodafone Ireland, said:

“Communication is critical for emergency services, particularly during extreme weather or in more remote parts of the country. Through our Memorandum of Understanding with Government and ongoing collaboration with key public sector partners, we’re focused on strengthening the resilience of Ireland’s communications infrastructure. By integrating satellite technology with next-generation systems like MCX, we are adding an additional layer to our network, helping to ensure frontline teams can stay connected and respond effectively in all scenarios. We’re now progressing further technical and regulatory engagement, with the ambition of bringing satellite?broadband?connectivity to customers as soon as possible.”

Meredith Sharples, Managing Director of Satellite Connect Europe (SatCo) added:

“We believe satellite connectivity will play a critical role for emergency services in Europe. D2D Satellite is unique in being able to meet universal coverage requirements and support the delivery of truly seamless critical communication and operational mobility across Europe. This technical demonstration by Vodafone Ireland is another step towards providing reliable, resilient coverage in areas traditional terrestrial infrastructure alone cannot reach.”

Jim Leahy, Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO), said:
“Strengthening the resilience of Ireland’s communications infrastructure is a key priority for Government. This collaboration with Vodafone Ireland shows how technologies like satellite can support continuity of service and improve coordination in challenging scenarios.”

Vodafone is Ireland’s leading total communications provider, serving over 2.4 million customers nationwide and employing more than 2,000 people directly and indirectly across Ireland. This year, Vodafone Ireland marks 25 years in Ireland, reflecting a long?standing commitment to connecting people, businesses and communities.

See more breaking stories here.

NB this is from Amazon’s perspective, and we are running this to present their point of view, but we are happy to hear from other perspectives also. This is not a paid-for article either, and the opinions expressed are those of Amazon, and not Irish TechNews.

For more than two decades, Amazon has been growing its presence in Ireland – delivering for  customers, creating thousands of jobs, and investing in communities across the country. €25 Billion actually spent, or necessary infrastructure?

A €25 Billion Commitment to Ireland?

Here’s how Amazon is contributing to Ireland’s economy.

1. We’re making significant long-term investments in Ireland

Amazon’s commitment to Ireland continues to grow. In 2025 alone, Amazon invested more than €3  billion in Ireland, including the launch of Amazon.ie, as well as infrastructure investments and  compensation to our employees. These investments span our fulfilment operations, distribution  network, data centres, corporate offices, cutting-edge connectivity infrastructure (such as our  “Fastnet” subsea cable) and Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite network, Leo. All these projects  together reinforce Ireland’s position as a key hub for Amazon’s European operations. Amazon has  also invested in our local community through initiatives with Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA),  Regional Creatives Fund and various Amazon Community Funds.

2. We’re creating jobs and supporting local employment

Amazon employs around 6,500 people across Ireland, with an extended workforce of 10,000 people  working in our corporate and operations sites. As our operations grow, so too does the demand for  local suppliers, service providers, and skilled workers across the country. As a significant employer in  Ireland, we provide a range of roles from entry-level positions to highly-skilled jobs, including  operations managers, data engineers, film producers, and finance professionals, through to health  and safety specialists and picking, packing, and shipping associates. This, in turn, reflects the  diversity of our business in Ireland, which spans Amazon retail, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Prime,  Amazon Studios, and Amazon Leo, our satellite broadband network.

3. We’re innovating for customers and connecting communities

Amazon is investing in world class infrastructure that will benefit Ireland and Europe for decades to  come.

Amazon.ie – A dedicated store for Irish customers

In March 2025, we launched Amazon.ie, a dedicated Irish store offering customers access to  hundreds of millions of products with fast delivery, easy returns, and local customer service.

Expanding fulfilment capacity in Ireland

Amazon’s fulfilment centre in Baldonnell, Dublin, has grown rapidly since opening in 2022. With 200  new jobs created in 2026 alone, the fulfilment centre supports over 700 roles, with plans to hire  additional team members this year. Together with delivery stations in Rathcoole and Ballycoolin, the  site is enabling wider selection and faster delivery across Ireland seven days a week, including one day delivery on hundreds of thousands of items.

Amazon Leo satellite gateway in Cork

Amazon is building a satellite gateway facility at the National Space Centre in Cork as part of Amazon  Leo (formerly Project Kuiper), a low Earth orbit satellite constellation designed to bring fast, reliable  internet beyond the reach of existing networks.

Fastnet: A new transatlantic subsea cable landing in Cork

Amazon is also investing in Fastnet – a state-of-the-art transatlantic subsea fibre-optic cable system  connecting County Cork in Ireland to Maryland in the United States. This investment will enhance  Ireland’s digital connectivity and meet rising demand for cloud computing and artificial intelligence  (AI).

Amazon South West Cork Community Fund

The first-ever Amazon South West Cork Community Fund is supporting 22 community-led projects  with grants of up to €10,000, spanning STEM education, sustainability, health, and community  development across the region.

Peatland Finance Initiative

Amazon’s Right Now Climate Fund committed €495,000 to develop a new Peatland Standard for  Ireland, enabling farmers and landowners to fund restoration projects through verified ecosystem  certificates. With 700,000 hectares of degraded peatlands in the country, the initiative has the  potential to significantly boost Ireland’s climate resilience.

Tackling energy poverty with EnergyCloud

Through a collaboration with not-for-profit EnergyCloud Ireland, Amazon is helping tackle energy  poverty by equipping low-income households with smart heating devices that harness surplus wind  energy to provide free hot water. Launched in 2023 with 1,000 households in Fingal, Dublin, the  programme expanded in 2025 to reach a further 500 families.

Supporting the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA)

Amazon supports the GAA through Glór na nÓg (Voice of the Youth), a Community Funding Initiative  which delivered €85,000 in funding for training equipment and club improvements across GAA,  Ladies Gaelic Football Association, and Camogie clubs nationwide. Amazon is supporting the  initiative again in 2026 with a further €100,000 donation.

Regional Creatives Fund Ireland

Amazon launched the Regional Creatives Fund Ireland, offering grants of up to €20,000 to charities  helping people from underrepresented backgrounds pursue creative careers. Inaugural recipients  include Cork Midsummer Festival and the Galway Film Fleadh.

Amazon Literary Partnership

Now in its seventh year, the Amazon Literary Partnership continues to provide grants to literary  organisations that inspire and champion writers across Ireland and the UK. In 2024, the partnership  expanded to support groups in Ireland for the first time, helping to amplify diverse voices and  engage children with expressing themselves through writing.

Data Centre Technician Course at Technical University Dublin

Amazon has partnered with Technological University Dublin and Drogheda Institute of Further  Education to develop a Data Centre Technician programme, preparing participants for technical roles  in Ireland’s growing data centre sector. The programme which includes paid internship opportunities  is designed in conjunction with Amazon experts, and Amazon is providing 40 scholarships each year  to allow participants to complete the programme free of fees.

See more breaking stories here.

Bank of Ireland and Google have announced a new partnership that will provide up to 10,000 Google AI Professional Certificate scholarships to Bank of Ireland’s SME customers.

Up to 10,000 fully funded scholarships for the Google AI Professional Certificate are available at no cost to Bank of Ireland’s SME customers through the ‘Grow with Google’ programme. The partnership marks a major step in supporting the digital capabilities of Ireland’s SMEs, equipping them with practical tools to harness artificial intelligence (AI) and compete in the digital economy.

A new ‘SME AI Academy’ will promote the scholarships on Bank of Ireland’s Thinkbusiness.ie platform. It also features practical guides for SMEs and case studies on early AI adopters.

Commenting on the new partnership, Derek McDermott, Director of Everyday Lending, Bank of Ireland said:

“SMEs need accessible, user-friendly tools to build their AI capability and confidence. By providing up to 10,000 Google AI scholarships we can ensure practical and impactful AI support for our SME customers to really boost their business. Our SME AI Academy, hosted on Thinkbusiness.ie, is designed to equip businesses with the skills and knowledge that they need to thrive with AI. We look forward to working with Google to deliver this support to businesses across Ireland over the coming months.”

Vanessa Hartley, Head of Google Ireland:

“Small and medium-sized businesses are fundamental to Ireland’s economy, creating jobs, driving innovation and strengthening communities across the country. Their success will be critical to ensuring Ireland thrives in the AI era. At Google, we’ve been supporting Irish SMEs with digital skills for more than 20 years and we are committed to helping businesses build the AI skills they need to continue to succeed. Through this partnership with Bank of Ireland, we’re making AI training more accessible, helping up to 10,000 SMEs gain the practical skills, tools and confidence to adopt AI, boost productivity and unlock new opportunities for growth.”

The new AI supports will help Irish businesses build capabilities and prepare for the evolving regulatory landscape, including compliance obligations under the EU AI Act (effective 2 August). With the EU AI Act applicable for businesses of all sizes, SMEs are under increasing pressure to understand compliance requirements and responsibly deploy their AI.

The SME AI Academy is now live on ThinkBusiness.ie, and SMEs can apply for the AI scholarship here.

See more stories here.

Saros Consulting, an independent IT consultancy with headquarters in Dublin, has announced the results of new research which reveals that the average large organisation in Ireland spends €667K annually on zombie projects. A zombie project is a project that is effectively dead in terms of value, progress or strategic relevance, but continues to consume time, money and resources because nobody has formally stopped it.

The research is published in Saros’s CIO Strategy Report 2026. It was carried out by Censuswide on behalf of Saros and surveyed 200 IT decision-makers in organisations in Ireland with 250+ employees, exploring their attitudes towards IT strategy, governance and technology investment.

The findings suggest that weaknesses in IT strategy and leadership alignment may be contributing to the persistence of zombie projects. Almost one-in-five (18%) large organisations do not have an IT strategy in place, while only half of IT decision-makers believe their organisation’s IT strategy is ambitious.

Even among organisations with a strategy, confidence in its effectiveness remains mixed. One in seven respondents (14%) say their IT strategy is not up-to-date, while just two-thirds say leadership teams understand and know their organisation’s IT strategy.

The research also highlights the importance of strategic planning in technology investment decisions. Almost two-thirds (64%) of IT leaders say their IT strategy helps them to avoid investing in the wrong technologies, while 61% say it supports better decision-making. Despite this, organisations continue to spend significant sums on projects that no longer deliver value or align with business priorities.

Ray Armstrong, co-founder and co-CEO of Saros Consulting, said: “Zombie projects represent one of the biggest hidden costs for businesses in Ireland. Yet still, organisations continue to invest in initiatives that no longer align with business objectives because the perceived hassle of stopping them outweighs the cost of maintaining them. This could include explanations to the board, training their people on new systems, or the cumbersome processes involved in retiring software. However, over time, these projects consume budget and divert resources away from where they need to be.

“Businesses need to be willing to challenge existing investments and make difficult decisions where necessary. A clear and well-understood IT strategy can help organisations avoid investing in projects that no longer support their goals.”

Justin van der Spuy, co-founder and co-CEO of Saros Consulting, said: “The persistence of zombie projects highlights a wider challenge. When Irish organisations continue funding projects that are no longer delivering value, they not only increase costs but also create debt and risk. What is needed now is greater visibility into where technology budgets are being spent and whether that spending is strategic, or wasteful.

“Organisations who take a no-tolerance approach to outdated projects and ensure their IT strategy remains aligned with business objectives will be far better positioned to respond to changing market demands.”

See more stories here.

The European Commission decided to refer Ireland, Spain, France and the Netherlands to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to notify measures transposing the NIS2 Directive on securing network and information systems (Directive (EU) 2022/2555) into national law.

The Directive strengthens EU cybersecurity by setting high standards for entities operating in 18 critical sectors, including health, energy, transport, and the public sector. Its full implementation is key to improving the EU’s resilience and the incident response capacity of public and private entities operating in these critical sectors, and of the EU as a whole.

Member States had until 17 October 2024 to transpose the Directive. While most complied, Spain, France, Ireland and the Netherlands have yet to notify full transposition. The Commission sent letters of formal notice on 28 November 2024 and reasoned opinions on 7 May 2025. The referrals include a request to the Court to impose financial sanctions, consisting of a lump sum and daily penalties until notification of complete transposition.

Background

Cybersecurity involves protecting network and information systems, users and affected individuals from cyber incidents and threats. As cyber threats grow, the NIS2 Directive requires Member States to strengthen their cybersecurity capabilities and introduce risk-management measures and incident-reporting obligations for entities in 18 critical sectors.

On 20 January 2026, as part of a cybersecurity package, the Commission proposed targeted amendments to the NIS2 Directive to provide greater legal clarity. The amendments  make it easier for companies operating in the EU to comply with cybersecurity rules and risk-management requirements.

See more stories here.

Dedalus Ireland has officially opened its new Irish headquarters at Northwood Business Park, Dublin, at an event attended by Peter Burke TD, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, alongside Michael Lohan, CEO, IDA Ireland, and Counsellor Edoardo Berionni Berna, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Italy in Ireland.
The opening marks a significant milestone in Dedalus’s continued growth and long-term investment in Ireland, further strengthening the company’s capabilities in support of both the Irish and wider European healthcare systems.

The new Irish headquarters follows the announcement last December by Taoiseach Micheál Martin that Dedalus, Europe’s leading healthcare software provider, will create 100 new high-value jobs in Ireland over the next four years as part of a €10 million Irish expansion strategy. The investment, supported by IDA Ireland, underscores Dedalus’s long-term commitment to Ireland as a strategic hub for digital health innovation and delivery.

Dedalus has partnered with the Irish health system for more than 30 years. Its technologies support hospitals and healthcare organisations nationwide across areas including electronic patient records, laboratory systems, diagnostics, patient administration, clinical interoperability and patient engagement portals.

The company’s ongoing expansion in Ireland includes a strong focus on roles in research, development and innovation which are central to the evolving digital health ecosystem. This investment is helping grow Ireland-based expertise and capacity to support both the domestic healthcare landscape and wider European operations from Ireland.

As part of its recruitment and talent development strategy, Dedalus is partnering with Generation Ireland, a non-profit organisation supporting people seeking careers in the technology and green sectors.

The expansion is progressed in collaboration with the indigenous digital health sector, the HSE and hospital networks nationwide, helping to strengthen Ireland’s broader digital health and innovation ecosystem.

Officially opening the company’s new Irish headquarters, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke TD said:
“I am delighted to officially open Dedalus’s new Irish headquarters, a significant milestone that reflects both the company’s confidence in Ireland and our growing reputation as a global hub for digital innovation.

“Dedalus’s €10 million investment and commitment to creating 100 high-value jobs is a strong endorsement of the exceptional talent and expertise available here. As healthcare systems increasingly embrace digital technologies to improve patient outcomes and service delivery, companies like Dedalus are playing an important role in driving that transformation. I wish the team every success as they continue to grow their operations in Ireland and contribute to the future of healthcare innovation both here and across Europe.”

Speaking at the opening, Michael Lohan, CEO, IDA Ireland, said:
“IDA Ireland’s mid-year results released last week demonstrate the continued strength of Ireland’s proposition and the confidence global companies have in this country as a location to establish, scale and transform. Dedalus’s decision to expand its operations here is a clear example of that confidence. This investment aims to create high-quality roles, strengthen Ireland’s digital health capabilities, and enhance our position as a centre of excellence for healthcare technology and innovation.”

Cathy McCartan, Executive Director, Dedalus Ireland, said:
“The opening of our new Irish headquarters marks an exciting new chapter for Dedalus in Ireland. Following the Taoiseach’s announcement of our €10 million Irish expansion strategy, this reflects our continued commitment to Ireland as a key location for innovation, talent and growth. We are proud of our long-standing partnership with the Irish healthcare system and remain committed to supporting its digital transformation, contributing to Dedalus’s wider European operations from our growing Irish base.”

See more stories here.

Dublin-based creative studio, The Studio of Possible, has supported global data productivity platform, Matillion, in delivering its most successful Snowflake Summit presence to date, helping generate more than 7,400 leads and engage approximately one in every three event attendees.

The agency worked alongside Matillion to create and deliver the brand’s flagship experience at Snowflake Summit 2026, one of the world’s largest and most influential events for the data and AI sector.

The project encompassed strategic concept development, creative direction, stand experience design, visitor engagement, live activations and executive-level experiences, all centred around Matillion’s AI-powered productivity assistant, MAIA.

Designed to help Matillion stand out in an increasingly crowded data and AI marketplace, the experience was built around the theme of ‘freedom to do more’, bringing to life how MAIA helps data teams remove manual processes, reduce friction and accelerate business outcomes.

At the heart of the activation was the MAIA Challenge, an interactive buzzwire-style experience that invited delegates to race against MAIA while exploring some of the most common challenges facing modern data teams.

Alongside the challenge, The Studio of Possible developed a wider experiential ecosystem that included roaming MAIA Beekeepers, premium branded merchandise and The Hive – a dedicated executive engagement space where senior decision-makers could participate in personalised AI-powered demonstrations tailored to their own organisational challenges.

The activation helped Matillion generate more than 7,400 leads across the four-day event, while The Hive hosted more than 130 personalised executive sessions.

The project also contributed to Matillion securing the Snowflake Summit ‘Most Creative Build’ award for the third consecutive year.

The success of the project highlights the growing importance of experiential marketing within B2B technology sectors, where businesses increasingly compete not only on product capability, but on their ability to communicate complex ideas quickly and memorably.

Séamus Begley, Founder and CEO of The Studio of Possible, said: “Data and AI are incredibly competitive sectors, so brands need to work harder than ever to stand out.

“Our role was to turn Matillion’s complex proposition into an experience people could understand, engage with and remember. The MAIA Challenge was built around real challenges facing data leaders and engineers, allowing attendees to experience the value of MAIA in seconds.

“Matillion’s willingness to think differently made them an exciting partner. They understand that live experiences should educate, spark meaningful conversations and support commercial outcomes.

“The results at Snowflake Summit show the impact of combining strategic thinking, creative storytelling and experience design to help ambitious brands cut through crowded markets.”

Duncan Garside, Vice President of Global Event, Field and Partner Marketing at Matillion, added: “Our partnership with The Studio of Possible has lasted more than 20 years and I still don’t think there is a better creative mind or genuinely brilliant partner in the business.

“Their creative ideation, delivery and onsite management helped deliver our best event yet. The experience successfully brought the MAIA proposition to life, created incredible engagement and helped us connect with thousands of potential customers throughout the event.”

The Studio of Possible has partnered with Matillion for the past four years, supporting the business across major global events including Snowflake Summit and Databricks through campaigns, experiential marketing, interactive educational tools and brand activations.

Founded in Dublin in 2021, The Studio of Possible specialises in helping ambitious organisations translate complex propositions into compelling brand experiences that drive engagement, understanding and commercial growth.

A podcast with Seamus Begley, will be published later this week.

See more stories here.

Guest post by Dane Hudson, who is a former 25-year global CEO. Discipline Beats Vision: How to Be the Leader Your Company Needs (Wiley, 2026) is his first book. See more about the book here.

The Optimism Trap: When the Vision That Launched Your Company Starts Derailing It

Every founder I have ever mentored has had it, that absolute belief that their idea will work. You cannot start a company without it. Optimism is the fuel that gets you through an investor rejection, a product failure, a key person walking out the door. It inspires you and your team to work ridiculous hours with low pay to create a legacy.

However, the surprise is that the same optimism that launched your company can become the thing that derails it.

I call it the Optimism Trap.

Why Optimism Becomes Dangerous, Discipline Beats Vision

Across twenty-five years as a CEO and six years mentoring more than 150 founder CEOs, I have watched brilliant founders hit invisible walls. They may have got to a place with significant funding, a large team and some foundation clients piloting the product. And yet they are working 18-hour days and the business is stalling.

The pattern is almost always the same. The founder is solving today’s problems with yesterday’s leadership skills.

In the early days, the business is essentially a mirror of the founder. Small team, shared background, aligned on the vision. Leadership at that stage is technical. Build the product, test it, fix it, repeat. Founders enjoy this and are brilliant at it.

But as the business grows, from ten people to fifty to a hundred and beyond, everything changes. The organisation now needs someone who can build accountable teams, lead functions outside their expertise, and manage investors and boards. These are not technical skills, they are leadership skills. And most founders have never had to develop them before.

The Optimism Trap kicks in when a founder’s confidence in their vision stops them from seeing that leadership gap. They keep backing themselves, believing the next hire, the next funding round, the next product update will fix the underlying problem. But the underlying problem is not the product, it is that their leadership has not scaled. They remain a technician, a specialist, rather than the disciplined leader that the company needs.

What the Trap Looks Like in Practice

It shows up in recognisable ways. The founder who cannot stop micromanaging talented people, involving themselves in every decision. The one who keeps resolving operational issues personally because there is no time to build the systems that would prevent them. The one who has to wear more hats as their best people leave quietly, frustrated by an undisciplined leadership environment.

None of this is a vision or product problem. All of it is a leadership problem.

How to Break Through the Optimism Trap

The good news is that recognising your need to change is most of the battle. Here are four habits that will help:

• Build a weekly reflection practice. At the end of each week, find fifteen minutes to put a pragmatic lens on how the business is tracking. Not how you hope things are going or the narrative you would give an investor. Ask yourself honestly: what am I missing right now? With that insight, do something different on Monday.
• Assign someone on your team to take the contrarian view. In your weekly leadership team meeting, nominate one person whose job is to poke holes in your plans. Challenge the assumptions and stress-test the optimism. Rotate the role, because it is not a comfortable seat to sit in for long.
• Get a mentor who will tell you the truth. Not a constant cheerleader.  Find someone who has led a business through the stages you are about to enter, and who is willing to ask you the questions you are not asking yourself. A good mentor is the fastest shortcut to closing your own blind spots.
• Create a leadership scorecard, not just a business scorecard. Most founders track the right business measures. However, almost none track their own leadership development with the same rigour. Set two or three specific leadership behaviours you are building each month and review them with the same discipline you apply to your commercial metrics. What gets measured gets improved.

Vision gets a company started. Discipline is what scales it. The founders who break through the Optimism Trap are the ones who match their ambition with an equal commitment to growing as a disciplined leader.

About the Author

Dane Hudson is a former 25-year global CEO. Since stepping away from the corporate world, he has mentored more than 150 CEOs and founders and deployed his Impactful Leadership Framework with over a thousand leaders. As founder of Impactful Leadership, Dane mentors CEOs, develops leadership teams and delivers keynote speeches. Discipline Beats Vision: How to Be the Leader Your Company Needs Starting Monday (Wiley, 2026) is his first book.

See more breaking stories here.

Almost six in ten (59%) Irish employees are leaving themselves and their employers vulnerable to hackers by using the same passwords across their personal and work online accounts. Of these one in five (18%) admit to always doing so.

And almost one in six (15%) Irish workers have potentially increased cybersecurity risks for their employers by sharing their work login details or passwords with someone outside their organisation – such as a friend, family member or partner.

Cybersecurity trends to watch

This is according to new research from the leading Irish insurance broker, Gallagher and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), which surveyed the cybersecurity habits of 500 employees in Irish businesses.

Headline findings from the Gallagher research reveal that:

• Only around one-fifth (18%) of Irish workers say they never use the same or similar passwords for personal and work online accounts. (see Table 1 in Appendix)
• Almost one in four (24%) have forwarded, copied or downloaded company data to a personal device or storage account (see Table 3 in Appendix)
• Around one in six (16%) have worked from abroad without notifying or getting approval from their employer (see Table 4 in Appendix).

Commenting on the date, Michael Cunningham, Head of Financial Lines at Gallagher, said: “Our survey shows that employees are often the weakest link when it comes to cybersecurity in the workplace due to poor habits around, and lax attitude towards, IT security. The use by employees of weak or reused passwords, the sharing of work login details or passwords, and the downloading of company data to a personal device can all substantially increase the risk of cyberattacks to a company.

“While the reuse of passwords might make life more convenient, this is a risky practice. If a worker gets caught out by hackers while using the internet, the reuse of passwords means they may have just handed them the keys to not only their own personal online accounts, but also their employers. As well as ensuring they have cyber insurance should something go wrong, firms need to educate workers and put policies in place to help guide them on what is and isn’t acceptable.

“The finding that one in six Irish employees have worked from abroad without telling their boss is also worrying as doing so could substantially increase cybersecurity risks and expose company data to unregulated Wi-Fi networks and increase the chances of loss or theft of a work device.”

Employee response to potential cyber threats

According to the Gallagher survey, many employees would delay alerting their employer to an incident that could undermine cybersecurity as when asked how they would act if they received a suspicious email or lost a work device, nearly a quarter (24%) said they wouldn’t report it immediately – if they reported it at all.

Commenting on this aspect of the research, Mr Cunningham said: “Unfortunately, the vigilance of the majority could be undermined by the actions of a few – so it’s a concern that almost a quarter of Irish employees would be slow to report such incidents. The rise in recent years of the numbers of people working from home has likely led to increased cyber vulnerabilities for employers, as people may be more inclined to let their guard down on personal and working devices when in the comfort of their home.

“While many employees may simply be unaware of the extent, and potential severity, of cyber risks, the repercussions that cyber-attacks can have on businesses should not be underestimated. Businesses can face substantial hits to their profit, or even bankruptcy, after a cyber-attack. So, it’s incumbent on all employers to make their workers aware of risks facing companies today, and employees also have to play their part.

“A company could invest a lot of money in strong cyber-security and data protection measures, only to have the actions of one employee see the firm subject to a major cyber-attack. Firms should engage the support of a specialist insurance broker who can advise them how to protect against the fall out of cyber issues.”

Top 10 cybersecurity tips for employees

To ensure an employee doesn’t compromise their employer’s IT security, Gallagher is advising workers to take the following steps:

1. Regularly change passwords for online accounts. Use strong passwords and don’t reuse passwords across multiple accounts, including across work and personal accounts.
2. Make sure adequate security and anti-virus software are on your PC and other devices, such as iPads or smartphones.
3. Avoid clicking on links from social media or pop-up ads when on a work device; instead, type the website address directly into your browser.
4. Regularly update software on your work and personal computers as updates often include security patches that address vulnerabilities and this in turn could potentially prevent cyber-attacks and data breaches.
5. Don’t access sensitive company information when on a public internet network – such as when in coffee shops, airports and hotels.  While it might seem convenient, you’re more vulnerable to scams when using a public internet network – and confidential data could fall into the wrong hands if you transfer it over such a network. Be particularly wary of a public network that’s password free.
6. Never forward, copy or download company data to a personal device or storage account.
7. Never share work login details or passwords with someone outside your organisation, no matter how much you trust them.
8. Always notify your employer if you are working abroad and take additional security precautions.
9. Set an auto-lock timer for your screen so that it locks when you’re away from it, even if working from home.
10. Do not allow family members or friends to use your work laptop or devices.

See more breaking stories here.

WrxFlo, the Irish AI-powered software company helping large industrial manufacturers and logistics businesses transform their operations, has raised €3 million in funding. The round was led by Elkstone, with participation from existing investors Furthr VC and Enterprise Ireland, as well as a number of angel investors.

The investment will accelerate WrxFlo’s expansion in the UK and United States, drive continued development of its AI-powered SaaS platform, and support the company’s ambition to grow from 60 to 200 employees by 2028.

Founded in Limerick in 2019 by former Dell manufacturing leaders Tim Crowe (CEO), Ken Sheehan (CTO) and Jennifer Kelly (COO), WrxFlo replaces the disconnected systems, spreadsheets and manual processes that prevent manufacturers and logistics companies from operating at full potential, giving teams a single, connected digital platform and an AI-powered co-worker that helps them cut waste, anticipate risk and make faster decisions – from isolated insights to intelligence everywhere.

The investment comes on the back of very strong commercial momentum for WrxFlo, which has more than doubled its annual recurring revenue (ARR) and grown its customer base internationally. The company now supports manufacturing and logistics spanning five global markets, including Ireland, UK, Germany, China and the USA. WrxFlo’s platform has helped clients reduce operational costs by up to 40% and improve productivity by 25% across their production lines.

Manufacturing software is a rapidly expanding category as industrial businesses face mounting pressure to increase digitalisation. WrxFlo is positioning itself at the intersection of two powerful trends – the digitalisation of industrial operations and the practical application of AI to everyday operational decision-making. The global smart manufacturing market is projected to reach US$996 billion by 2030, according to Markets and Markets.

Tim Crowe, co-founder and CEO of WrxFlo, said:

“We built WrxFlo from first-hand experience of running complex manufacturing and supply chain operations. We’ve walked in the shoes of our customers. We know how frustrating it is when systems don’t talk to each other and teams have to chase data just to understand what’s happening across the operation. WrxFlo connects those systems, applies AI to the data, and gives teams a digital co-worker that helps them remove waste, spot risks earlier and focus on the work that actually creates value.

This funding marks an important milestone. We are seeing strong demand from manufacturers looking to harness AI in practical, measurable ways – and with the backing of Elkstone, Furthr VC, Enterprise Ireland and our wider investor group, we are well positioned to accelerate our international growth.”

Niall McEvoy, Head of Venture at Elkstone said:

“We are delighted to back WrxFlo at this exciting stage of its journey. Manufacturers and logistics operators are under intense pressure to do more with less, yet many still rely on disconnected legacy systems and manual processes. The WrxFlo team brings rare, genuine operational experience together with a powerful, flexible platform that deploys quickly and adapts to each customer. We believe WrxFlo is poised to become a category-defining company in AI-enabled operations software.”

Richard Watson, Managing Partner at Furthr VC said:

“Having backed WrxFlo since their first round in 2022, we’ve seen this team consistently deliver on what they set out to do. They combine deep operational expertise and credibility with a platform that solves a real, expensive problem for manufacturing and logistics companies. Following-on in this round was an easy decision – WrxFlo has the team, the product and the market timing to be a leader in this space, and we’re proud to continue supporting their strong and accelerating international growth.”

See more stories here.

More than 140 senior business leaders and board members gathered at The Alex Hotel in Dublin recently for a special Institute of Directors (IoD) Ireland event, held in partnership with Dell Technologies, for a discussion on how AI is shaping long-term growth and competitiveness.

Taking place at a timely moment as Ireland prepares for its upcoming EU Presidency, the conversation also highlighted the opportunity to strengthen Ireland’s leadership in the responsible development and deployment of AI, while addressing the gap between adoption and formal strategy.

The conversation also underscored Ireland’s opportunity to lead in the responsible development and deployment of AI. That ambition is particularly relevant given recent IoD Ireland research, which found that 78% consider AI important or critical to competitiveness in their sector, and 61% of organisations have already implemented AI to some degree. Yet despite growing adoption, only 33% have a formal AI strategy in place.

The event featured a panel of expert speakers including Mary O’Connor, Chief Information Officer at ESB; Dr Barry Scannell, Member of the Government’s AI Advisory Council and Partner at William Fry; and Neil Bowden, AI Business Development Executive at Dell Technologies. The discussion was moderated by David Codd CDir, Non-Executive Director.

Speaking at the event, Colin Boyd, Data Centre Solutions Sales Director at Dell Technologies Ireland, said:

“AI isn’t a future concept anymore, it’s a boardroom priority. As Ireland takes up the EU Presidency, we’ve a real chance to show leadership in how AI is developed, governed and deployed responsibly, and to future-proof our own economy while we’re at it. One thing came through loud and clear: the conversation among Irish business leaders has shifted.

It’s no longer about whether you’ve adopted AI, but how well you’re turning it into real business value. The businesses seeing the greatest returns aren’t adopting AI for its own sake. They’re using it to solve real challenges and are driving productivity, empowering people, and unlocking new revenue.”

Caroline Spillane CDir, Chief Executive of IoD Ireland, said:

“AI is increasingly recognised by Irish leaders as a key driver of competitiveness. As Ireland commences the EU Presidency, it is encouraging to see competitiveness at the heart of the agenda. Effective AI governance will be critical to ensuring organisations can realise the benefits of AI while maintaining public trust and resilience. Through our AI Governance Toolkit and partnerships, such as this with Dell Technologies, we help directors strengthen AI oversight and equip boards to lead confidently in a rapidly evolving landscape”

For more information, visit: https://www.iodireland.ie/resources-media/media-hub/news/ai-impact-economic-growth-news

As various nations prepare for future lunar landings, interest in space exploration has never been greater especially in Ireland. In Cork the UCC Rocketry and Space Exploration Society which was founded last year has been very busy, launching 5 rockets. To find out more about what the UCC Rocketry and Space Exploration Society are doing and the Irish interest in space exploration I spoke to members of the UCC Rocketry and Space Exploration Society.

The members told me when they started the society, Ireland’s first flight computer, Mach-26 Rocketry competition, For All Mankind and more:

More about UCC Rocketry and Space Exploration Society:

Since being founded last year, they have launched 5 rockets. This includes Prometheus, their largest rocket yet which got  5th in the Mach-X Rocketry and Cansat Competition in their respective category.

Their current projects include:

Ireland’s first flight computer, recently test-launched in Portlaw, Waterford.

Liquid propellant motor, currently under construction for the Race 2 Space competition, where their design review ranked third in their category.

Ireland’s first two-stage rocket, scheduled to fly this summer in the Mach-26 Rocketry Competition.

See more podcasts here.

The Anker MagGo 3-in-1 wireless charging station is a compact, folding base which can keep your smartwatch, earphones and smartphone charged. Anker has sent us a review unit to take a look at, and we have been using it for the last few weeks to see how it performs.

Folded up, the device takes up barely any space and even when in use, its slimline design disappears behind the devices you are charging.

This means the device can be used in many situations and will work equally well as a travel companion, as a desktop charger or even on your nightstand.

Anker MagGo 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station Specs

• Wireless standard: Qi2
• Total wattage: 25W max
• Phone charging output: 15W max
• Apple Watch output: 5W max
• Earbuds / TWS output: 5W max
• Input: 12V/3A / 15V/2.66A / 9V/3A
• Apple Watch charging: Certified for Apple Watch fast charging
• Apple Watch speed: Apple Watch Series 9 from 0–30% in 22 minutes
• iPhone compatibility: iPhone 17/ 16 / 15 / 14 / 13 / 12 series
• Apple Watch compatibility: Apple Watch Series 10 / 9 / 8 / 7 / Ultra, plus Series 1–6
• AirPods compatibility: AirPods with wireless charging case
• Case compatibility: Works only with MagSafe-compatible cases
• Case thickness warning: Cases over 2.5mm or non-magnetic cases may reduce charging efficiency
• Safety features: ActiveShield 2.0 with temperature monitoring and electrical protection
• Included accessory: USB-C charging cable, Power adapter with swappable plug tops
• Recommended adapter: 40W adapter recommended for optimal charging; third-party adapter should support 36W+ PD
• Price on Anker at the time checked: €99.99

Day-to-Day Use

The Anker MagGo 3-1 wireless charging station has a very clever folding design, which leaves you with a very small device. You have 3 charging devices in something that will fit in the palm of your hand. From a travel point of view, when you don’t want to bring multiple power adapters and cables with you, this makes it an ideal device to throw in your bag.

The device itself is made from a durable white plastic, with each charging pad folding out via rubber straps, reminiscent of what you would find on a smartwatch. There is a single USB-C port on the back of the middle charging pad, and that’s the only connection you will need to charge 3 devices.

The charging pads feel solid and well-built. The white plastic is smooth in hand, but I do wonder if it will get a little grubby over time if this device is taken on the road with you all the time and thrown in and out of bags. Only time will tell, but it feels like it is built well enough to survive the rough and tumble anyway.

I travelled to a couple of events lately, and I took this charging station and the Anker 25,000 mAh Power Bank (which we recently reviewed here) with me, and with just these two devices packed, I could keep my smartphone, smartwatch, AirPods Pro and laptop charged both on the move and in the hotel at night. Packing so few devices actually made me keep thinking I had forgotten something, but the lighter and tidier backpack was very welcome.

While I have mainly used the MagGo 3-1 wireless charging station connected to the power bank, it also comes with a charging adapter, which has convenient swappable travel plugs included in the pack.

With 15-watt wireless charging for smartphones, it is not the fastest magnetic charger on the market, but it is certainly one of the most compact capable of charging 3 devices, so what you lose in speed, you gain in portability.

Each night before bed, I would top up my smartwatch quickly and then leave my phone and earphones charging while I slept so they were ready for the morning. I would then leave the watch charging while I was having breakfast, and I was all set for the day.

As I mentioned above, though, this device isn’t just suitable for when you are on the road. It works well on a desk in the office as it is compact, doesn’t take up a whole lot of space even when in use and can be easily tidied away when not.

Conclusion

It’s compact, well built, can charge many different devices, and importantly, it can charge 3 of them at a time. It allows you to carry only one device, and when paired with the power bank as I detailed above, you have a formidable combo for keeping all your devices charged from a very small footprint.

The Anker MagGo 3-1 Wireless Charging Station is available directly from Anker or on Amazon.ie now.

According to new provisional data from EirGrid, the month of June saw a record amount of solar energy on the power system, contributing 8.2% to the overall fuel mix. This compares to 7.8% in May and to 5.3% in June 2025.

The new figures show that overall, 42% of electricity came from renewable sources in June.

Contributing 30.7% of the overall fuel mix, wind energy made up a significant proportion of renewable energy for the month. Total generation of wind amounted to 821 GWh (Gigawatt hours).

Elsewhere in June, gas generation accounted for 40% of all electricity used and 17% was imported via interconnection.

The overall electricity system demand stood at 2,676 GWh in June, compared to 2,794 GWh in May.

As EirGrid balances supply and demand every minute of the day, it is also planning for Ireland’s long-term electricity needs.

EirGrid has recently published its new Corporate Strategy for the next five years. One of the Strategy’s four key pillars is ‘Transforming for Clean Energy’, which aims to enable much higher levels of renewable electricity, clean technologies and a more flexible power system.

As part of this, EirGrid is aiming to enable the power system to be capable of operating with up to 95% renewable sources at any one time by 2030 and 100% by 2035. Currently, up to 75% of electricity can be generated from renewables at any one time.

Charlie McGee, EirGrid’s System Operational Manager, said:

“June was yet another record month for the amount of solar energy powering the electricity system in Ireland.

“While this might have been expected given the sunny weather that we saw during the month, it is also reflective of the progress that we have made in integrating large grid-scale solar farms onto the system. It follows a number of other solar-related records so far this year, including reaching a peak of over 1 GW of electricity provided by grid-scale solar power.”

KPMG in Ireland today announced the shortlisted companies that will compete in the Ireland final of the KPMG Global Tech Innovator competition 2026. The competition, now in its sixth year, provides a platform to showcase the best of Ireland’s emerging tech innovators across diverse sectors.

The finalists were selected after evaluating a high volume of exceptional entries and will pitch their innovations and growth ambitions to an esteemed panel of judges: Cyril McGuire, Entrepreneur, Venture Capitalist, CEO, Infinity Capital; Colin Goulding, Vice President, Trust and Safety, Google; Caroline Gaynor, Partner, Lightstone Ventures and current Chair of the IVCA; Conor Stanley, Founder, Tribal.vc and Anna Scally, Global Head of Technology, Media and Telecommunications, KPMG.

The finalists

The shortlisted companies from Cork, Dublin, Galway, Louth and Monaghan are innovating in a broad range of areas. The finalists have developed technology platforms and solutions to address many complex challenges including, management of childcare, building of accessible digital products, menopause and hormonal care, cardiac health monitoring, AI governance and assurance, management of AI agents, AI-powered patient engagement and biotech drug delivery.

Speaking about this year’s Global Tech Innovator finalists, Anna Scally, Global Head of Technology, Media and Telecommunications, KPMG, said:

“Our finalists are all focused on solving real-world issues. From childcare and women’s health to management of AI agents and effective delivery of drugs, these companies cover almost every corner of the tech landscape and are superb examples of the breadth of innovation occurring across the island of Ireland. Each of the CEOs and founders are also hugely ambitious for their companies and the impact their technology can deliver. I am really excited to see how each of our finalists develops.”

2026 GTI finalists include:

ArrayPatch

ArrayPatch is an Irish biotechnology company developing next-generation microneedle drug delivery systems that enable painless, targeted, and self-administered delivery of medicines. The company’s proprietary platform uses drug-only, polymer-free microneedles to improve drug loading, dosing precision, and patient convenience. ArrayPatch is advancing programmes in GLP-1 therapies, skin cancer, and fungal infections while building a strong foundation for future clinical trials and product launches.

DevAlly

DevAlly is an AI-powered accessibility compliance platform that helps software teams build and maintain compliant, inclusive digital products. It combines site-wide scanning, real user workflow auditing (via its Chrome extension), and automated compliance reporting in one tool. By focusing on real user journeys rather than static checks, it embeds continuous accessibility into everyday product development. Whether starting or scaling an accessibility compliance program, DevAlly helps product teams automate and streamline compliance under EAA, ADA and Section 508.

Disseqt

Disseqt is the Assurance Layer for Enterprise AI Operations. AI agents hallucinate, drift, and go off-script at runtime, and most enterprises can’t see it happening. Disseqt gives IT teams one platform to test and detect, protect and enforce, prove and comply across the full agent lifecycle, meeting frameworks like the EU AI Act and ISO 42001.

Galenband

Galenband is a Galway-based MedTech startup developing an upper-arm wearable to capture up to 90 days of continuous ECG data without adhesives, daily charging, or apps. The company is initially focused on improving the detection of silent atrial fibrillation after stroke, where longer monitoring could help clinicians more effectively apply treatments that prevent stroke recurrence.

Jentic

Jentic connects AI safely to enterprise APIs and platforms. AI transformation programs are stuck on integration, reliability, security, compliance and maintainability. Jentic provides a platform and a comprehensive agentic process that automates AI-ready API modernisation, proves agent ROI in a sandbox environment, and scales into production with a unified governed execution layer. AI-native, platform neutral and enterprise-first, Jentic has already established a leadership over relevant standards, is selling to Fortune 500s, and was one of 40 companies in the 2025 AWS Global AI Accelerator.

öogo

öogo is the global infrastructure layer for childcare, connecting parents, caregivers, employers and hospitality partners on one intelligent platform. They match families with trusted, vetted Minders using a proprietary algorithm built on years of expert concierge matching. They are post-revenue with enterprise recurring contracts, and are building the system that makes childcare work the way everything else in the modern economy works. They are building the global platform that brings the childcare industry in line with all other industries.

SPRYT

SPRYT is an AI-powered patient engagement and care orchestration platform built to close the gap between booked care and delivered care. At its core is an AI medical receptionist that lives on WhatsApp, SMS, and RCS, allowing patients to book, reschedule, cancel, pay, ask questions, and manage appointments in over 140 languages, 24/7, without downloading an app. SPRYT uses predictive AI to identify no-shows and cancellations with up to 90% accuracy helping providers reduce wasted capacity, improve utilisation, and intervene before care is missed.

The MenoPal 

The MenoPal is the central intelligence layer for menopause and hormone health, transforming fragmented symptoms, wearable and clinical data into structured, predictive insights that power personalised care, clinical research and the future of women’s health innovation.

Lough Gill Brewery has installed a state-of-the-art CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) Recovery System which will significantly cut the brewery’s carbon footprint and lead to sustainable energy savings.

In addition, the family-owned brewery is to introduce a new immersive visitor experience, attracting tourists to Sligo and enhancing the county’s tourism sector. The brewery expects to create a number of new jobs to support the venture.

Lough Gill Brewery new Co2 recovery system

As Lough Gill Brewery celebrates its 10th anniversary, the combined initiatives form part of a broader investment of approximately €500,000 in the brewery and its operations.

This milestone investment reflects the company’s long-term commitment to sustainability, innovation and growth, supporting enhanced operational efficiency while positioning the brewery as a key tourism destination in the region.

The installation of a brand-new CO2 recovery system, a project undertaken with the support of Sligo LEADER, is among the first of its kind in the sector on the island of Ireland and enables the collection of raw CO2 from fermentation tanks, running it through a deep-cleaning process before sending it back into production.

By recycling the majority of CO2 used throughout the process and not venting it into the atmosphere, the new system will reduce costs and increase operational efficiency. It will allow for a reduction on purchased gas, ensuring a reliable supply during shortages, improving sustainability by lowering carbon footprints, and ensuring high-purity.

Having grown since its foundation in 2016, the company’s long-term, disciplined approach to its operations has allowed it to scale and develop steadily, and continue its upwards trajectory in a busy and challenging market.

Commenting, Lough Gill Brewery founder James Ward, said:

“We’ve always believed that if you’re building a manufacturing business in the West of Ireland, you have to think long term. Installing a CO?2recovery system is a significant investment, but it’s the right thing to do. It reduces our footprint, strengthens our resilience and shows that small independent breweries can lead from the front when it comes to sustainability. It’s a very proud moment for our family-owned business.”

Fáilte Ireland’s ‘Shared Island Coast-to-Coast Scheme’, which will contribute €112,000 in funding toward a new visitor experience project, is designed to strengthen and future-proof tourism infrastructure along Ireland’s Atlantic seaboard.

The fund supports capital projects that improve sustainability, accessibility and destination appeal, with the aim of encouraging longer stays, increasing regional visitor spend and supporting local job creation.

A Lough Gill Brewery tour with a Brew Hall and tasting space will be two unique parts of the experience as well as a new coffee shop and retail space, allowing visitors to take a piece of the brewery home. Furthermore, a new event space will allow the company to host functions all year round.

Already producing more than 30 beers as the only brewery in Sligo town, the diversification into tourism market aims to strengthen its revenue stability, allowing the company to continue to reinvest profits locally – maintaining and developing its already strong community ties.

James Ward added:

“There is no doubt the industry has faced challenges, but we feel very positive about the future. Our domestic market grew last year, our local support remains incredibly strong, and this expansion will create new jobs while opening our doors to visitors in a whole new way. We’re confident in where we’re going and we’re excited about what’s next.”

About Lough Gill Brewery:

Founded in 2016, Lough Gill Brewery has restored the lost tradition of brewing in Sligo town that once hosted five breweries. It is an Independent family-run craft brewery situated close to the shores of Lough Gill on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. The brewery’s philosophy is to brew the best hand crafted beers using the best ingredients and where possible to add some local indigenous ingredients to the brews. Lough Gill Brewery is a regular collaboration with breweries in Ireland, the UK and the USA. Current popular beers include Cutback New England IPA, Shaka Session IPA, Sligo Bay American Pale Ale and Breakers Gluten Free Pale Ale.

See more breaking stories here.

By David Stephen, who looks at betting addiction in this article. 

If sport betting and gambling addiction are going to become an enduring feature in society, what are broader ways to ensure that players are better protected from contiguous and ruinous losses?

If the evolution of loving sports in the era of the internet now has to reach prediction markets, and intense problem gambling, how much do people need to know to keep themselves protected amid exposure to risks?

Sports betting addiction and Ireland’s EU Council presidency

The explosion of sports betting and gambling addiction means that while regulatory systems may suffice for those operating within a jurisdiction, there are several possibilities for access beyond what some authorities can monitor, making it necessary seek a mind umbrella for protection for users.

Simply, there are two directions to protect players, technical and mind. Technical is the general approach of friction, where there are barriers, restrictions within the app on how to ensure that there are time limits, amount limits, and so forth, to keep players from harm.

However, because it is digital, it is easy to bypass the technical levee, since there are different apps, there are even those from other jurisdictions without as much policy discipline.

This makes the second option, mind safety necessary, which is the most important part exceeding technical safety. It is basically about displaying a parallel of the mind, before, during and after a gambling session.

This means that what goes on in the mind, that makes gambling seem addictive, from memory to emotions and feelings, a dynamic flow chart can be developed, to follow some of the parameters available from a game in real-time, then make it possible to let people know what is happening in the mind, especially for proximity to risks and so forth.

Then, it is possible to present an addictiveness score at the end of each session. This implies the possibility to follow the mind and ensure there is a way to stiffen intent as way to effect gaming discipline, so users can stay within a safety range.

This is what Taoiseach Micheál Martin can champion in to make a major difference in the EU and beyond even as problem gambling sprawls.

There is a recent [July 1, 2026] analysis on Euronews, Five pressing tasks for Ireland as it takes over EU Council presidency, stating that, “Ireland has kicked off its six-month presidency of the EU Council. From accession to the budget, here are the five most pressing tasks. It marks the eighth time that the nation of 5.4 million people which joined the bloc in 1972, has assumed the unenviable role of “honest broker””.

“Under the Gaelic slogan of “Ní neart go cur le chéile” (“Strength with unity”), Ireland will steer negotiations among the other 26 member states and craft delicate, sometimes fragile, compromises that can satisfy all the disparate voices in the room.”

“With several files nearing an inflexion point, Dublin has its work cut out.”

“Pressure on Moscow. Road to enlargement. Budget crunch. Tariff threats and tariff wars. One market for all.”

While there are lots of differences that Ireland would make, one of the palpable solutions will be to solve problem gambling by introducing a mind safety display.

This means that people can see what goes on in the mind, just to ensure they have a better sense of how to minimize the sweep, on the mind against losses.

In summary, it is possible that by July 15, 2026, Ireland — through some university labs and private sector teams — can setup a framework for a mind safety approach to solving problem gambling, so that there is a better information symmetry about the mind from conceptual brain science against risks.

Some of the details can be formulated from the postulate in Conceptual Biomarkers and Theoretical Biological Factors for Psychiatric and Intelligence Nosology.

David Stephen does research in conceptual brain science and served as a visiting scholar in medical entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He did computer vision research at Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona.

See more breaking stories here.

Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) welcomed representatives from all 17 consortium partners of FactoryXChange 2.0 to its Mullingar facility, bringing together Ireland’s manufacturing innovation ecosystem to mark the start of delivery under the programme’s newly secured Phase 2 funding.

The gathering follows January’s announcement that FactoryXChange 2.0, one of Ireland’s four European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs), had secured continued backing as part of a €23 million investment by the European Union and Enterprise Ireland into Ireland’s EDIH network for 2026–2029. With that funding now confirmed, the Mullingar event marked a significant next step: bringing the full consortium together in person to showcase the support and expertise available as FactoryXChange 2.0 gets under way.

Around 60 attendees, drawn from the FactoryXChange 2.0 consortium and its client SMEs, took part in the afternoon, which combined opening remarks and keynote sessions with a “World Café” style breakout programme. Delivered by industry experts, the breakout sessions covered Data & AI Services, Business Services, Matchmaking, Skills Services, and Test-Before-Invest Services, giving attendees hands-on exposure to the practical supports now available under FactoryXChange 2.0.

FactoryXChange 2.0 builds on support already provided to more than 500 businesses and over 660 innovation services, generating more than €6 million in requested service value since 2023. With Phase 2 funding in place, the programme now moves into an expanded delivery phase, drawing on the expertise of 17 specialist partners and more than 55 experts to help manufacturers identify opportunities, reduce risk and move from exploration to implementation.

Speaking at the Mullingar event, Maurice O’Connell, Chief Operating Officer at Irish Manufacturing Research, said: “Manufacturers are operating in an increasingly complex environment. Rising costs, skills shortages, sustainability requirements and growing international competition are putting pressure on businesses of all sizes. At the same time, technologies such as AI, automation and advanced analytics are creating opportunities to improve productivity, efficiency and resilience.

“Bringing our consortium partners together in Mullingar marks an important milestone for FactoryXChange 2.0. With Phase 2 funding secured, we can now turn that commitment into action, working closely with partners across the country to help manufacturers de-risk innovation, accelerate adoption and unlock new opportunities for growth and competitiveness.”

The afternoon opened with remarks from IMR’s FXC 2.0 coordination team, followed by a keynote address from Livio Rubino of the European Commission’s AI Office on harnessing AI for inclusive growth, and an overview of the EDIH initiative from Laura Clifford, Enterprise Ireland’s Senior Programme Manager for EDIH and IC3. Representatives from Ireland’s other EDIHs, Data2Sustain, CeADAR and ENTIRE, joined the FactoryXChange 2.0 partners to set out the nationwide network of funded supports now available to Irish SMEs, before the programme was formally declared open.

Led by Irish Manufacturing Research, FactoryXChange 2.0 is delivered through a national consortium of technology, research, innovation and business support organisations, bringing together expertise across artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, high-performance computing, sustainability, digital transformation, skills development and business growth.

Karin Jancyková, Project Coordinator of FactoryXChange 2.0, said: “Manufacturers do not need more complexity. They need practical support, trusted expertise and access to the right technologies at the right time.

“Having all 17 partners together in Mullingar reflects the scale of the network now behind FactoryXChange 2.0, and the shared commitment to making innovation more accessible for manufacturers as we move into this next phase.”

Following the launch, FactoryXChange 2.0 moves into its three-year delivery phase (2026–2029), continuing to help Irish manufacturers future-proof their operations, embrace emerging technologies and unlock new opportunities for growth.

Businesses interested in learning how they can access expertise, technologies and innovation supports through FactoryXChange 2.0 can find out more at factoryxchange.ie.

See more stories here.

Everhaze, the Dublin-based PR-intelligence company, has raised €450k from three of Ireland’s most prominent family offices on the eve of the commercial launch of its conversational agentic AI product, Lú, across Ireland and the UK.

The company is primarily targeting public relations agencies, which are coming under increasing pressure from procurement managers and clients to offer outcome or capability-based pricing models as AI reshapes the industry. That shift is happening at a time when the sector is already facing a labour and skills shortage as demand for in-house roles continues to surge.

According to the latest PRII Census 2025, 83% of PR professionals are working beyond their contracted hours, by an average of nearly 10 extra hours a week. The Irish in-house public-sector share of the PR workforce, meanwhile, grew to 42% in 2025, up from 25% in 2019.

Lú is built as a conversational agentic AI. Users message it directly by text, voice note or phone call inside WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack or Everhaze itself, and it completes tasks on their behalf. Everhaze has identified 48 separate tasks Lú can carry out, ranging from everyday work such as text editing, media list management, media monitoring and report generation.

Speaking ahead of Lú’s commercial launch, James McCann, CEO of Everhaze, said:

“Demand for PR is growing faster than capacity across agencies and in-house teams. It’s a fantastic endorsement of the importance of the discipline, but it’s increasingly the case that roles are being left unfilled and the industry’s workforce is burning out. More tools and more AI have equaled more labour, more pressure and less accessibility, as the skills gap widens. With Lú, we are seeking to rebalance those dynamics and fundamentally address the industry’s key challenges.”

McCann is a former agency owner, having sold his previous firm, ClearStory International, to digital media agency Core Optimisation last July for an undisclosed sum. The agency counted well-known clients in the international technology sector, including Techstars, HubSpot and Coindesk, as well as accelerator programmes in the UAE and Singapore.

The three family offices backing Everhaze have a combined net worth of more than €350m: Astogo Holdings, the family office of Jim Curley, who sold his stake in Jones Engineering in 2022; the Kearns family office, former owners of the Institute of Education; and hotelier Mark Cosgrave, owner of the Hendrick Hotel in Smithfield and a member of the Cosgrave property-development family.

Lú launches publicly across Ireland and the UK on 6 July 2026.

See more stories here.

Ireland must do more to bridge Europe’s biggest gender gap in advanced digital skills and help women shatter this ‘shocking’ ceiling, Una Fitzpatrick, Director of Technology Ireland, has said.

Speaking at a graduation event for the NOVA Women in Tech Leadership Programme, Ms Fitzpatrick said Ireland’s tech sector had to face the blunt reality that there are too few women in senior leadership positions.

NOVA was created by Technology Ireland Digital Skillnet in partnership with Connecting Women in Technology (CWiT), to address this reality that there are too few women in senior roles, and too few equipped with the judgement to lead through AI-driven change.

Commenting, Una Fitzpatrick said:

“We must be candid about why a bespoke pathway like NOVA is essential. We operate in an era of rapid technological transformation, yet structural imbalances remain stark.

“Recent research from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) revealed a sobering truth: Ireland has Europe’s largest gender gap in advanced digital skills use at work. While 44% of men in Ireland utilise advanced digital skills in their daily jobs, only 18% of women do. This 26-percentage-point gap is nearly double the European average.

“We know that entry-level numbers in tech are promising, but the sector continues to suffer from a severe ‘leaky pipeline’. Women hold only 14% of senior technical and engineering roles, and an estimated, shocking 5% of top executive leadership positions.

“This is precisely why NOVA was built. It is not just an educational programme; it is a direct, strategic intervention designed to shatter that 5% ceiling.”

The programme focused on combining human-centred leadership with the strategic technology and advanced AI-enabled capabilities increasingly required by organisations. The graduation ceremony took place on July 2, where participants received their certificates following six months of leadership development, coaching and practical learning. The programme was delivered by Genos Europe.

Ms Fitzpatrick, who was last week appointed vice-president of DIGITALEUROPE, the body that represents Europe’s leading industrial and techology organisations, said the NOVA participants were already delivering a practical return on investment, adding:

“We see it in graduates who are using the future proofing with AI and tech awareness modules to seamlessly bridge the gap between deep technical implementation and high-level business strategy.”

Ironically, in an age where AI is making human leadership more valuable, women are ideally suited for these challenges.

She added: “In a world increasingly driven by automated algorithms, you have proven that the ultimate leadership differentiator is being distinctly, undeniably human.”

For Technology Ireland Digital Skillnet, the successful completion of the inaugural programme builds on more than a decade of supporting women across the technology sector through its award-winning women returner programmes, which have helped more than 900 women return to careers in technology.

The inaugural group brought together over 20 senior professionals from across the CWiT network, representing organisations including PWC, Ergo, ADM, HPE, Workday, Kerry Group, ESB, Mastercard, Salesforce, BT, Accenture and Microsoft.

Máire Hunt, Director of Technology Ireland Digital Skillnet, said:

“The graduation of our first NOVA cohort marks an important milestone, not just for the participants, but for Ireland’s technology sector. These women have invested in developing the leadership skills that organisations increasingly need as technology and AI continue to reshape every industry.

“The ambition behind NOVA has always been to help exceptional women accelerate into influential leadership roles where they can shape strategy, innovation and culture.”

Naomi Ryan, PwC Director and Co-Lead of the Connecting Women in Technology (CWiT) network, said:

“The real value behind the programme, and what’s really impactful, is the level of collaboration behind it. CWiT, in partnership with Digital Skillnet, brought together a network of leading organisations, reflecting a shared commitment to investing in the next generation of women leaders in technology.

“PwC is proud to host the graduation of this inaugural cohort and to celebrate the achievements of these incredible women. Beyond the programme itself, graduates now have a network of organisations across Ireland that they can lean on throughout their careers. As technology and AI continue to reshape every industry, the need for diverse and adaptive leadership has never been greater. I hope the NOVA graduates now have the skills they need to step forward, take on greater responsibility and help shape the future of Ireland’s tech sector.”

Tracey Donnery, Director of Policy & Communications at Skillnet Ireland, who presented certificates to the graduates, said:

“Building a strong pipeline of diverse leadership talent is essential to Ireland’s future competitiveness. Programmes such as NOVA demonstrate how industry-led collaboration can equip professionals with the skills, confidence and networks needed to lead through change.

“Congratulations to this outstanding first cohort. Their commitment to investing in their own leadership development will not only benefit their organisations but also help strengthen Ireland’s technology sector for the future.”

Ireland’s technology sector employs more than 170,000 people across global multinationals, indigenous companies and a vibrant start-up ecosystem. As organisations continue to adapt to rapid advances in AI and digital transformation, leadership development initiatives such as NOVA are expected to play an increasingly important role in preparing the next generation of technology leaders.

See more stories here.

Following the delivery of the bus fleet and the securing of a green hydrogen supply, Weser-Ems-Bus has commissioned a mobile hydrogen refuelling station in Lower Saxony, enabling the rapid deployment of its hydrogen buses while awaiting the completion of a permanent refuelling station.

A mobile station: a practical answer to a major operational challenge

As many local authorities transition their fleets to hydrogen mobility, synchronising the deployment schedules of vehicles, refuelling infrastructure and associated equipment can prove challenging. Mobile refuelling stations provide an immediately available solution to secure the start-up phase of hydrogen mobility projects.

Mobile green  hydrogen refuelling station

In December 2025, Weser-Ems-Bus, a subsidiary of DB Regio AG, deployed six fuel cell buses to provide regular public transport services from Jever in the East Frisia region of Lower Saxony. The project was developed in close collaboration with the Friesland district, the authority responsible for public transport.
Pending completion of the permanent hydrogen refuelling station, Weser-Ems-Bus quickly established a partnership with the independent research institute Technologie-Transfer-Zentrum Bremerhaven (ttz Bremerhaven), station operator MoviaTec and green hydrogen producer and supplier Lhyfe.
–  ttz Bremerhaven provided its own mobile refuelling station and is carrying out scientific monitoring of the buses’ deployment, allowing the institute to collect valuable operational data and insights on the performance of hydrogen buses in daily service.

MoviaTec operates the entire refuelling station at the Jever site and ensures safe and reliable operation in line with applicable safety requirements. Its role includes preparing the explosion protection documentation, coordinating regular visual inspections and operational checks, and supporting commissioning as well as the resolution of technical challenges during operation.

Lhyfe supplies RFNBO[1]-certified and green hydrogen, meeting the highest sustainability requirements currently defined by the European Union. With four RFNBO-certified green hydrogen production sites, a fleet of more than 80 Type IV hydrogen containers – one of the largest and most modern bulk hydrogen transport fleets in Europe – and around fifteen storage locations, Lhyfe is one of Europe’s pioneering producers and suppliers of green hydrogen.

This solution enabled Weser-Ems-Bus to immediately launch its fleet in December 2025, and to ensure a continuous supply of green hydrogen in line with its sustainability commitments.

Faster-than-expected refuelling: a practical and replicable solution

The mobile refuelling station operates at 350 bar, the pressure level commonly used for hydrogen-powered buses and commercial vehicles.

Before the station came on line, several refuelling scenarios were modelled based on the anticipated hydrogen demand of the buses. These assumptions are now being validated under real operating conditions. Actual refuelling operations have shown that buses can be refuelled more quickly than anticipated in the original simulations. As a result, the station has met — and in some cases exceeded — the expectations of the project partners.

This project demonstrates that vehicle deployment and infrastructure commissioning do not necessarily need to follow the same timeline, offering a practical solution to accelerate the transition to zero-emission public transport.

The next steps will focus on further optimising refuelling operations and analysing vehicle consumption data until the permanent station in Schortens, within the JadeWeserPark industrial area, enters service later in 2026.

Daniel Marx, Managing Director, Weser-Ems-Bus, a subsidiary of DB Regio AG: “We are actively shaping the future of mobility and take our responsibility for climate protection seriously. With the help of funding from the Federal Ministry of Transport, around 10% of DB Regio Bus Nord’s fleet runs emissions-free, mostly on battery-electric. In close cooperation with the Friesland district, we were able to test the use case of hydrogen mobility and gained important experience for the future.”

Günther Schumacher, Project manager, ttz Bremerhaven: “From our previous projects, we are familiar with the challenges involved in introducing hydrogen buses. By analysing the routes and the needs of the bus operator, we were able to develop suitable scenarios for on-demand refuelling of the hydrogen buses introduced in Jever and to implement our hydrogen refuelling system there. Under everyday operating conditions, the refuelling station worked very well and has even exceeded expectations.”

Frank Rößler, Managing Director of MoviaTec GmbH: “This project demonstrates that hydrogen mobility can be implemented quickly and reliably when infrastructure, supply and operation are closely coordinated. As operator of the mobile refuelling station, MoviaTec ensures safe day-to-day operation and supports the project with its practical experience in hydrogen infrastructure, commissioning and technical operations.”

Pascal Louvet, Sales Director Germany at Lhyfe: “Across Europe, we are seeing increasing maturity within hydrogen mobility ecosystems and a strong determination to accelerate deployment. The technologies are available, initial use cases are proving successful, and local stakeholders are progressively organising around operational projects. The challenge today is to enable these projects to move forward quickly through efficient solutions adapted to real-world conditions. Mobile refuelling stations really hit this nail on the head.”

About Weser-Ems-Bus

Weser-Ems-Bus is a subsidiary of the DB Regio AG, which provides transportation services on bus and local rail for the federal states and their contracting organisations. Our goal is to offer an integrated public transport service that is tailored to the local needs of our customers. DB Regio Bus is part of DB Regio AG and together with numerous companies and joint ventures on the ground, is responsible for keeping bus traffic moving across large parts of Germany. As the market leader, DB Regio AG is a guarantee for mobility in Germany.
DB Regio Bus Nord is the largest provider of bus services in northern Germany, covering Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, and Bremen, with revenue of over €200 million and 75 million kilometres driven annually. With more than 2,000 employees and 900 buses, we transport around 70 million passengers each year. The central headquarters of DB Regio Bus Nord in Hamburg, and it includes the bus companies Autokraft GmbH, DB Regio Bus Nord GmbH, Haller Busbetrieb GmbH, Regionalbus Braunschweig GmbH, and Weser-Ems Busverkehr GmbH.

About ttz Bremerhaven

The Technology Transfer Centre (ttz) Bremerhaven is an independent research institution conducting application-oriented research and development. An international team of experts in the fields of food and resource efficiency works under the umbrella of ttz Bremerhaven. Through an extensive international network, we have access to expertise for highly specialised issues. Hurdles and obstacles in developing new markets are more easily overcome with the support of local partners. Locally and regionally, ttz Bremerhaven maintains close ties with the region’s businesses and research institutions. This forms the basis for high-quality collaboration on numerous projects.

We are the driving force behind innovation. Our guiding principle is research for a better quality of life. Together with companies, we put research findings into practice.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular use their resources strategically. Outsourcing research and development tasks to specialised service providers like ttz Bremerhaven frees them up to focus on their core business. Continuous innovation requires new knowledge and a strategy that makes market players stand out. The work of pioneers is essential for this – and collaboration on equal footing facilitates this process.
With a highly specialised team, ttz Bremerhaven optimises the composition of existing products and/or modifies process technology. This achieves a new level of quality, streamlines processes, utilises resources more efficiently, produces better products, and reduces costs. Following successful development collaborations, modular solutions open up new perspectives for companies whose goal is continuous and sustainable development.

About MoviaTec

MoviaTec GmbH is a specialised company for the planning, construction, operation, maintenance and decommissioning of refuelling and energy infrastructure for alternative fuels. Its main focus is on hydrogen, CNG, LNG and, for the future, electric infrastructure. MoviaTec combines technical project development, plant engineering, operational experience and safety expertise to deliver integrated solutions for public and corporate supply infrastructures.

The company supports customers and project partners throughout the entire lifecycle of an asset – from initial site and feasibility assessments, permitting and tendering processes, technical planning, supplier coordination and construction supervision through to commissioning, ongoing operation and subsequent decommissioning or modernisation. With practical experience in safety-critical areas such as gas pressure systems, storage and compressor systems, refuelling technology, explosion protection as well as inspection and maintenance processes, MoviaTec develops reliable, cost-effective and practical solutions for demanding infrastructure projects.

www.moviatec.com

About Lhyfe

Lhyfe is a European group devoted to energy transition, and a producer and supplier of green and renewable hydrogen. Through its production sites and portfolio of projects, it seeks to provide access to green and renewable hydrogen in industrial quantities, fostering a virtuous energy model that both decarbonises entire sectors of industry and transport and enhances regional energy sovereignty.
In 2021, Lhyfe inaugurated the first industrial-scale green hydrogen production plant in the world to be interconnected with a wind farm. In 2022, it inaugurated the first offshore green hydrogen production pilot platform in the world. Since then, Lhyfe has installed four other production sites and has several sites under construction or extension across Europe. In September 2025, Lhyfe became Europe’s largest producer of bulk RFNBO hydrogen from the electrolysis of water.

See more breaking stories here.

The European Patent Office (EPO) has awarded Irish scientist Sir Adrian Hill the European Inventor Award 2026 in the Research category for developing the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were an estimated 282 million malaria cases and 610 000 malaria deaths worldwide in 2024, with children under five accounting for about 75% of malaria deaths in the WHO African Region.

Traditional malaria vaccines achieved only modest protection, particularly in young children. Hill and his team developed a vaccine that presents more of the malaria-specific protein regions needed to trigger a strong immune response, helping to achieve around 75–80% protection in clinical trials.

Adrian Hill wins European Inventor Award for effective malaria vaccine

The European Inventor Award recognises inventors whose innovations provide answers to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. The other finalists in the Research category were Portuguese researcher Paula Videira and team for a high-precision antibody that distinguishes cancer cells from healthy tissue and Finnish physicist Mikko Möttönen for an ultrasensitive cryogenic microwave sensor to improve quantum computing hardware.

“I am delighted to accept this prestigious award on behalf of the many hundreds of people who have contributed to the discovery, development and licensure of our malaria vaccine over the past 12 years,” said Sir Hill.

Improving protection against malaria

Scientists have been attempting to develop a malaria vaccine for more than a century, yet more than 150 vaccine candidates entered human trials before two finally succeeded. Earlier vaccines, including RTS,S, typically achieved only modest efficacy in young children.

Hill’s team redesigned the vaccine structure to include more of the key malaria protein segments recognised by the immune system, while removing components that could divert the immune response. The vaccine forms nanoparticles approximately 25 nanometres in size, helping the immune system recognise and respond more effectively. Combined with the Matrix-M adjuvant, the vaccine generates a substantially stronger antibody response than earlier approaches.

The vaccine was also designed for practical deployment. It can be produced at large scale, costs less than EUR 3 per dose and remains stable for up to two years under standard refrigeration conditions, helping make vaccination programmes more accessible in regions where malaria remains endemic.

Building a vaccine for large-scale deployment

Hill’s long-term commitment to malaria research was shaped by his 1988 experience in The Gambia, where he witnessed the devastating impact of the disease on young children. Over the following three decades, his team at Oxford’s Jenner Institute investigated multiple vaccine candidates before developing R21/Matrix-M.

The project brought together partners including the University of Oxford, the Serum Institute of India, Novavax and leading African research centres in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mali and Tanzania. A key milestone came in 2021, when Phase 2b trial results showed up to 77% efficacy, exceeding the WHO target of 75% for malaria vaccines.

Ghana became the first country to approve the vaccine in 2023, followed by Nigeria. Later that year, the WHO formally recommended R21/Matrix-M for widespread use. Today, malaria vaccination is being integrated into routine immunisation programmes in more than 20 African countries, providing a new tool to reduce malaria-related illness and deaths.

About the European Inventor Award

The European Inventor Award is one of Europe’s most prestigious innovation prizes. Launched by the EPO in 2006, the award honours individuals and teams, who have come up with solutions to some of the biggest challenges of our time. The European Inventor Award jury consists of inventors who are all former finalists. To judge proposals, the independent panel draws on their wealth of technical, business, and intellectual property expertise. All inventors must have been granted a European patent for their invention. Read more here on the various categories, prizes, selection criteria.

About the EPO

With 6,300 staff members, the European Patent Office (EPO) is one of the largest public service institutions in Europe. Headquartered in Munich with offices in Berlin, Brussels, The Hague and Vienna, the EPO was founded with the aim of strengthening co-operation on patents in Europe. Through the EPO’s centralised patent granting procedure, inventors are able to obtain high-quality patent protection in up to 46 countries, covering a market of some 715 million people. The EPO is also the world’s leading authority in patent information and patent searching.

See more breaking stories here.

New customs charges which came into effect on July 1 are a ‘wake-up call’ for online consumers.

The new duty will mean a €3 fee per unique item on purchases valued below €150 entering Ireland from outside the European Union.

Louise McKeown Doogan, Chief Growth Officer for .IE, warned that any new charge, deadline or confusion is an opportunity for scammers.

“This change is a bit of a wake-up call for online shoppers,” she said.

“We’ve all grown used to clicking quickly, especially when something looks cheap.

“But now, consumers need to pause and ask: who am I buying from, where is it shipping from, and what will the final cost be when it lands at my door?

New customs duty to watch out for in Ireland

“A .IE website is a strong signal that there is a real connection to Ireland, because .IE is a managed registry, and applicants have to show that connection.

“But it does not automatically mean the goods are sitting in a warehouse in Ireland. A .IE website is a trust signal, not a customs guarantee.

“Irish consumers are going to become more conscious of where they are buying from, which is a real opportunity for Irish businesses if they opt for transparency.

“Irish businesses need to be diligent about updating pricing on their websites for products that might ship from their warehouses abroad.

“It’s important to update the price on the website quickly, so that valued customers don’t have a bad experience when buying from them online.”

Ms McKeown Doogan advised consumers to check the domain as the first port of call and to be mindful when navigating a new site, especially if it looks too good to be true.

“My advice is very simple – don’t shop on autopilot,” she said.

“If the goods are coming from outside the EU, the €3 charge can apply per item, and a cheap basket can become less cheap very quickly.

“Check where the goods are shipping from rather than where the website appears to be based.

“Read the returns policy – sending something back outside the EU can be expensive and a clear indicator that products are shipped from outside the EU.”

The Chief Growth Officer said texts or emails asking you to pay customs charges should never be clicked on, instead consumers should navigate to the official courier website or app on their own.

“The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) says An Post will never send a clickable payment link by text for customs charges, and Revenue will never contact consumers looking for customs payments.

“Ultimately, you have to trust your gut – if the price is unbelievable, the wording is poor, business details are missing, or the site is pressuring you to buy immediately, then exercise caution.

“Two heads are always better than one – show a family member, friend or colleague and ask what they think, as they may spot a red flag you missed.”

See more breaking stories here.

New Upskilling Courses launched by MTU to help people learn helpful new skills to follow new paths and opportunities. Many are short and specific in content and time duration to ensure effective, quick learning outcomes. 

Munster Technological University (MTU) has launched a new suite of over 40 micro-credential courses designed to help professionals and individuals upskill and reskill in response to rapidly evolving workforce needs, creating flexible pathways for lifelong learning across a range of sectors.

The courses have been designed to address emerging skills needs identified by employers, regulators, state agencies and not-for-profit organisations, ensuring learners can develop practical, workplace-relevant expertise while earning recognised academic credits.

New MTU Upskilling Courses

The launch was marked by an event at MTU, bringing together employers, industry representatives and education stakeholders to explore the role of flexible learning in supporting workforce development and regional economic growth.

The university’s micro-credentials are delivered through part-time, flexible formats and are designed to provide high-impact learning experiences that can be immediately applied in the workplace.

Commenting on the launch of the micro-credential courses, Professor Maggie Cusack, President of MTU, said: “At MTU, we have a proud tradition of supporting lifelong learning, and our new micro-credential courses reflect our commitment to providing flexible, accessible, and future-focused education. Developed in collaboration with industry, these courses are designed to help professionals upskill and reskill while responding to real-world skills needs.

“In a world that is changing rapidly, continuous learning is more important than ever. By investing in continuous development that combines flexibility and academic excellence, we are helping individuals, organisations and communities adapt, grow and succeed.”

Gerard O’Donovan, Vice Dean of Business at MTU and Project Lead, said: “The strength of MTU’s micro-credential offering lies in its close connection with industry. By working directly with employers and sector stakeholders, we can identify emerging skills needs and translate them into practical, targeted learning opportunities that support workforce development and regional growth.

“This ensures our courses remain relevant, responsive and immediately applicable in professional settings, helping organisations build capability while supporting individuals to develop the skills needed for the future of work.”

Ronan Emmett, Learning & Talent Acquisition Manager, Boston Scientific, said: “The pace of change across industry means organisations need access to flexible, high-quality learning opportunities that allow employees to develop new skills while remaining in the workplace. Traditional education pathways don’t always meet the needs of working professionals or employers seeking to respond quickly to emerging challenges and opportunities.”

“MTU’s micro-credential offering is an important development because it has been shaped through engagement with industry and focused on practical skills that can be applied immediately. Initiatives like this help businesses build capability, support employee development and ensure our workforce remains competitive in a rapidly changing environment.”

The new portfolio comprises over 40 micro-credential courses developed across MTU’s faculties, covering topics ranging from AI, cybersecurity and data analytics to sustainability, leadership, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, creative practice, financial services and maritime operations. The diverse offering reflects MTU’s close engagement with industry and its commitment to supporting workforce development across key sectors of the economy.

The micro-credential initiative forms part of MTU’s wider commitment to lifelong learning and strengthening links between higher education, industry and society. Through flexible delivery models and industry-informed curriculum design, MTU aims to make high-quality education more accessible to learners at all stages of their careers.

Developed as a result of a micro-credential project funded by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) under the Technological Sector Advancement Fund (TSAF), the courses offer focused, flexible and accredited learning opportunities that can be completed alongside work and personal commitments.

Further information on MTU’s micro-credential courses is available at www.mtu.ie/microcredentials.

See more breaking stories here.

By Selva Ozelli, image Flag CCL Series by Selva Ozelli for Four Museums

In central London’s Waterloo Place, a life-size statue of Banksy titled “Flag Man” emerged overnight late April as King Charles who was only the second British monarch to address U.S. Congress, following his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1991, framed environmental stewardship as a foundational alliance between the UK and the US. King Charles declared nature “nature’s own economy” and emphasized that protecting it is a shared responsibility that underpins both nations’ prosperity and national security.

Sail4th 250

As the US celebrates the 250th anniversary of its independence on July 4th with Sail 4th 250 as the largest maritime event, I wanted to bring to your attention a few exhibitions that revolve around the theme of the Flag that are endorsed by Freedom 250  the official initiative organized by the White House task force to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States (the Semiquincentennial).

Putnam History Museum, Cold Spring, NY

The Rose Flag CCL:  The rose is the symbol of the USA, New York State and the official national flower of England, specifically represented by the Tudor rose.  To this day still many US cities use the Tudor Rose in their flags.  Since Cold Spring, NY is home to several species of native rose bushes which include Virginia Rose (Rosa virginiana), Carolina Rose (Rosa Carolina),  Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris) I featured them in my Rose Flag CCL for Putnam History Museum.

Havre de Grace Maritime Museum, Havre de Grace, MD

Hydrangea & Rose Flag CCL

National Lighthouse Museum, Staten Island, NY

Ocean Lovers – Angel Fish Flag CCL, more about this flag below.

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University (LDEO) Palisades, NY

Miriam Cinquegrana who oversees the Art Meets Science initiative at LDEO explained “The Flags of Science art show featuring four US Flags was created by Selva Ozelli  in honor of America’s 250th anniversary and the groundbreaking research of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory scientists.”

These Flags include:

Ocean Lovers – To the Core Flag CCL

Atmosphere Flag CCL

Space Solar Flag CCL

Tree of Life/Tectonic Flag CCL celebrates the Liberty Tree, the towering 130-year-old elm in Boston, Massachusetts, which served as the primary gathering spot for the Sons of Liberty. This tree was incredibly important to the independence of the USA because it provided a visible, outdoor sanctuary where colonists organized historic protests against British taxation, laid the foundational groundwork for revolution, and openly debated their grievances.

In August 1775, during the Siege of Boston, British troops and Loyalists deliberately cut the tree down for firewood to erase the powerful symbol of rebellion. Instead of crushing the colonial spirit, the destruction of the elm tree triggered unexpected consequences.  Colonists viewed the felling of the tree as an act of malicious tyranny fueling the independence concept across the 13 colonies with patriots throughout the 13 colonies designating their own local liberty trees and erecting “liberty poles” in defiance of the Crown.  As a result, the Liberty Tree became a powerful symbol of colonial defiance and unity—acting as a living anchor for the ideals that fueled the American Revolution.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juxNGFwR_x0

Statue of Liberty Exhibition at the National Lighthouse Museum (NLM) Featuring Hunt Slonem and Selva Ozelli

HRH Princess Anne (The Princess Royal) bridges her deep ties to British maritime history with modern environmental and climate goals. Her focus is heavily anchored in serving as a global champion for ocean conservation and sustainable marine technology in an era of rising sea levels and shifting environments. For these reasons she serves as the honorary chair for the National Lighthouse Museum in Staten Island, NY (NLM) which serves as a Sail4th 250 key viewing spot.

To celebrate the 250th commemoration of the founding of the United States as well as on 28th of October, 2026 the 140th anniversary of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty, officially titled “Liberty Enlightening the World,” as gift from France to the U.S., a sculpture designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi which initially served as a lighthouse on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, the NLM is hosting the Statue of Liberty Art Show from June 14th, 2026 to January 2nd, 2027.

Curated by Stevie Peters, the art show showcases a historical photo of Lady Liberty when she first arrived at NY Harbor — that is on loan from Victoria Westhead — and oil paintings by award-winning artists Hunt Slonem and Selva Ozelli.

Hunt Slonem joins the Statue of Liberty Art show with his signature “Bunny, Bird and Butterfly” series, which includes a US flag representing abundance, hope, and fertility; his Abraham Lincoln series depicting the timeless icon of American history as a “great soul,” a symbol of law and personal liberty; and his Chandelier series, which reflects his fascination with light and historic grandeur.

Hunt explained “On Marilyn [Monroe]’s desk, she had a picture of her mother and a picture of Lincoln. And she said, ‘I really didn’t know who my father was, so it might as well be Abraham Lincoln.’ I work with diviners and mystics, and one of them started channeling Lincoln in my house, [Lincoln] guided me to paint certain things, like my doves: he wanted me to paint them as a symbol of freedom.”

Selva Ozelli, joins the Statue of Liberty Art Show with her Ocean Lovers-Angel Fish Flag CCL a 20 ft by 13 ft US Flag from her Flag CCL series that represents the seven rays on the Statue of Liberty’s crown, depicting our world’s seven continents, seven seas, and its angel fish inhabitants, which are often regarded as a symbol of hope, peace, and spiritual guidance.  Selva will be presented with an Artistic Vision award for this huge flag by NLM during the museum’s gala on August 7th.

“I am honored to join the Statue of Liberty Art Show along with a historical photo of Lady Liberty and my favorite artist Hunt Slonem with my Ocean Lovers – Angel Fish Flag CCL painting.

For one hundred and forty years, The Statue of Liberty  in New York Harbor and  hundreds of replicas and models of “Lady Liberty” located around the world ranging   from small, historical models in Paris to full-sized or scaled-down copies in cities like Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, and Las Vegas have become a very important symbol of  the global spread of liberty, freedom, democracy, law, hope and inspiration to serve every creature  of our world.”

“Whether people have seen Lady Liberty in real life in different cities or only in photographs, whether the people are American or from other nationalities or cultures, the Statue of Liberty,  which first served as a lighthouse standing tall in NY Harbor across from our museum has come to symbolize something important for people in their own lives at a very personal level – she represents a certain level of security, constancy, freedom, democracy, the rule of law, hope, and the abolition of slavery serving as a universal beacon of light, liberty and inspiration. We invite everyone who wants to see the Statue of Liberty Art Show or Lady Liberty herself and the largest waterfront spectacle, SAIL 4th 250…Where Light Meets Liberty! that will take place from July 3-8, 2026, in the Port of New York and New Jersey, with the main spectacle, the International Parade of Tall Ships, scheduled for July 4, 2026.

These events are part of America’s Semiquincentennial (250th) anniversary celebration and is expected to be the largest international maritime gathering in U.S. history, with over 30 tall ships from around the world, sailing up the Hudson River. Our museum, which is hosting a July 4 Watch Party Breakfast, will serve as a key viewing spot. For further details or to be an event sponsor, contact www.lighthousemuseum.org,” explained Linda Dianto, Executive Director of NLM.

Have a great Sail4th 250 filled with art science and flags everyone!

See more breaking stories here.

Arab Irish Chamber strategic briefing on Middle East

Jim Healy, CEO of Nulumentek which specialises in energy-efficient lighting design and supply with operations across the Middle East: “Businesses cannot control geopolitical events, but they can control how they respond to them. Companies that stay agile, diversify risk and remain focused on customer needs will be best positioned to succeed, particularly in markets that continue to invest and grow despite global uncertainty,” he said.

Michael Connolly, Kilkenny businessman and entrepreneur who has worked in the Middle East since 2007, and now lives in UAE, has built several highly successful global businesses in the agri and equine nutrition sector and commented: “The war will end, but relationships won’t: the businesses that will succeed after the current crisis are the ones that show integrity, stay loyal to their customers, understand local culture and don’t disappear when things become difficult. Trust and consistency matter far more than short-term challenges.”

Edward O’Regan of Blackwater Partners, a company that specialises in guiding entrepreneurs and corporations into the UAE market with tailored solutions, said: “The long-term outlook across much of the Middle East remains positive. Many countries continue to invest heavily in economic growth and diversification, creating opportunities for Irish businesses that are willing to take a long-term view and remain engaged in the market.”

Desmond Hurley, Business Development Manager at Lakeland Dairies Food Ingredients, who has been at the forefront of Ireland’s dairy business for decades, added: “The Middle East remains an important market for Irish dairy products because customers value quality and reliability. Despite the challenges, demand remains strong and our experience shows that maintaining trusted customer relationships during difficult periods is what delivers long-term success.”

Dublin based integrated photonics firm, Pilot Photonics, have been approved for a recommended investment of up to €10.4m from the Horizon Europe European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator.

A major transition from electronics to photonics is on the way, with more devices taking up light-based circuits in lieu of the traditional electronic circuits. These photonic circuits are more power efficient, allow higher bandwidth signal processing, and enable completely new applications which are otherwise impossible. Pilot Photonics has developed patented photonic chip technology that uses laser light to generate exceptionally pure wireless signals, essential for AI data centres, satellite communications, 5G and 6G mobile networks, and other strategic applications. The company’s innovation is not only technical but also commercial.

The integration of photonic components into compact, cost-effective, production-scalable chips lowers the barrier of entry for critical industries. Data servers have already adopted photonic integrated circuits to better handle the bandwidth demands of AI. Commercially driven space exploration (“New Space”) has also turned to photonic chips to help reduce the size, weight, and power consumption of its systems. Pilot Photonics’ technology has already received validation from leading international customers within both markets.

The EIC Accelerator support comes at a critical stage for Pilot Photonics as demand grows for advanced photonic chip technologies. The funding will support Pilot Photonics’ next phase of growth, including product qualification, high-volume manufacture, and expansion of the team in Ireland and internationally.

As Part of the EU’s Horizon Europe 2021-2027 Research and Innovation Programme, the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator Programme is Europe’s flagship programme for the financing and growth of deeptech startup and scaleup companies, providing grant funding of up to €2.5 million combined with an equity investment ranging from €0.5 to €10 million in a blended finance offer.

Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke said: “Pilot Photonics is making great advancements in the strategic area of semiconductor technology, contributing to Europe’s digital sovereignty and strategic autonomy in the critical areas of 6G mobile networks, satellite and space systems and secure communications. The investment secured is a testament to the innovation and dedication of the Pilot Photonics team. I would like to congratulate William, Frank, and the team at Pilot Photonics on this investment and wish Pilot Photonics every success as their innovation evolves and the business grows.”

William Oppermann, CEO, Pilot Photonics said: “Being selected by the European Innovation Council is a major endorsement of Pilot Photonics’ technology, team, and commercial ambition. This support gives us the platform to move from breakthrough innovation to industrial scale-up, building a stronger team in Ireland, qualifying our products for global customers, and establishing the supply chain required to compete internationally.”

Enterprise Ireland leads the National Support Network for Horizon Europe which includes supporting Irish deep tech companies to compete for and secure funding in the highly competitive EIC funding programmes.

Kevin Burke, National Director for Horizon Europe at Enterprise Ireland , said: “This award from the European Innovation Council Accelerator Programme is international recognition of the breakthrough nature of Pilot Photonics’ technology, the progress the team have already made in commercialising their products, and the potential to now scale their business globally. Our support for deeptech companies like Pilot Photonics through our EIC National Contact Point Support team is very much aligned with Enterprise Ireland’s strategy of connecting Irish companies to transformational finance to start, compete, scale, and connect nationally and internationally.”

See more stories here.

The National Final of the Student Enterprise Programme took place recently with 88 students competing for the title of Student Enterprise of the Year. The programme itself is Ireland’s largest student entrepreneurship initiative, with over 500,000 students having started businesses since 2003. To find out more I spoke to one of the finalists Seán FitzGerald, a fourth-year student who has created software Fleet Monitor, designed to predict the movements of ships attempting to avoid maritime sanctions across every ocean globally.

I spoke Sean about his background, the  Student Enterprise Programme, what Fleet Monitor does, and more.

More about Fleet Monitor

A standout in this year’s programme, Fleet Monitor uses Automatic Identification System (AIS) data to track the position, heading, speed and size of vessels. The platform then cross checks this data in real time against official EU and Nato sanction lists to identify known or suspected shadow-fleet ships.

See more podcasts here.

By David Stephen

Small businesses are the closest to people everywhere. If at least 2 in every 5 small business can thrive, they can absorb more people in the labor force, catering to purpose, income, taxes, skills and prospects.

Simply, aspects of unemployment, youth unemployment or even where AI displaces people at work can be said to be a result, in part, of difficulty in growing small businesses at scale.

This means that there should be more than 50x the effort to ensure small businesses are incentivized, particularly with strategy, so that they can grow and hire more people and expand the labor force.

RAISE US needs to consider small businesses

There are a lot of efforts and discussions about whether AI will displace people at jobs. The first problem with that is not even AI but layoffs that have been happening off/on since COVID.

There are reasons that several corporations would want to cut hiring. This means that preparing landing spots for workers necessitates engineering small businesses to have them start and grow with the right tactics.

This is the testbed for what the world may come to deploy, as AI begins to make wages for certain tasks seem wasteful. How do small businesses grow? One of pathways is marketplaces. Simply, how will new marketplaces be made for business owners to sell?

It is possible to make a large language model for landmarks in different locations, so that the commerce quotient of the places is made with predictions of what products or services are likely to thrive there.

The goal is to ensure that as people consider to start small businesses, move or increase their reach, they know where to target or how.

It is also possible to develop tier hiring, such that even for the same role, multiple people can be hired, so that lower than minimum wage can be paid, if the work is for capped hours.

Why? There are things to do that may not require too much skill or times that may not require much competence, someone on a lower tier may work in those times, while those on a higher tier may work in others. The purpose will be to reduce labor cost, ensuring that a small business can be efficient, getting enough hands to meet market demands, push sales and so forth.

There can also be labor credit, where there are loans to pay wages directly. This means that instead of having it in bulk to the owner, it is used to pay workers at the end of the term directly.

There can also be alternative remuneration, spending pegs, and much more. The thing is to ensure that there are ways to make small businesses prosper at scale, becoming options for society, so that AI is not as significantly risky to the labor market.

RAISE US

There is a recent [June 25, 2026] press release, Gina Raimondo and Eric Holcomb Launch RAISE US, Uniting the Nation’s Leading Employers and Bipartisan Governors Behind American Workers, stating that, “For the first time, AI and tech companies, governors, leading employers, and major philanthropies are joining together – and committing capital at scale – to prepare American workers for an economy transformed by AI.”

“Gina Raimondo, the 40th U.S. Secretary of Commerce and 75th Governor of Rhode Island, and Eric Holcomb, the 51st Governor of Indiana, today launched RAISE US, a nonpartisan national organization that will partner with governors, employers, workers, and training organizations to help the American workforce make a successful transition to an AI economy. RAISE US will design and pilot new corporate incentives to retrain and redeploy workers, new approaches to support people through job transitions, and new training models tied to changing employer demand.”

“Most efforts to help workers focus on singular pieces of the puzzle: a training program, a policy change, or an employer commitment. RAISE US is built to move all of them at once, working across government, employers, and education and training to design new models, pilot them with governors and employers, measure outcomes, and scale what works.”

“The organization operates across four core areas: State Partnerships, Employer Coalition, Education and Training, Policy Lab.”

“To scale what works, RAISE US is building a national platform to accelerate apprenticeships and other earn-and-learn pathways into sectors such as healthcare and advanced manufacturing.”

“Gina Raimondo will serve as CEO, with Eric Beane as President and Chief Operating Officer, and Janet Foutty as President of Corporate Partnerships.”

Small businesses workforce research lab

RAISE US can set up a small business workforce growth research lab under the policy lab or have it standalone as an engine for serious experiments, to ensure that the possibility to absorb workers multiplies.

The objective is to ensure that there are urgent outlets for innovation in labor economics, especially for ways to make their vision pervade the United States and the rest of the world before the end of the decade.

David Stephen does research in conceptual brain science and served as a visiting scholar in medical entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He did computer vision research at Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona.

See more breaking stories here.

ManageEngine, a division of Zoho Corporation and a leading provider of enterprise IT management and security solutions, has announced the launch of a partner-developer ecosystem through its ManageEngine Marketplace, where enterprises can discover and deploy extensions for ManageEngine platforms, including integrations, add-ons, and plugins. The launch enhances ManageEngine’s robust platform capabilities, enabling organisations to address a broader range of enterprise needs with specialised extensions from its partner ecosystem.

 “As software development becomes increasingly democratised through powerful AI tools, customers expect a secure, efficient, and agile way to extend the capabilities of their platforms. ManageEngine Marketplace enables developers to unlock possibilities beyond what ManageEngine builds natively while upholding the quality, security, and governance standards our customers trust us for,” said Rajesh Ganesan, CEO of ManageEngine. “We are excited to see our ecosystem of developers, partners, and customers innovate, collaborate, and grow through this initiative.”

One-Stop Shop To Boost ManageEngine Platforms

Enterprises today operate hundreds of IT solutions that need to work together as a unified tool chain to deliver niche business outcomes. The Marketplace brings specialised, developer-built capabilities, industry-specific functions, and custom extensions to customers on top of its purpose-built core platforms. This combination of platform strength and ecosystem-driven innovation accelerates solution development, expands customisation possibilities, and helps enterprises address unique operational requirements effectively.

A Symbiotic Ecosystem

ManageEngine Marketplace operates on a symbiotic model, where value compounds for every stakeholder.

ManageEngine develops enterprise-ready platform components and enhances core capabilities to handle the heavy demands of enterprises.

Partner-developers leverage ManageEngine’s infrastructure, development tools, and business programs to accelerate the develop-deploy and go-to-market cycles.

Customers deploy specialised extensions built for their exact business challenges, turning platform capability into measurable outcomes.

“ManageEngine solutions are widely used and appreciated by many of our European customers. Now, through the Marketplace program, we are a part of their platform journey. Marketplace has enabled us to transform our expertise into scalable solutions, create recurring revenue, and expand our market reach,” added Sivakumar Ramasamy, founder and CEO of ISNIA Technologies, a ManageEngine partner specialising in AI-enabled data solutions and enterprise automation.

A Build-and-Sell Framework, Designed for Security and Speed

Open by design, ManageEngine Marketplace allows partner-developers, independent software vendors, and customers to swiftly build and distribute extensions using ManageEngine’s extension framework.

While the Marketplace is open to contributions from developers or partners, a dedicated team oversees validation, governance, and quality assurance for every submission, balancing open ecosystem innovation with enterprise-grade security and compliance. Every submission undergoes validation for functionality, security, and compliance before publication, ensuring ecosystem agility without compromising enterprise trust.

See more stories here.

Vodafone Ireland, in partnership with the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO), has successfully tested the integration of satellite technology for emergency and public service organisations.

Delivered under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the OGCIO, the technology would keep emergency services running during severe weather events or major outages, when mobile networks can be impacted by disruption to their power supply.

The trial, part of ongoing collaboration between Vodafone and the OGCIO on mission-critical communications (MCx), included a successful live test call on Clare Island, Co. Mayo — a first of its kind in Europe. The demonstration, carried out in partnership with Satellite Connect Europe, connecting to AST SpaceMobile’s satellite constellation, demonstrated how satellite connectivity on a standard smartphone could support voice and broadband data services for frontline responders when integrated with Ireland’s emergency communications environment and traditional coverage may be unavailable.

The satellite-enabled MCx group call was made by representatives of Vodafone and OGCIO to David Lund, Coordinator of the European Union Critical Communications Service (EUCCS) in the UK, marking a significant milestone not just for Ireland, but for the evolution of emergency communications across Europe.

Clare Island has played a central role in Vodafone Ireland’s satellite testing programme, including Ireland’s first mobile video call via satellite earlier this year. Its unique terrain makes it an ideal real-world environment for testing how satellite-enabled communications technologies can support rural communities and critical national infrastructure.

The trial showed how satellite connectivity can help maintain communications at all times, supporting access to 999 and 112 emergency services — regardless of mobile provider — as well as blue light organisations such as police, fire and ambulance services. Satellite technology provides an additional layer of connectivity alongside terrestrial networks, helping ensure that the public and emergency responders can stay connected when it matters most.

As Vodafone Ireland marks 25 years in the country, it continues to invest in strengthening national digital infrastructure, including a recent €360 million investment in network and digital capabilities.

Vodafone Ireland secured the country’s first test and trial licence for direct-to-device satellite technology and is working closely with ComReg on the necessary regulatory frameworks to support rollout to customers and emergency services.

Sheila Kavanagh, Network Director, Vodafone Ireland, said:

“Communication is critical for emergency services, particularly during extreme weather or in more remote parts of the country. Through our Memorandum of Understanding with Government and ongoing collaboration with key public sector partners, we’re focused on strengthening the resilience of Ireland’s communications infrastructure. By integrating satellite technology with next-generation systems like MCX, we are adding an additional layer to our network, helping to ensure frontline teams can stay connected and respond effectively in all scenarios. We’re now progressing further technical and regulatory engagement, with the ambition of bringing satellite broadband connectivity to customers as soon as possible.”

Meredith Sharples, Managing Director of Satellite Connect Europe (SatCo) added:

“We believe satellite connectivity will play a critical role for emergency services in Europe. D2D Satellite is unique in being able to meet universal coverage requirements and support the delivery of truly seamless critical communication and operational mobility across Europe. This technical demonstration by Vodafone Ireland is another step towards providing reliable, resilient coverage in areas traditional terrestrial infrastructure alone cannot reach.”

Jim Leahy, Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO), said:
“Strengthening the resilience of Ireland’s communications infrastructure is a key priority for Government. This collaboration with Vodafone Ireland shows how technologies like satellite can support continuity of service and improve coordination in challenging scenarios.”

See more stories here.

Lough Gill Brewery has installed a state-of-the-art CO? (Carbon Dioxide) Recovery System which will significantly cut the brewery’s carbon footprint and lead to sustainable energy savings.

In addition, the family-owned brewery is to introduce a new immersive visitor experience, attracting tourists to Sligo and enhancing the county’s tourism sector. The brewery expects to create a number of new jobs to support the venture.

As Lough Gill Brewery celebrates its 10th anniversary, the combined initiatives form part of a broader investment of approximately €500,000 in the brewery and its operations.

This milestone investment reflects the company’s long-term commitment to sustainability, innovation and growth, supporting enhanced operational efficiency while positioning the brewery as a key tourism destination in the region.

The installation of a brand-new CO? recovery system, a project undertaken with the support of Sligo LEADER, is among the first of its kind in the sector on the island of Ireland and enables the collection of raw CO? from fermentation tanks, running it through a deep-cleaning process before sending it back into production.

By recycling the majority of CO? used throughout the process and not venting it into the atmosphere, the new system will reduce costs and increase operational efficiency. It will allow for a reduction on purchased gas, ensuring a reliable supply during shortages, improving sustainability by lowering carbon footprints, and ensuring high-purity.

Having grown since its foundation in 2016, the company’s long-term, disciplined approach to its operations has allowed it to scale and develop steadily, and continue its upwards trajectory in a busy and challenging market.

Commenting, Lough Gill Brewery founder James Ward, said:

“We’ve always believed that if you’re building a manufacturing business in the West of Ireland, you have to think long term. Installing a CO? recovery system is a significant investment, but it’s the right thing to do. It reduces our footprint, strengthens our resilience and shows that small independent breweries can lead from the front when it comes to sustainability. It’s a very proud moment for our family-owned business.”

Fáilte Ireland’s ‘Shared Island Coast-to-Coast Scheme’, which will contribute €112,000 in funding toward a new visitor experience project, is designed to strengthen and future-proof tourism infrastructure along Ireland’s Atlantic seaboard.

The fund supports capital projects that improve sustainability, accessibility and destination appeal, with the aim of encouraging longer stays, increasing regional visitor spend and supporting local job creation.

A Lough Gill Brewery tour with a Brew Hall and tasting space will be two unique parts of the experience as well as a new coffee shop and retail space, allowing visitors to take a piece of the brewery home. Furthermore, a new event space will allow the company to host functions all year round.

Already producing more than 30 beers as the only brewery in Sligo town, the diversification into tourism market aims to strengthen its revenue stability, allowing the company to continue to reinvest profits locally – maintaining and developing its already strong community ties.

James Ward added:

“There is no doubt the industry has faced challenges, but we feel very positive about the future. Our domestic market grew last year, our local support remains incredibly strong, and this expansion will create new jobs while opening our doors to visitors in a whole new way. We’re confident in where we’re going and we’re excited about what’s next.”

See more stories here.

The EU has set an ambitious goal for Europe to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The transition towards a green and sustainable society is underway, this article looks at decarbonisation.

Energy-intensive industries such as the ceramics and glass sector account for a significant share of Europe’s industrial energy consumption and CO? emissions. Decarbonising these sectors is therefore essential to achieving the European Union’s climate and industrial competitiveness objectives. While electrification will play a key role, additional solutions are needed to address high-temperature industrial processes where direct electrification remains challenging.

Green Hydrogen for Decarbonisation of  European Industries

INDTEGRATE, a Horizon Europe Innovation Action that addresses this challenge, was officially launched. The project brings together a multidisciplinary consortium of industrial companies, technology developers, research organisations, universities, and innovation experts from across Europe to accelerate the integration of Solid Oxide Electrolyser Cell (SOEC) technology into energy-intensive industries. By combining renewable electricity, industrial waste heat recovery, advanced digital technologies, and green hydrogen production, INDTEGRATE aims to demonstrate a practical and scalable pathway towards industrial decarbonisation. The project will develop a suite of advanced digital tools, including reduced-order models, Process and Electrolyser Digital Twins, to support the design, optimisation and operation of hydrogen production systems in the glass and ceramics sectors.

Building on these digital capabilities, INDTEGRATE will engineer and validate a modular 220 kW SOEC system combining renewable electricity and industrial waste heat recovery to produce green hydrogen more efficiently. Through pilot demonstrations in operational industrial facilities, INDTEGRATE will assess the technical performance, operational flexibility and economic viability, while supporting the wider adoption of hydrogen technologies through stakeholder engagement, skills development, training activities and a roadmap for large-scale replication across Europe.

Kick-off meeting overview and outcomes

Hosted by the project coordinator, KERIONICS S.L. (Spain), the kick-off meeting marked the official start of INDTEGRATE and brought together representatives from all partner organisations to establish a common vision and implementation strategy for the next three years.

During the meeting, consortium partners presented their respective roles and responsibilities and discussed the project’s technical, managerial, and communication activities. Particular attention was given to the development of the SOEC system, digital twin technologies, energy management solutions, and the preparation of the industrial pilot demonstrations in Spain and Slovenia. Partners also exchanged views on expected impacts, collaboration mechanisms, risk management procedures, and opportunities for creating synergies with other European initiatives supporting industrial decarbonisation and hydrogen technologies.

The discussions confirmed a shared commitment to delivering innovative, industry-driven solutions capable of accelerating the adoption of green hydrogen in energy-intensive sectors while supporting Europe’s broader sustainability ambitions.

Next steps

Over the coming months, the INDTEGRATE consortium will focus on the detailed design and development of the project’s technological building blocks, including digital modelling tools, energy management systems, and SOEC integration strategies. Preparatory activities for the pilot demonstrations will also begin, alongside stakeholder engagement, dissemination, and collaboration activities designed to maximise the project’s impact.

The first technical results and project developments are expected to be shared through the project’s communication channels and stakeholder engagement activities, contributing to the advancement of sustainable hydrogen solutions and the decarbonisation of European industry.

Project consortium

KERIONICS S.L.

Torrecid SA

Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)

FUKS GROUP

Bitwise Oy

Steklarna Hrastnik LLC

Precision Resource Slovenia

Universitat Politècnica de València

Center for Applied Energy Research e.V. (CAE)

Ena Development Consultants

YIVA Engineering SRL

INCOTEC efficient Innovation

https://www.indtegrate.eu

For further information, you may contact at info@indtegrate.eu

See more breaking stories here.

Ibec, the group that represents Irish business, has published a major new report warning that Ireland will fail to fully realise its long-term AI economic potential without a deliberate shift in the national approach to lifelong learning. The new study, which is supported by Accenture, Skills for all, skills for life, highlights that a failure to proactively and adequately reskill the workforce to support the transition puts a massive portion of the country’s competitive advantage at risk and hinders our ability to benefit from the multi-billion euro opportunity being created by AI.

The report, launched at an event today with Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless TD, notes that Ireland’s previous talent model is outdated. As structural issues begin to limit growth, business leaders are urging policymakers to align their strategies and completely revamp workforce development.

Kara McGann, Head of Skills & Social Policy at Ibec, said:

“We are just at the precipice of the change happening as a result of AI. As a country, we cannot be passive or hold back our intent or resources in supporting the transition required to meet the opportunities and challenges that will come with it. We have a multi-billion-euro training fund sitting on the sidelines – acting like it’s a rainy-day fund – when given the level of disruption that we’re seeing, we’re actually in the middle of a monsoon – facing the most profound and unprecedented technological shifts since the industrial revolution and simultaneously a global talent competition.

“While Ireland may not necessarily be a global hub for AI development, we can equip our workforce to be globally renowned as “AI natives,” which will provide a real competitive advantage for us. To achieve this, we need to considerably alter our approach to lifelong learning and its participation rates. Currently, at around 48.3%, Ireland’s rate sits just above the EU-27 average of 39.5%.

“We need a considerable step-change that shifts our national mindset toward continuous learning. By resolving the funding cycles of the National Training Fund (NTF) and establishing an integrated AI reskilling plan, we can ensure that Ireland becomes a net beneficiary of these new opportunities.”

Audrey O’Mahoney, Managing Director and Talent Reinvention Lead at Accenture, added:

“Artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping how work gets done, not just how quickly tasks can be completed. As roles evolve, the real challenge is whether organisations are investing at the same pace in people as they are in technology. Building the skills that create value in an AI-driven economy requires more than access to tools, it demands a deliberate focus on capability, confidence and the redesign of work itself. Reskilling must be treated as a core business transformation priority, embedded into how organisations operate and how work is continuously reinvented.”

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless TD said:

“This report is a timely reminder that harnessing the benefits of AI will require a collective effort. Employers, education providers, government and industry all have a role to play in helping people and businesses adapt to rapid change. Supporting greater AI adoption across the economy is essential if Ireland is to remain competitive and unlock new opportunities for growth. I look forward to working closely with employers and skills providers to ensure the right skills responses are in place and that Ireland is well positioned to benefit from the AI revolution.”

Key findings and recommendations from the report include:

AI Urgency and Urgency of Spend: As AI continues to redefine occupational tasks and affect an estimated 82% of working hours in Ireland, the workforce must adapt at an unprecedented velocity. This transition requires immediate, strategic investment. Leaders cannot afford to defer spending for a future crisis; the disruption to our workforce is happening right now.

A Shared Responsibility: Closing emerging structural constraints requires a clear call to action with specific roles for government, education, and employers. As a core recommendation, the report states that Ireland needs a single, coherent strategy with explicit accountability across multiple stakeholders to effectively drive a national skills transformation roadmap.

Securing the Graduate Pipeline: To protect Ireland’s long-term talent advantage, industry and higher education must urgently collaborate to adapt traditional learning models. Following a decade of declining real per-student funding, universities and further education providers require funding certainty to ensure young people graduate with the exact blended skills needed for an AI-driven economy.

Building an “AI-Native” Workforce: Ireland can secure a distinct international advantage by treating skills as core infrastructure and embedding ongoing training directly into the workplace to build a highly competitive, AI-native workforce. State and enterprise leaders cannot afford to be passive; if Ireland moves slower than global competitors to realign its labour force, it faces a severe risk of being left behind.

See more stories here.

When Harsha Koorimannil Valiyamannil made the decision to leave her home in Kerala, southern India, and move to Belfast to study Computing Science at Ulster University, she knew she was embarking on a life-changing journey.

Four years later, as she graduates from Ulster University with First Class Honours, she reflects on a university experience that has been about far more than earning a degree.

A Dean’s List student in both her first and second years, Harsha has combined academic excellence with an exceptional commitment to supporting others. Throughout her time at Ulster University, she has become a leading and passionate advocate for inclusion, representation and student belonging, both for women in technology and international students living and studying in Northern Ireland.

Before arriving in Belfast in 2022, Harsha came from a creative background, studying animation and working in graphic design. Having always enjoyed mathematics at school, she saw Computing Science as the perfect way to combine both interests.

“I’ve always been a creative person and a bit of a maths girlie as well,” she explained. “I loved that computing allowed me to build things, solve problems and bring my creative thinking into technology.”

While researching UK universities, Harsha was particularly attracted to both Belfast and Ulster University.

“I was looking for a university with a strong reputation in computing, and Ulster stood out. At the same time, I was really drawn to Belfast because of its arts and cultural scene. It felt like the perfect combination of creativity and technology.”

Moving thousands of miles from home to start university life in a new country, culture and academic environment brought challenges for Harsha and reinforced the importance of supportive communities.

“The culture shock was definitely part of the journey. When you’re an international student, having people around you who make you feel welcome and included makes such a difference.”

As a woman studying Computing Science, Harsha was also aware of the challenges around representation in technology and engineering.

“Sometimes people underestimate what women are capable of because of their gender. I’ve experienced that myself, so inclusion and representation are extremely important to me.”

Determined to create positive change, Harsha co-founded the Women in STEM Society, creating opportunities for students to connect, find support and celebrate women across STEM disciplines. Among Harsha’s proudest achievements is the creation of the Hack4Health Hackathon in 2025, which brought students together to use technology to address real-world health challenges and has continued beyond its inaugural year.

“I want to do things that leave a legacy for other people to carry on and build. The fact that Hack4Health is continuing and becoming part of Ulster University’s future is something I’m really proud of.”

Mark Donnelly, Senior Lecturer at the Ulster University School of Computing praised Harsha’s work both as a student and peer, commenting:

“Harsha is an exceptionally talented and curious student who embraced a deliberately challenging final-year project, applying emerging technologies to address a meaningful real-world problem aligned with her interests. I am delighted to see her graduate and have no doubt she will continue to be an outstanding ambassador for women in computing.”

Alongside her work with the Women in STEM Society, Harsha played a key role in coordinating Ulster University’s Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) and informally mentoring international students, helping peers settle into university life and navigate their new environment.  Her commitment to inclusion continued during her placement year with Ulster University’s Widening Access and Flexible Education department, where she delivered mentor training and helped widen participation initiatives across campuses.

“The placement completely changed my confidence,” she said. “It encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone, get involved in opportunities and develop skills that I now use every day. It really helped shape who I am.”

Harsha’s commitment to supporting others extends beyond Ulster University, back home to her hometown in Kerala. She has delivered English and communication workshops for school students at home, helping young people build confidence and embrace new opportunities.

For other international students considering studying at Ulster University, her advice is simple.

“Say yes to opportunities,” she said. “You never know where they might lead. Some of the best experiences happen when you try something you never expected.”

Harsha is one of more than 5000 students graduating from Ulster University this summer, with ten days of celebrations taking place at ceremonies in Belfast, Coleraine & Derry~Londonderry.

Celebrating her graduation in Belfast, Harsha was joined by her mother, who travelled from India to attend the ceremony and visit the city for the first time. Looking ahead, she sees a future in Northern Ireland, and hopes to build a career focused on outreach, inclusion and supporting others.

See more stories here.

Irish AgriTech and food SMEs will gain access to advanced European testing and validation services after Munster Technological University (MTU) was named the tenth node in agrifoodTEF, a European network of Test and Experimentation Facilities for AI and robotics in the agrifood sector.

MTU will deliver Ireland’s participation in the network through the IMaR Research Centre and AgriTech Ireland Cluster at its Kerry campus. The University will receive €460,000 to support its involvement, funded through the EU Digital Europe Programme and co-funded by Research Ireland through Lero, Research Ireland’s centre for software. Through the new Irish node, SMEs will be able to test, validate, and accelerate the market adoption of AI and robotics solutions for the agrifood sector.

European AgriTech testing network

The network connects research centres, test facilities and industry partners across Europe, with a focus on helping companies developing digital and automation technologies for agriculture and food production to reduce risk and accelerate market adoption.

Through the partnership, MTU will provide structured validation services – typically eight to twelve weeks – covering technical performance, systems integration, deployment readiness and business model validation. Companies will receive evidence-based findings designed to strengthen investor and customer confidence ahead of wider rollout.

Kieran O’Donoghue, Cluster Manager at AgriTech Ireland, said:
“Joining agriFoodTEF provides a significant opportunity for AgriTech Ireland Cluster members to connect with a European network of expertise, facilities, and innovation partners. Through the cluster, SMEs will be able to collaborate with technical specialists, access testing and validation capabilities, and generate the evidence needed to support the development and adoption of new AgriTech solutions. This strengthens our ability to support members throughout their innovation journey while raising the profile of Irish AgriTech within the wider European innovation ecosystem.”

Prof. Joseph Walsh, Vice Dean Research & Innovation and Director of IMaR at MTU, added:
“This represents an important milestone for MTU and the IMaR Research Centre. Through this European consortium, we will combine our expertise in digital technologies, AI, and applied research with the industry engagement capabilities of the AgriTech Ireland Cluster to support AgriTech SMEs in validating and accelerating innovative solutions. This partnership strengthens Ireland’s contribution to the European AgriTech innovation ecosystem while creating new opportunities for companies to test, validate, and commercialise technologies that can support a more productive and sustainable agricultural sector.”

AgriTech Ireland works with over 50 SMEs each year, connecting businesses with technical expertise, research facilities, funding opportunities and industry partnerships. The new node status creates a direct link between those SMEs and the wider European network, offering a structured pathway from early-stage innovation through to market-ready solutions.

About AgriTech Ireland:

AgriTech Ireland is a national industry-led cluster based at Munster Technological University (MTU) Kerry. The cluster brings together industry, academia and government to support the growth and internationalisation of Ireland’s AgriTech sector.

Funded through Enterprise Ireland under the Regional Technology Clustering Fund (RTCF), AgriTech Ireland connects SMEs with the expertise, partnerships, and funding opportunities needed to accelerate innovation and improve competitiveness.

The cluster supports companies across their growth journey by enabling faster product development, enhancing productivity through digital tools, facilitating collaboration, and opening access to new international markets.

Find out more:
https://agritechireland.ie/

About agrifoodTEF:
agrifoodTEF is a European initiative providing a network of physical and digital testing facilities to support the development and validation of AI and robotics solutions in agriculture and food systems.

Funded under the EU Digital Europe Programme, agrifoodTEF brings together leading research centres, test farms, European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) and industry partners across Europe to help companies test technologies in real-world conditions, reduce risk and accelerate market adoption.

The network consists of nodes across Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden, with Ireland now joining as the 10th node through AgriTech Ireland. agrifoodTEF supports SMEs and technology providers through tailored services including test-before-invest, validation, performance benchmarking, and deployment readiness assessment.

Find out more:
https://agrifoodtef.eu/

See more breaking stories here.

Anker has sent us a number of products to take a look at, and the first up for review is this interesting high-capacity power bank.

The 25,000mAh power bank has a max output power of 165 watts, making it one of the more powerful devices on the market, and it comes with not one but two built-in USB-C cables!

We have been using the power bank over the last few weeks to see how it performs in everyday use around the home, office and on the go.

Specs

• Battery capacity: 25,000mAh
• Total output: 165W max
• USB-C output: Up to 100W per USB-C cable/port
• USB-A output: Up to 33W
• Recharging: Up to 100W via USB-C cable or USB-C port
• Ports/charging options: Triple 100W USB-C ports plus USB-A
• Simultaneous charging: Charges up to 4 devices at once
• 2-device output: Up to 165W total
• 3 or 4 device output: Up to 130W total
• Built-in cables: Dual built-in cables, including a retractable cable design
• Display: Smart display showing battery level, output, input, recharge time and other live stats
• Recharge speed: Can recharge to 30% in 20 minutes; full recharge takes around 2 hours with a 100W+ charger at 25°C
• Laptop fast charging: 16-inch MacBook Pro M3 to 50% in 33 minutes
• Phone fast charging: iPhone 16 to 50% in 25 minutes
• Pass-through charging: Supported, but requires a charger rated at 20W or higher
• Dimensions: 156.97 × 53.85 × 49.02 mm
• Weight: 595g
• Price on Anker EU at time checked: €99.99

Design and Build

The power bank feels good in the hand. The materials used are high quality. The finish is smooth, and the corners are rounded, so it is easy to hold. Even at 595g, it feels quite light for such a high-capacity power bank.

As you look around the device, the front of the device has a small screen for information. The right hand side has a button which activates that screen and can be used for toggling through the different screens available.

On the same side, there is a USB-C port which can both charge and be used for charging the device, and a USB-A port.

The top and left-hand side have the power bank’s unique features, which are two built-in USB-C cables. The one on the left is made from a durable material and can be clipped into a wrist strap shape for carrying the power bank. The other one on the top face uses a retractable cable design, which allows you to pull the cable out to use and then retract it back into the body of the device when you are finished.

At first, it seems strange to have two cables coming from the device, but you quickly get used to it and having two built-in cables is really useful.

Day-to-Day Use

The first thing we noticed with this Anker power bank was how quickly it can be charged and how cool it stays while charging. Generally, with large power capacity power banks such as this that can accept fast charging, a lot of heat is generated. This power bank stayed cool to the touch, even when being charged at 100 watts.

The screen on the front shows useful information when the device is charging something else or being charged itself, and can be used to check the battery percentage outside of that. While charging, the first screen shows what percentage the battery is at, what speed it is charging at and how long is left until it is fully charged.

One press of the button brings you to a screen which has an overview of what is happening with each port. The next screen shows you the temperature the battery is operating at, and the final shows the battery health and cycle count.

When you are charging another device, the screens are largely the same, but the first screen shows the power you’re outputting rather than receiving.

While travelling or staying overnight in a hotel, I have found the Anker power bank really excels when you want to top up your laptop and phone when you sit down after a long day. It is really simple to take out the battery and charge both devices, and you are not tied to a wall with a charger. Likewise, when you are on the go at events or caught up in meetings, having the built-in cable and available power and capacity makes life simple.

While the device is capable of charging just about anything, large or small, its larger size makes it ideal for a backpack carry-on luggage, and it is the type of device you will bring along when you know you are going to have a busy day.

In practical terms, the 25000mAh capacity meant that when I was at an event lately, I kept my MacBook Air and iPhone 17 Pro Max topped up all day, and when I got back to my hotel room, I used it to charge my watch. It meant that to keep 3 devices charged on the go, I only needed to bring a watch charger and the power bank, with no chargers or power cables required.

Around the home, the power bank is great for keeping tablets and phones charged, and the large capacity means it can fully charge several devices before needing to be recharged itself.

When it comes to recharging the power bank, it charges very quickly with an appropriate 100-watt charger. A complete 0 to 100% charge takes 1.7 hours, but you can add 30% in around 20 minutes. The power bank also supports pass-through charging if you are stuck and need to charge other devices while it is also being charged.

Conclusion

The Anker 25,000mAh Power Bank is a powerful device, capable of charging anything quickly, and it comes with two USB-C cables built in.

The device is well built and ideal for keeping multiple devices charged while you are on the go.

It makes charging your devices easy and reduces the number of chargers and cables you need to bring with you.

If you are in the market for a high-output, high-capacity power bank, the Anker 25,000mAh Power Bank is an easy recommendation.

It is available to purchase directly from Anker or via Amazon.ie now for €99.99.

Munster Technological University (MTU) has today launched a new Masters of Engineering in Integrated Manufacturing Engineering, developed in response to growing demand across Ireland’s manufacturing sector for advanced engineering skills in sustainable manufacturing, industrial automation, artificial intelligence, data engineering and Industry 4.0 technologies.

The new Level 9 programme marks a significant milestone as the first taught Master’s programme in engineering to be delivered from the MTU Kerry Campus. Designed in collaboration with industry partners, the part-time programme will support engineering professionals to develop the technical, research and leadership capabilities needed to lead digital and sustainable transformation within modern manufacturing environments.

MTU engineering Masters

The launch comes at a time of continued pressure on Ireland’s engineering talent pipeline. According to Engineers Ireland’s From Awareness to Action – Advocating for Engineering Outreach report, Ireland will require an additional 22,300 engineers to meet future economic and industry needs. Engineers Ireland’s Barometer Report 2025 also found that 53% of employers identified a shortage of graduate engineers as a major recruitment challenge, rising to 79% for experienced engineers, with 90% expecting skills shortages to remain the same or worsen in the coming years.

Delivered over five semesters through a flexible blended learning format, the MEng in Integrated Manufacturing Engineering combines online delivery, immersive masterclasses and applied workplace learning. A key feature of the programme is a substantial industry-aligned research project, enabling learners to address real-world challenges within their own organisations while continuing to work.

The programme has been developed by MTU’s Rethinking Engineering Education in Ireland (REEdI) team, following consultation with industry partner companies across manufacturing sectors including MedTech, Pharma, Food, Electronics, Automotive and Engineering Services. This consultation identified strong demand for expertise in sustainable manufacturing, digitalisation, automation, artificial intelligence and Industry 4.0 technologies, with employers highlighting the need for advanced engineering skills to support the twin green and digital transitions shaping the sector.

Dr Fiona Boyle, Head of Department-STEM and Director of REEdI said: “Ireland’s manufacturing sector is evolving rapidly, and employers are seeking engineers who can combine deep technical expertise with the ability to lead research, innovation, digitalisation and sustainable change within their organisations. This new Master’s programme was developed in direct response to those needs, providing a flexible pathway for engineering professionals to advance their skills while remaining connected to the workplace.”

She added: “This is also an important milestone for MTU’s Kerry Campus. As the first taught Master’s programme in engineering to be delivered from the campus, the MEng in Integrated Manufacturing Engineering reflects MTU’s commitment to expanding postgraduate engineering education in the region and supporting the future skills needs of industry across Ireland.”

Professor Joseph Walsh, Vice Dean of Research and Innovation in the Faculty of Engineering at MTU, Director of the IMaR Research Centre said: “This programme exemplifies MTU’s commitment to delivering industry-relevant, research-informed education and strengthening the connection between higher education, applied research and enterprise. Through the involvement of the IMaR Research Centre in its design and delivery, learners will benefit from direct engagement with cutting-edge research and strong industry collaboration while developing solutions to real-world manufacturing challenges. This close alignment between research, education and industry will equip graduates to drive innovation and support the future competitiveness and sustainability of Ireland’s engineering sector.”

Donal Griffin, Operations Coordinator Astellas Ireland said “Astellas is proud to support the launch of MTU’s Master of Engineering in Integrated Manufacturing Engineering. Building on the strong collaboration established through the REEdI programme, this initiative reflects the value of industry–academia partnerships in developing the next generation of engineering talent for advanced manufacturing in Ireland.”

The programme is aimed at engineering professionals currently working in manufacturing and related industries who are seeking to upskill or progress to a Level 9 qualification, as well as graduates of engineering and science programmes interested in developing advanced manufacturing research and innovation expertise.

The MEng in Integrated Manufacturing Engineering will welcome its first intake in September 2026.

For further information on the programme, visit: https://www.mtu.ie/courses/tleinmem/

See more breaking stories here.

Irish CEOs remain confident about growth over the next 12 months despite global volatility, with geopolitical risk now at the top of their list of concerns. That’s according to EY Ireland’s latest CEO Outlook Survey, which surveyed 1,200 executives globally, including 40 leading CEOs in Ireland.

Among the Irish CEOs surveyed, 92% are optimistic about revenue growth, with the same proportion confident in their competitive position over the next 12 months. This compares with 86% of global CEOs in respect of revenue growth and 80% on competitive position. At the same time, geopolitical tension, instability and conflict stands out as the most significant risk facing Irish CEOs, with 70% citing this among their top two concerns. This is followed by macroeconomic volatility (42%), trade and supply chain disruption (22%), and talent and capability gaps (16%). A similar pattern is seen globally, although at lower levels overall, with 56% of global CEOs ranking geopolitical risk among their top two concerns, followed by macroeconomic volatility (31%), technology disruption including AI-related risks (23%), and trade and supply chain disruption (22%).

Irish Growth Prospects

AI investment has moved from experimentation to accountability

AI has crossed a significant threshold in Irish boardrooms – 84% of Irish CEOs report increased AI investment compared to 2025, with the focus increasingly shifting from experimentation to the expectation of measurable results. This mirrors a global trend, where 80% of CEOs are also increasing investment in AI. Almost six in ten (58%) Irish CEOs report measurable AI impact in core operations, while 42% say AI regulatory frameworks are fragmented or still evolving, with 26% citing increased compliance complexity.

Most interestingly, leaders in Ireland are now expecting AI to deliver measurable results, with 68% using standard metrics to measure and report on AI impact across major projects. Looking ahead, 60% expect large-scale AI reskilling and upskilling of existing employees to be among the two most significant workforce impacts over the next three years, while just one in ten (10%) say that it will reduce hiring in certain roles.

However, in Ireland, skills availability defines the main obstacle with almost four in ten (38%) of CEOs identifying ‘cultural resistance to change’ as the primary barrier to deriving value from AI. Globally, this is less of a constraint, with just 16% identifying cultural resistance as a barrier.

This shift reflects a broader maturation in how businesses approach AI. The question is no longer whether to invest, but how to demonstrate that investment is generating returns, building the internal structures to sustain and scale it, and to ensure your people have the skills to harness the technology.

Helena O’Dwyer, Partner and Head of Strategy at EY-Parthenon Ireland, said: “Irish CEOs are navigating a complex, unpredictable and rapidly evolving landscape. The confidence in their own growth prospects is real, and there is a track record over the past decade of successfully navigating global uncertainty with confidence. Even still, the pace and scale of the geopolitical upheaval is extraordinary, and geopolitical risk is no longer a background concern; it is a day?to?day operating reality, shaping decisions on costs, supply chains, capital and growth.

“From conversations with clients we know, however, that for mid-sized businesses in particular, the challenge is somewhat different. They may lack the scale of management capacity to find the time to actively manage these issues, or struggle with the level of working capital or technology to be able to address issues or take advantage of opportunities. These leaders are more focused on keeping income steady, reducing costs, looking after staff, and staying connected to customers.”

Carol Murphy, Partner, Head of Markets at EY Ireland, said: “CEOs increasingly are not asking whether to invest in AI, they’re asking what it’s delivering and what comes next. The focus has shifted firmly to results, and that’s starting to change how work is organised across businesses. We’re seeing companies move beyond pilots and build AI into core operations, but that shift also brings a workforce challenge. Many organisations know they need to reskill and redesign roles to make the most of AI, but progress isn’t always straightforward. There can be resistance to change at all levels, and for smaller and mid-sized businesses in particular, training and transformation have to happen in step with day-to-day delivery.”

About EY

EY is building a better working world by creating new value for clients, people, society, and the planet, while building trust in capital markets.

Enabled by data, AI and advanced technology, EY teams help clients shape the future with confidence and develop answers for the most pressing issues of today and tomorrow.

EY teams work across a full spectrum of services in assurance, consulting, tax, strategy and transactions. Fueled by sector insights, a globally connected, multi-disciplinary network and diverse ecosystem partners, EY teams can provide services in more than 150 countries and territories.

All in to shape the future with confidence.

About the survey

On behalf of the global EY organisation, FT Longitude, the specialist research and content marketing division of the Financial Times Group, conducted an anonymous online survey of 1,200 CEOs from large companies around the world, including 40 CEOs in Ireland in March and April 2026. The survey aims to provide valuable insights on the main trends and developments impacting the world’s leading companies as well as business leaders’ expectations for future growth and long-term value creation. Respondents represented 21 countries (Brazil, Canada, Mexico, the United States, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Australia, China, India, Japan, Singapore and South Korea) and five industries (consumer and health; financial services; industrials and energy; infrastructure; technology, media and telecoms). Surveyed companies’ annual global revenues were as follows: less than US$500m (20%), US$500m–US$999.9m (21%), US$1b–US$4.9b (29%) and greater than US$5b (30%).

See more breaking stories here.

By Iaros Belkin and Philip Cripe for Irish Tech News

Dutch Blockchain Week closed out its eighth edition having grown closer to a working session for the industry’s institutional core than a community gathering, and the week’s biggest story arrived almost as if scripted to prove the point. On July 1, Binance loses the regulatory standing that lets it operate across the European Union, having missed the window to secure a MiCA license in time. By the final day of the summit, it was the only thing anyone wanted to talk about.

Iaros caught the mood early, summed up the conference over WhatsApp: everyone talking about it and how to steal customers away. Exchanges were reportedly working the venue like a recruitment drive, pitching themselves directly to anyone who might be looking for a new exchange. “What stood out to us was how rapidly exchanges began exploring event-led growth strategies, asking us right here, on the spot, to organize activations that could help onboard European users displaced by Binance’s exit.” says Mauricio Silvestris, VIP attendee of DBW and founder of Backstage.global. It was a fitting bookend to the regulatory conversation that opened the week, when Peter Engering argued on day one that the MiCA deadline was forcing the industry to grow up.

Dutch Blockchain Week

Philip, who advised organisations in conflict zones to use Binance to move humanitarian funds, sees Binance missing MiCA as a global issue. The places where Binance’s speed saves lives do not have the alternatives Europe has.

Speaker Dinis Guarda stated: “The EU has been a complex regulatory and innovation market. The failure of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange to secure a Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) license is a serious moment and marks a seismic shift, forcing a consolidate-or-die environment for EU crypto innovation and proving that the bloc values institutional-grade compliance over raw market volume. While Europe has successfully created a single “passportable” market, the complexity and rigidity of its regulatory wall are triggering an immediate structural contraction. This, unfortunately, might just create more illegal trading, as crypto traders will shift to less-regulated platforms, creating more risks.”

Tension between regulation as maturity and regulation as a blunt instrument capable of pushing risk somewhere worse ran underneath nearly everything discussed.

Jan Scheele, who moderated every panel solo across both summit days, summed this up with how far the conversation has moved past speculation. Institutional adoption is no longer a future state being discussed, it is happening, with major banks deeply embedded in stablecoin infrastructure. Roughly 98 percent of stablecoin volume runs in US dollars, and Scheele pointed to that figure as evidence of a broader power shift. Europe and the euro, once central to that story, are increasingly watching the US set the pace.

For Bybit, OKX, and Bitvavo and those that did the work, July 1 is closer to a non-event, a formality after months of working directly with regulators. The operators without a license face consolidation, acquisition, or an exit from the market. Regulators seem willing to keep talking to anyone showing genuine intent to comply. That is the gap Binance fell into: not outright defiance, just a missed window with real consequences. Even at WAIB Monaco, many of saw the writing on the wall when Binance tried to passport into the EU through Greece. “Why Greece” was asked repeatedly.

PwC is moving from cautious observer to full participant in crypto advisory. How to scale into the EU, market into Europe, and how to build trust with institutional investors. Regulatory maturity is what is making the industry investable at scale.

Elroy Heisterkamp, who had told his audience to brace for Bitcoin at 75,000 a few months earlier pointed to early signs of a bottom and a possible run higher. Despite a bear market, the tone stayed constructive, with speakers pointing to geopolitical tailwinds and a return of retail interest.

Scheele looks forward. AI agents, machine-to-machine payments, quantum computing’s threat to existing cryptography, and AI-linked tokens are the themes he expects to dominate next year’s conversation. The breakthroughs are still ahead. Whether Guarda’s warning about illegal trading proves out or Scheele’s optimism about institutional maturity wins the year, Dutch Blockchain Week 2026 leaves Europe’s crypto industry with a clear marker of where the line now sits.

About the Authors

Iaros Belkin is the founder of Belkin Marketing, a boutique agency serving as Strategic Advisor to Deep Tech, Web3 and AI Founders. Two decades of experience in orchestrating everything from grants and key partnerships to VVIP events elevated experience.

Philip Cripe is the founder of CripeHub Solutions LLC, a technology and political advisory company providing geopolitical analysis, business and technology advisory, and fractional C-suite services to clients across Europe and North America.

See more breaking stories here.

Italian and Irish startups showcase innovative approaches to waste management and AI governance

Dublin Tech Summit brought together startups, investors, corporates and policymakers from across Europe and beyond. While AI remained the dominant theme, some of the most interesting exhibitors were applying technology to practical business and environmental challenges.

Irish Tech News was on the ground interviewing founders, recording podcast interviews and reporting from the exhibition floor. Among those were representatives of Italian startup Ganiga and Dublin-based Montro, two companies addressing very different challenges but with a common goal: helping organisations make better decisions through better data.

Turning Waste into Data, Dublin Tech Summit

Founded in Pisa in 2021, Ganiga is using AI, robotics and IoT to improve how organisations manage waste.

“We try to combine AI, robotics and IoT to enhance waste management, transforming waste into data and then all the data into value,” said Vincenzo Degiacomo, Engineer and Head of Product at Ganiga.

The company has developed intelligent waste collection systems that automatically identify and sort materials, reducing contamination and improving recycling rates. Rather than simply collecting rubbish, the system identifies materials, captures operational data and provides organisations with valuable insights into waste streams and recycling performance.

The systems are already deployed across major Italian airports including Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate, Pisa, Florence and Venice, as well as shopping centres and corporate facilities. Ganiga’s Hoooly! smart waste collection system is already deployed in the LinkedIn Dublin office.

During the interview, I suggested that the technology could also have applications in Dublin city centre, where improving waste segregation remains an ongoing challenge for Dublin City Council. Degiacomo agreed that the platform could be adapted to a wide range of public environments.

Dario Carmassi, Marketing and Communication Specialist at Ganiga, explained that airports have become one of the company’s principal markets, where high passenger volumes create significant waste management and recycling challenges while operators are under increasing pressure to improve sustainability reporting.

The company is now looking beyond traditional waste management.

“Now we are developing the same technology concerning food waste. Recognition, detection, quantification and insights for kitchens, catering and hospitality on how to save food,” said Degiacomo.

As organisations face increasing pressure to improve sustainability performance, Ganiga believes waste data can become a valuable management tool rather than simply a disposal problem.

Ganiga formed part of the Italian Trade Agency’s delegation of 14 innovative startups at Dublin Tech Summit, showcasing the breadth of Italy’s innovation ecosystem.

Helping Businesses Understand Their AI Risk

While Ganiga focuses on physical waste, Dublin startup Montro is tackling a different organisational challenge: understanding what software and AI tools employees are actually using.

The rapid adoption of AI has created a new governance challenge for many organisations, with employees increasingly using AI and SaaS applications that IT, security and compliance teams may know little about.

Founded by Namita Razdan and Ankur Arora, Montro has developed a SaaS governance and AI intelligence platform designed to help organisations navigate growing regulatory requirements including GDPR, DORA, NIS2 and the EU AI Act.

Razdan’s background in compliance and risk management within banking and consulting helped shape the idea.

“Every organisation we speak to has an AI policy. Still, most of them can’t clearly tell what AI is actually running across their business beyond ChatGPT or Copilot. That gap, between what leadership believes is governed and what is actually deployed, is where the regulatory exposure lives.”

The company believes many organisations have policies governing AI use, but lack visibility into what employees are actually deploying across the business.

At Dublin Tech Summit, Montro launched AIGRI, the EU AI Governance Readiness Index, a free self-assessment framework designed to help organisations benchmark their readiness across multiple European regulatory frameworks.

The platform’s discovery capabilities connect with systems including Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace to identify software and AI tools being used across an organisation and assess potential compliance risks.

Razdan believes AI governance has quickly become everyone’s priority, but nobody is entirely sure who owns the responsibility.

“Everybody wants it. But nobody knows under whose purview it falls.”

Montro is currently working with its first paying customer while expanding its market presence, having completed the NDRC accelerator and Local Enterprise Office programmes.

Solving Practical Problems

Although operating in very different sectors, Ganiga and Montro are responding to a similar challenge: helping organisations make better decisions through better information.

For Ganiga, that means understanding what organisations throw away and how resources can be managed more effectively. For Montro, it means helping businesses understand the growing number of software and AI tools operating within their organisations and the governance responsibilities that come with them.

At a summit dominated by AI, both companies demonstrated that some of the most valuable innovation lies in solving practical operational problems rather than simply building new technology.

Further information: Montro

Further information: Ganiga

About Billy Linehan

Billy Linehan is a freelance writer covering innovation, tech for good and entrepreneurship, and a regular contributor to Irish Tech News.

See more breaking stories here.

Primary school students from four schools across Ireland have been recognised for their creativity and problem-solving skills as winners of Empower3D, Stryker’s national 3D printing design challenge that fosters STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) learning in classrooms. Formerly known as Manufacturing a Healthy Future, the programme places sustainability at its core and challenges students to design practical solutions to real-world issues within their school communities using 3D printing technology.

Marking the end of the school year and the 2025/2026 programme, Cork primary schools St. Catherine’s National School, Bishopstown and Scoil Barra Naofa, Monkstown, as well as Newport Convent Primary School, County Tipperary and Aston Village Educate Together National School, County Louth were named winners across two award categories – Best Sustainable Design and Best Learning Journey.

Empower3D Competition for Irish schools

Led by Stryker, a global leader in medical technologies, in partnership with I-Form, Research Ireland’s Centre for Advanced Manufacturing, Empower3D has been equipping primary school teachers with the 3D printing tools, training and confidence to bring advanced manufacturing technology into the classroom since 2021. Throughout the programme’s lifetime, more than 160 teachers and over 3,200 students in Ireland have participated, including more than 500 students from DEIS schools.

As part of the programme, Stryker visited St. Catherine’s National School in Bishopstown to present their award in person and see the students’ 3D printing projects in action. Throughout the month of June, students from the winning schools also had the opportunity to visit Stryker’s manufacturing facility in Anngrove, County Cork to experience first-hand the innovative work underway in additive manufacturing.

Speaking about Stryker’s longstanding involvement in the programme, Mag O’Keeffe, Vice President, Advanced Operations (NPI) and Global Additive Technologies at Stryker, said: “Empower3D reflects Stryker’s commitment to innovation, sustainability and meaningful community engagement. The creativity shown by students, and the way their ideas are brought to life through 3D printing, is incredibly inspiring. What stands out most is not just the quality of the final designs, but the level of curiosity, teamwork and problem-solving demonstrated throughout the process.

By introducing students to advanced manufacturing technologies early on, programmes like Empower3D help build confidence and show young people how their ideas can translate into real-world solutions. We are proud to support initiatives that inspire the next generation of engineers, innovators and makers.”

The winning entries showed strong creativity, teamwork and problem-solving, with students using design thinking to tackle everyday challenges in their schools. From early ideas through to testing and refining their designs, students were recognised not just for the final results, but for how they developed their ideas and improved them along the way.

Eimear Cummins, 6th Class Teacher, St Catherine’s National School, Bishopstown, County Cork, said: “We are incredibly proud of our students and the commitment they have shown throughout the Empower3D programme. From the outset, they fully embraced the challenge of identifying real issues within their school environment and working collaboratively to develop practical solutions, including their winning entry, Lunch Box Clip. For many of them, this was their first experience of 3D design and printing, and it has been remarkable to see how quickly they developed their skills, confidence and creativity. The process encouraged them to think critically, test their ideas and learn from each stage of development.”

The competition forms part of a wider European initiative funded through the Erasmus+ Programme, the EU’s?programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe.

As long-term supporters of the programme, Stryker and I-Form have continually evolved their approach to STEM education. Their scientists and engineers work closely with teachers, providing technical guidance, judging entries and supporting schools through investment in educational technology. Through this support, the programme is helping to build a future talent pipeline by fostering interest in STEM, while also promoting greater diversity and helping to reduce gender disparities across the sector.

Michael Golden, Education and Public Engagement Manager at I-Form, said: “Empower3D is about building curiosity, confidence and capability in STEM from an early age. By giving students hands-on access to technologies like 3D printing, the programme helps them see how their ideas can translate into real-world solutions, while also encouraging more young people to see themselves as future innovators and engineers.”
Since launching in 2021, the programme has been offered to teachers and pupils in schools across Europe, including in Ireland, France, Estonia, Lithuania, Hungary, Czechia and Greece, with over 500 teachers and 8,000 students engaged. The current project partners are Stryker and I-Form at University College Dublin in Ireland, Arts et Metier Institute of Technology (ENSAM) in France and Masaryk University in Czechia.

About Stryker

Stryker is a global leader in medical technologies and, together with our customers, we are driven to make healthcare better. We offer innovative products and services in MedSurg, Neurotechnology and Orthopaedics that help improve patient and healthcare outcomes. Alongside our customers around the world, we impact more than 150 million patients annually. More information is available at www.stryker.com.

About I-Form

I-Form is the Research Ireland Centre for Advanced Manufacturing. Its mission is to shape the future of manufacturing through high-impact research into the application of digital technologies to materials processing. I-Form works in close collaboration with industry partners to ensure that its research is relevant, applicable and impactful, delivering a step-change in competitiveness for Irish manufacturing. I-Form aims to be globally recognised as a leading centre in advanced manufacturing research.

See more breaking stories here.

AwakenHub and AwakenAngels have announced an expansion of their successful US trade mission programme, with opportunities now available for women founders in tech to join new delegations to Cleveland, San Francisco, New York and Boston.

Both organisations have also opened a new series of autumn founder and investor programmes for registration, creating one of the strongest pipelines of growth opportunities to-date for women founders and angel investors across the island of Ireland.

Angel funding with AwakenAngels

The announcement comes following the conclusion of their SheVentures 2026 Summit, which brought more than 250 founders, investors and business leaders to Lusty Beg Island in Co Fermanagh.
AwakenAngels has also been named as a finalist in three categories in the UK Business Angels Association Angel Investor awards, including Angel Group of the Year.

Expressions of interest are now open for the new trade missions, including the first joint mission by both organisations to Cleveland, Ohio. Taking place from 27 to 30 September 2026, ten founder places are available for the Cleveland mission, developed in partnership with Team NEO and the City of Mentor. It includes participation in VC Fest, investor meetings, pitch opportunities, and business development events. It follows the first visit by delegates from the City of Mentor to Derry in April, facilitated by AwakenHub. A San Francisco trade mission will follow in October, followed by the sixth AwakenHub and AwakenAngels trade mission to New York and Boston in February 2027.

Alongside the new trade mission opportunities, applications are open for a new wave of autumn founder and investor programmes, including WeScale. Aimed at unlocking the potential of women entrepreneurs across the island, it is delivered by AwakenHub and is led by InterTradeIreland, in partnership with Invest Northern Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, under the Shared Island Enterprise Scheme and funded by the Government of Ireland.

The sixth cohort of AwakenHub’s SheGenerate programme, which to-date has supported 168 women founders, is also open for registration. Supported by AIB and British Business Bank, it is Ireland’s first all-island accelerator-lite programme for early-stage female founders. In addition, AwakenAngels has opened registration for its CPD-Accredited Angel Investor and Deal Leader training programmes. The new developments come as graduates from the inaugural WeScale programme and the fifth cohort of the SheGenerate programme were recognised at SheVentures.

Speaking about the new developments, Clare McGee, cofounder and CEO of AwakenHub and AwakenAngels, said: “At SheVentures, there were two clear calls from our delegates. The first was show me the money, and the other was greater access to customers, investors, international markets and strategic networks. We’ve been listening to our community, which is why we’ve created these new trade missions, designed to help build useful connections and provide access to new investment opportunities.

“SheVentures also highlighted the importance of continuing to strengthen the capital and support ecosystem for women founders. This year, we celebrated graduates from the first WeScale cohort, many of whom had previously come through our SheGenerate programme. Seeing founders progress from early-stage ideas to businesses ready to scale internationally is exactly why these programmes matter.

“We are grateful to InterTradeIreland, Invest Northern Ireland and Enterprise Ireland for their support of WeScale, and to AIB and the British Business Bank for their continued backing of SheGenerate. Their support is tangibly enabling women founders to succeed, grow ambitious businesses, and realise their potential, no matter where they are based.

“To also receive the news that we have been shortlisted for three of the most coveted awards in the angel investment sector in the UK is also further recognition of the progress we are making here with the support of our partners. Right now, we have 12 live opportunities for women investors and founders on our website, and I’m urging anyone who is connected to the founder ecosystem across this island to make sure any ambitious women-led businesses they know are pointed in our direction so they can step forward and take advantage of them.”
Further information on the new trade missions and programmes now available can be found online at www.awakenhub.com.

See more breaking stories here.

Stephen Geary, Community & Funding Support Manager PorterShed, Mary Rodgers, CEO PorterShed, H.E. Kairi Künka Ambassador of Estonia to Ireland, Capt. Brain Sheridan, Acting CEO of the Port of Galway & Honorary Consul for Estonia. Photo by: Nigel Moran, for EU Presidency

PorterShed, one of Ireland’s leading innovation hubs, today announced the launch of an ambitious new programme, “Galway–Estonia: Europe in Our Daily Lives (Innovation, Culture and Connection)”, as part of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2026.

Galway Events to Mark EU Presidency 2026

PorterShed was selected as one of the organisations in the ‘Communicating Europe’ Programme , for projects intended to deepen public awareness of the role that the European Union plays in our daily lives as recently announced by the Government.

Over the past decade, PorterShed has established itself as a central pillar of the West of Ireland’s innovation ecosystem, supporting startups, scaling companies, and entrepreneurs through world-class programmes, collaborative space, and a strong network of partners across Ireland, Europe, and globally. With a growing focus on artificial intelligence, digital innovation, and regional development, PorterShed has developed extensive EU and international relationships, which it aims to further strengthen and expand during Ireland’s EU Presidency.

Speaking about the programme, Mary Rodgers, CEO of Portershed, said:
“Ireland’s EU Presidency presents a unique opportunity to connect communities with Europe in a meaningful and lasting way. Through this programme, we are proud to partner with Estonia to showcase how innovation, culture, and collaboration can strengthen our shared European future. PorterShed has built strong relationships across Europe and globally, and this initiative allows us to deepen those connections while highlighting the critical role that regions like Galway play in driving innovation across the EU.”

The initiative forms part of the national County Pairings Programme, which links Galway with Estonia, one of Europe’s most advanced digital societies. The programme will deliver a dynamic series of events and activities from July to December 2026, designed to bring the European Union closer to citizens and highlight its impact on everyday life.

Bringing together innovation, community engagement, culture, and education, the programme will explore key European themes including digital transformation, artificial intelligence, sustainability, and regional development.

Capt. Brian Sheridan, Acting CEO of the Port of Galway & Honorary Consul for Estonia mentioned:
“As Honorary Consul for Estonia, I am proud to support a programme that reflects the strong and growing relationship between Galway and Estonia, particularly in the technology sector. Partnering with PorterShed on this initiative demonstrates how international collaboration can foster innovation, strengthen communities, and create meaningful opportunities for people and businesses alike.”

Programme Highlights

The Galway–Estonia programme will include:

Public Forum Series: Europe in Our Daily Lives
A series of engaging public discussions exploring how EU policies shape innovation, sustainability, and economic opportunity.

Youth and Education Engagement
Workshops and talks aimed at young people, including insights into careers in the EU and opportunities for education, mobility, and innovation.

Community Workshops: EU in Action
Practical, accessible sessions supporting communities, SMEs, and organisations to better understand EU funding, policy, and supports.

European Innovation and Society Showcase
A flagship event highlighting startups and innovators from Galway and across Europe, with a particular focus on AI and emerging technologies.

Cultural and Storytelling Activation
A creative programme exploring shared European values and connections between Galway and Estonia through storytelling and digital content.

Communications and Digital Campaign
A strong digital engagement strategy including social media storytelling, policy explainers, and a December video series exploring EU themes in a local context

In addition to events, the programme will deliver a series of policy insights and whitepapers examining topics such as EU impact in the West of Ireland, AI, sustainability, developing, growing and nurturing eco-systems, innovation, and regional development.

Monthly European Funding Office Hours will also run in PorterShed during Ireland’s Presidency, and these will be free sessions to support organisations and startups in accessing EU opportunities. Applications for this will open on the 1st of July in line with the start of the EU Presidency .

The initiative will further position Galway as a leading regional voice in Europe, while strengthening connections between Ireland and Europe through innovation, culture, and shared values.

For more information, including event dates, times and registration details for events connected to Ireland’s EU Presidency, visit portershed.com/events

See more breaking stories here.

By Stuart J. Green

The question leaders keep asking about AI is the wrong one.

They ask for a forecast. Tell us where AI is going. Tell us how fast it will move. Tell us what it will do to our model, so we can plan.

No one can answer that. The forecasts are being revised as fast as the technology moves. That is not a gap in the research. It is the condition.

The Regenerate Leap

Resilience is the wrong frame

Faced with a future they cannot see, most leaders do one of two things.

They predict harder. They commission more analysis to narrow a range that will not narrow.

Or they harden what they have. They defend the current model against a shock they assume will pass.

Both are forms of resilience. Both are losing moves.

Resilience works when the threat is known and the baseline is stable. It absorbs a shock and returns the system to where it was. That is useful when there is a prior state worth restoring.

AI offers neither.

There is no single threat to harden against. There is no stable baseline to return to. The ground the model stood on is the thing now moving.

Leaders sense this, even if they have not named it. PwC’s 29th Annual Global CEO Survey, published in January 2026, found confidence in revenue growth at its lowest level in five years. One of the questions executives ranked near the top was whether they were changing fast enough to keep pace with technology.

They are not asking how to predict the future. They are admitting they cannot.

Only one in eight CEOs report that AI spending has produced both lower cost and higher revenue. The tools are arriving. Where they lead is not yet legible.

What to build instead

When you cannot know the destination, committing harder to one route is the error.

Every investment that perfects the current model is a bet that the conditions it was built for will hold. They will not.

Regeneration is the discipline for an unknowable trajectory.

It does not ask leaders to recover the old model. It asks them to remove the commitments that lock the organisation into one future, build the few capabilities that matter under new conditions, and compound what works as the picture changes.

That is the logic behind RAZE, ENRICH, GROW.

RAZE strips operating assumptions that no longer hold.

ENRICH builds the few capabilities that change outcomes under new conditions.

GROW executes under thin margins and compounds what works.

This is not a recovery model. It is not resilience by another name. It is a structural method for conditions that will not return to form.

It starts with one concrete act. Name one commitment this quarter that assumes the old conditions will return. Stop it.

Then, because no forecast will tell you what to build in its place, find out the only way left open. Run small experiments. Let results, not prediction, decide what is worth scaling.

Fire does not restore the forest

Natural systems have run this logic far longer than any market.

Some pine species are serotinous. Their cones stay sealed in resin for years and open only under the heat of fire. The forest that follows is not the forest that burned.

The system does not predict the fire. It holds the capacity to regenerate after one, whenever it comes.

That distinction matters.

AI is not a storm that passes. It is a change in the conditions themselves. The conditions will keep changing.

The leaders who treat AI as a passing shock will defend the wrong things. The leaders who treat it as a structural shift will build differently.

The advantage is moving

This changes what businesses compete on.

The efficiency of the current model is the thing AI will make cheap and common. The advantage moves to the speed at which a firm can grow its next model.

Bain’s 2024 research found that 88% of business transformations fail to reach their original ambition, most often because leaders change the output while leaving the structure intact.

PwC’s 2026 CEO Survey points in the other direction. Companies that reinvent their business and operating models report a typical 71% performance premium, measured through a combination of profit margin and revenue growth.

That premium is not a payoff leaders can forecast and bank. It is what reinvention correlates with.

The gap between the one in eight companies capturing value from AI and everyone else is not simply how much they spend. It is whether they change the model underneath the spending.

Regeneration is the standing ability to keep changing the structure as the picture changes.

Three questions for your board

If you sit on a board or lead a senior team, these questions separate preparing for one future from building for many.

1. What in our current model are we defending because it works today, not because it will hold under the conditions ahead?
2. Where are we spending on AI to run the existing model faster, instead of asking whether that part of the model should exist?
3. Are we asking leaders to predict the future, when we should be asking whether they can regenerate the business through whatever it becomes?

The next three years will not reward the most precise forecasts. They will reward the organisations that can strip what no longer holds, build what the new conditions require, and grow what proves itself under pressure.

The fire is inevitable. The leap is a choice.

Stuart J. Green is the founder of Blue-Green Advisors and author of The Regenerate Leap (2026). He advises institutional leaders on what comes next when traditional recovery approaches have structurally failed. He has held charity, government, and industry advisory roles, including with the UK Blue Planet Fund and the Asian Development Bank. His Operating Model Fitness Index is available at theregenerateframework.com

References

Bain & Company. (2024, April 15). 88% of business transformations fail to achieve their original ambitions; those that succeed avoid overloading top talent. https://www.bain.com/about/media-center/press-releases/2024/88-of-business-transformations-fail-to-achieve-their-original-ambitions-those-that-succeed-avoid-overloading-top-talent/

Pausas, J. G., & Keeley, J. E. (2019). Wildfires as an ecosystem service. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 17(5), 289–295. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2044

PwC. (2026, January). Leading through uncertainty in the age of AI: PwC’s 29th Annual Global CEO Survey. https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/ceo-survey/2026/pwc-ceo-survey-2026.pdf

World Economic Forum. (2026, January 19). What CEOs are saying and need to know in 2026. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/01/pwc-ceo-survey-highlights-2026/

See more breaking stories from Irish Tech News here.

At the recent Future Health Summit which was held in Dublin, Nordic Europe delivered a special presentation on why Ireland has reached a pivotal moment in patient safety, with medication related harm responsible for around 50% of preventable harm globally. To find out more about this I spoke to Nordic Europe’s Vice President of Strategy and Transformation Bill Meredith, and their Vice President of Strategy & Country Manager for Ireland Claire Staple.

Bill and Claire spoke to me about their background, what Nordic does, digital transformation reshaping medication safety across Ireland and more.

More about Nordic Europe:

From technology to teams, Nordic provides the end-to-end expertise that healthcare systems throughout Europe need to advance clinical and operational excellence through technology.

They combine deep healthcare insight with technical and strategic expertise to help providers integrate new systems, improve workflows, and elevate patient care with confidence.

See more podcasts here.

It can take up to 10 times longer to settle your affairs – or the affairs of a loved one – after death, depending on where in Ireland you apply for probate, according to an analysis of probate wait times by one of Ireland’s leading life insurance and pension companies, Royal London Ireland.

Probate is the legal process of distributing a deceased person’s property and assets to their family and beneficiaries. While the latest overall figures for 2025 show that 11 weeks is the average probate processing time nationally, average waiting times vary significantly, depending on the local district probate office handling the application.

When applying for probate, you must either submit the probate application to the Dublin Probate Office or to the specific Probate Office or District Probate Registry covering the area where the deceased lived at the time of their death.

Headline findings to emerge from Royal London Ireland’s analysis of the latest probate waiting times across the country, which were provided in response to Dáil questions, reveal that:

• Cavan is the quickest place for probate applications to be completed overall, with an average waiting time of four weeks for probate applications processed in the Cavan district probate office (see Table 1 below). The Cavan district probate office covers Cavan and Longford.
• Probate processing times can be longest in Clonmel and Castlebar, where the average wait times for these district probate registries go up to 20 weeks.
• In the Waterford district probate office, the average probate processing time is two weeks for personal applications, though the average waiting time for probate applications received from solicitors is ten weeks. This means Waterford has the shortest wait times for personal applications.
• Limerick district probate office had the shortest wait times for an application from a solicitor, with an average wait time of two weeks, though the average wait time for personal applications was six weeks.
• In the Cork district probate office, the average probate processing time is four weeks for personal applications and 18 weeks for probate applications received from solicitors.
• In some cases, wait times can be significantly longer than the average for a probate office, with some probate applications taking an office six months or longer to complete3.
• The average wait time in the Dublin Probate Office, which covers Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow, is between seven and eight weeks for probate applications received from solicitors and between 10 and 12 weeks for personal applications4.

Commenting on the figures, Joe Charles, Proposition Director at Royal London Ireland, said:

“There are a myriad of reasons why probate can be delayed, such as a complex estate, a large number of beneficiaries in the estate, and difficulties locating wills – if indeed there is a will in place. But our analysis clearly shows that where you apply for probate in the country can also have a significant bearing on the length of time it takes to complete probate.

“These variations are likely driven by many factors such as the volume of probate applications coming into a specific office, any backlog that has built up, and any staff shortages or retirements5. Errors in probate applications or paperwork issues, such as oaths or affidavits not being sworn correctly, can also slow things down.

“But while probate must run its course and be done correctly, delays with probate can exacerbate the emotional and financial upheaval that follows the death of a loved one. As well as the natural emotional turmoil and upset we’d all experience after the death of a family member, people can often run into practical difficulties while awaiting probate. For example, until probate is complete, the deceased’s bank accounts and payments may be frozen and access to other investments in their name may be inaccessible.

“This can make it difficult for those left behind to access essential funds, to pay for expenses that still need to paid such as ongoing household bills and also in these cases, for the funeral. In addition, probate delays can have a knock-on effect on the processing of life insurance policy claims, and in turn how quickly life assurance claims can be paid following the death of a loved one.”

How probate delays hold up payout of life insurance claims

Royal London Ireland has found that the time taken to process probate in Ireland can have a detrimental knock-on effect on the timeframe for processing life insurance policy claims.

According to an analysis conducted by Royal London Ireland of its claims over the six-year 2020-2025 period, the average time to get probate in Ireland was 270 days – the equivalent of around 38-and-a-half weeks or nine months (assuming a 30-day month). Looking specifically at the year 2025 alone, the analysis found that the average time to get probate was 155 days – the equivalent of around 22 weeks or five months and five days.

While not ideal, these average probate processing times are a significant improvement on 2016, when a Royal London analysis of its claims found that the average time to get probate was 489 days – the equivalent of almost 70 weeks or 16 months and nine days.

Commenting on this analysis, Mr Charles said:

“At 22 weeks, the average probate processing times emerging from our claims analysis for 2025 is higher than the wait times stemming from the latest national court figures, but this is likely because the court figures are working from a different and larger base. Both sets of figures however show that while there is still room for improvement, probate processing wait times are falling and so heading in the right direction.

“It’s encouraging for example that, nationally, the average time for probate applications to complete reduced from 22 weeks to 11 weeks over the course of 2024, with Dublin seeing a drop from 25 weeks to seven weeks over the same period, which is a very positive development.

“The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan, has recently indicated that in 2025, average wait times in the Dublin Probate Office are between seven and eight weeks for probate applications received from solicitors and between 10 and 12 weeks for personal applications.

“Usually, the sooner and smoother people’s affairs are settled after they die, the less the financial and emotional upheaval faced by their loved ones left behind. So anything that could be done to reduce the variation of probate wait times across the county would be hugely helpful to, and fairer on, those grieving loved ones.”

Solicitor versus DIY probate

People can apply for probate without employing a solicitor, though there are specific situations where a solicitor is mandatory6. There are some interesting variations in the amount of time it takes for probate offices to process probate applications from members of the public when compared to applications from solicitors. Looking specifically at the probate wait times for the district probate offices, the Royal London Ireland analysis found that:

• In 43% of district probate offices, the average waiting times for personal probate applications was shorter than applications from solicitors. For example, in the Waterford district probate registry, the average wait for the probate office to process cases from a personal applicant is two weeks, compared to 10 weeks if the application is from a solicitor.
• In 36% of district probate offices, the average waiting time was shorter for probate applications from solicitors than it was for personal applications.
• In 21% of district probate offices, there was no difference in the length of time that it took to process applications, regardless of whether or not the application came from a solicitor or member of the public.

Commenting on this aspect of its analysis, Mr Charles said:

“It’s important not to underestimate how the complexity of an estate or any difficulties dealing with either the number of beneficiaries or any challenges beneficiaries might have on the will, can slow down probate applications. A solicitor is more likely to be hired to handle complex estates and so this could be why the data illustrates that probate offices appear slightly more likely to process personal probate applications more quickly than is the case for probate applications from solicitors.

“It must be noted though that a lack of legal expertise is likely to slow down personal probate applications, particularly if the lack of expertise leads to errors in the application or paperwork issues. And of course, many people will naturally just prefer to utilise the legal capabilities and experience of a solicitor, whether the case is complex or not.”

Improvements

According to the Government, ongoing modernisation of the Irish probate system has significantly shortened average probate processing times and will continue to do so.

As part of the ongoing modernisation, an eProbate project commenced in 2023. This included an online portal which has just been launched nationally and which is expected to enable faster and more efficient processing of applications, thereby reducing processing times8.

Mr Charles added:

“The national rollout of the eProbate system should help reduce probate waiting times across the country and in doing so, alleviate much of the emotional and financial strain that people feel at this time. As the national rollout of the new online Probate system is in its early days, time will tell what turnaround times the new system will bring but indications so far are that probate wait times will be substantially reduced.This will be hugely helpful for the grieving families navigating the emotional and financial upheaval of the loss of a loved one.”

See more stories here.

Young people know they are training the algorithms and want more social media control, UCD study finds

A new study from the Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics at UCD has found that teenagers are frustrated by social media algorithms and feel absent from discussions about content and regulation.

Five focus groups with 87 transition year students in Irish schools explored how teens navigate social media as a site of both opportunity and risk. The study, led by Megan Nyhan of University College Dublin, surfaced tensions between teens’ personal agency and the need for external safeguarding, identifying design implications for recommender systems and online safety governance.

Disturbing social media content stays in the back of my mind

The study will be presented later this month at the Association for Computer Machinery (ACM) Interaction Design and Children conference in Brighton.

Students in the study expressed frustration with ‘unwanted sexual attention’ from older users and screen time limiters that were ‘performative’ and not effective.

Participants called for age-appropriate content and access to algorithm-editing tools that give more control over what they see.  They also want access to buttons to filter or blur specific content types.

‘Despite being the primary stakeholders, young people are often absent from discussions about social media,’ says project lead Megan Nyhan. ‘The respondents in this study revealed that they are subject to harm and emotional impact: examples included students looking for ‘dress inspiration’ and being shown porn. They reported late night content that was ‘freaky’ and disturbing.’

One student reported the following content in their feed: “old men…send messages with a WhatsApp number for money.”

The students know they are ‘training the algorithm’ and that their attention makes money for platforms, the study found. They reported using social media for fun, identity and social status, but feel ‘trapped in a loop’ by personalised feeds and infinite scroll.

‘This study was designed to foreground teens’ voices and enable open dialogue about their experiences with algorithmic content curation,’ according to Meghan Nyhan. ‘Teens are among the most frequent users of these platforms and yet their input is largely absent from planning, design, governance and regulation.’

Read the full paper here https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3773077.3806115

Teens are intensive users of social media recommender systems yet remain largely excluded from platform design and governance. The EU Digital Services Act (DSA) has the potential to address this through its call for stakeholder consultation in risk assessment and mitigation. To demonstrate how teens can be meaningfully engaged with as stakeholders, and to understand their experiences of algorithmically curated content, we conducted a participatory engagement study with 87 teens using scenario-based think–pair–share discussions.

Findings reveal an ongoing negotiation between benefits, risks, and harms, as teens attempt to influence algorithms while managing the emotional impact of harmful content and excessive use. We contribute: (1) an account of trade-offs between personalisation, harm, and control; (2) teen-informed design recommendations, including safeguards, low-effort feedback, and screen-time tools; and (3) a participatory engagement method. This research reframes teen recommender system use as negotiated agency rather than passive content consumption and offers actionable guidance for DSA related stakeholder engagement with teens.

1 Introduction

See more breaking stories here.

Guest post by Tom Emery who is a performance coach, founder of people performance consultancy HEX and author of People People: Reach Your Full Potential as a Chief HR Officer

I thought I knew what HR was for. I didn’t. Sitting at the executive table, I realised that a lot of what HR was doing was solving the wrong problems.

Organisations talk a lot about their people strategies. They’re often boiled down to a few priority areas like employee experience, capability, and culture. They’re sometimes aligned to the business’s goals, but frequently, They’re abstract. They’re esoteric. They don’t speak to the leaders who deliver business priorities, or to the people in their teams.

People strategy is business strategy

My (possibly controversial) advice, is to rip up the people strategy. Throw it in the bin. Or out of the window. I doubt it’s providing you with the impact you need it to.

HR leaders are fluent in the language of HR. Frameworks. Programmes. Best practice. The problem is, they talk to the business about what HR is doing, rather than asking what the business is trying to achieve and building a response around that.

The result is a people strategy that describes HR activity rather than drives business outcomes. It’s busy and well-intentioned. But it’s largely disconnected from growth.

There’s also a problem of identity. I work with several high-impact and high-status Chief People Officers and Chief HR Officers. They’re seen as heavy hitters. They perceive themselves as having high levels of commerciality and pragmatism. But I’m not sure that their self-assessment is completely accurate.

In some, pragmatism is actually avoidance. Being commercial is actually people-pleasing. This isn’t strategic, it’s just delivering. It’s operational. High quality, but little more than that.

Whether a people strategy is impactful is linked to this. If it’s based solely on service to the organisation, it’s not going to drive the behaviours and change that organisations will need to demonstrate to stay relevant. If HR leaders aren’t mirroring back their observations of the organisation effectively, aren’t asking the right questions, and aren’t courageous enough to challenge what they find, then the people strategy is developed in isolation.

Real alignment

Recently, I worked with a great Chief People Officer in an engineering company. He was excellent at the core people agenda. His focus on the people metrics was second to none, but without the curiosity to dig further into where growth in the business was coming from, his insights were less useful.

He knew all about the people data. But he didn’t know about the growth story. And without that, he couldn’t align his talent decisions to the business priorities that really mattered.

The move from HR fluency to commercial curiosity is core to understanding which people levers to pull. HR leaders need to move from leading with solutions to leading with intent. From proving HR’s value, to creating it where it’s needed.

It’s about making business human. This isn’t being nice, or just creating a pleasant environment. It means understanding that behind the growth targets, there are people who need to believe in it. They need to be capable of delivering it. They need to trust the organisation enough to give their best. This is what great organisations and great leaders are able to do.

Honest conversations

I made a controversial request earlier in this article: to rip up your people strategy. I was probably being a little dramatic (or perhaps a little flippant). I’ll let you decide.

What I am sure of, is that organisations and their talent thrive or die on how people talk to each other.

This is relevant at all levels in the organisation. In good times and bad. Leader to leader, leader to employee, employee to leader.

It starts at the top. Often, we see dysfunctional c-suite teams where egos have taken over. They’re not able to have the conversations they need to. There are many reasons for this: maybe they don’t have the language, maybe they’re tied up in right and wrong, maybe they’re under pressure and suffering from a scarcity mindset. Whatever it is, it seeps out of the executive team and through the rest of the organisation.

It also seeps into talent decisions. Who gets the promotion. Who gets the development. Who receives honest feedback about their performance and who doesn’t. C-suite dysfunction doesn’t stay at the top. It dictates how talented people feel below it.

A key priority for any organisation therefore is making sure the top team trusts each other, and is able to talk honestly.

The top team is just the start. Teach your organisation to have more honest conversations, and the business results will follow.

Bad news will travel upward before it becomes a crisis. Less will be wasted. Less time in meetings where nobody says what they actually think. Less money on restructures that could have been avoided if someone had said the difficult thing eighteen months earlier.

Align your talent to growth

We need to move away from people strategies and focus on growth strategies.

The growth ambitions that organisations have often don’t match the reality they face in terms of attracting and retaining talent. This isn’t a resourcing problem; it’s a trust problem. Organisations that have built genuine trust (where people feel safe, valued, and told the truth) attract and keep the people they need. Those that haven’t find themselves panic recruiting for skills they should have developed or retained.

And where honest conversations aren’t present, talent will first engage in quiet quitting, then they’ll just leave. They have options, even in tight labour markets.

Organisations need to ask what their growth strategies demand of their people. Then work out how they get what they need.

People strategy only becomes business strategy when HR leaders stop describing what they do and start asking what the organisation genuinely needs. Then they need to have the courage to say what they find.

Aligning talent to growth goes further than planning. It’s leadership behaviour. It’s the conversations leaders are willing to have, the feedback they’re willing to give, and the honesty they’re willing to bring to decisions about people.

Get that right, and growth takes care of itself.

Tom Emery is a performance coach, founder of people performance consultancy HEX and author of People People: Reach Your Full Potential as a Chief HR Officer

See more breaking stories here.

Cyber threats, artificial intelligence and the future of democracy will dominate discussions in Dublin as Ireland prepares to take over the EU Presidency. Senior figures from government, security, technology and civil society will gather at Trinity College Dublin to assess the growing risks to Europe’s digital stability — and the role Ireland could play in shaping the response at a critical juncture.

This timely discussion, hosted by the Trinity Centre for Digital Security and Societal Resilience in partnership with the Trinity Long Room Hub, comes as related issues such as hybrid interference, disinformation, critical infrastructure vulnerabilities and public trust are increasingly shaping Europe’s political and security agenda.

Ireland takes up EU Presidency

And who better to speak to some of the key issues that Ireland must address than senior Cypriot policymakers who have advanced EU digital security and resilience priorities during that island nation’s presidency? Both Louis Telemachou, Cyprus’s Ambassador to Ireland, and Anna Koukkides-Procopiou, former Minister for Justice and Public Order of the Republic of Cyprus, will deliver keynote speeches to put invaluable insights up in lights.

Ireland’s EU Presidency will place renewed focus on the relationship between security, competitiveness and democratic values.  For a highly connected economy such as Ireland, the importance of digital security and societal resilience will form a central priority for Ireland’s EU Presidency as they affect public services, undersea cables, data infrastructure, business resilience, elections, rights and citizens’ trust in digital systems.

Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Neale Richmond TD, said: “As Ireland assumes the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, digital security sits at the heart of our priorities on competitiveness, values and security. As a highly connected country, Ireland has a real contribution to make. We have strong research expertise, a vibrant technology sector and a long-standing commitment to European cooperation. The Trinity Centre for Digital Security and Societal Resilience can play an important role in connecting expertise, informing debate and supporting Ireland’s contribution to a secure and trusted digital Europe.”

The event will also feature an address from Ambassador Louis Telemachou, Cyprus’s Ambassador to Ireland, who will reflect on the digital security and resilience priorities of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union as Cyprus hands over the Presidency to Ireland. His contribution will draw a connection between two island nations that understand the strategic importance of maritime security, secure connectivity, multilateral cooperation and resilience.

Ambassador Telemachou said: “For Cyprus, security is not an abstract concept, but a lived reality. As two island nations, Cyprus and Ireland understand the importance of secure connectivity, maritime resilience and multilateral cooperation. As Ireland assumes the Presidency, there is an opportunity to carry forward a European agenda, that was also a top priority for the current Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, that is more capable of responding to cyber threats, hybrid interference and the protection of critical infrastructure on which our societies depend.”

The event is being held convened by the Trinity Centre for Digital Security and Societal Resilience, in partnership with the Trinity Long Room Hub and the Research Ireland ADAPT Centre for AI-Driven Digital Content.

Director of the Centre for Digital Security and Societal Resilience, Professor Hitesh Tewari, commented: “Digital security is no longer a challenge that any one discipline, sector or institution can address alone. The purpose of this Centre is to connect the expertise Ireland already has across technology, law, business, society and public engagement, and to turn that expertise into a practical asset for Ireland and Europe.

“As Ireland assumes the EU Presidency, we want the Centre to be a place where researchers, policymakers, industry, civil society and the public can come together to understand the risks, develop solutions and build the trust and resilience our digital future requires.”

The keynote address will be delivered by Anna Koukkides-Procopiou, former Minister for Justice and Public Order of the Republic of Cyprus and now Peace Fellow at the Jackson School of Global Affairs at Yale University.  Her talk will demonstrate how technological change, cyber and hybrid threats, and pressure on democratic institutions are increasingly connected.

The event will also include a panel discussion, Research, Resilience and Responsibility: Ireland’s Contribution to Europe’s Digital Security, chaired by Director of the Trinity Long Room Hub, Professor Patrick Geoghegan. Panellists will include Richard Browne, Director of the National Cyber Security Centre; Professor Maria Grazia Porcedda, Deputy Director of the Trinity Centre for Digital Security and Societal Resilience; and Dr Johnny Ryan of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.

The panel will consider how research can become a practical asset for Ireland and Europe at a time when digital infrastructure, AI systems, democratic trust and national resilience are increasingly connected. It will examine how Ireland can contribute to Europe’s digital security agenda during its EU Presidency, through policy, research excellence, public dialogue, industry collaboration, skills development and rights-based governance.

Naoise Ó Cearúil TD, the new Chair of the Oireachtas AI Committee will close the event with his reflections on the challenges and opportunities ahead.

The Trinity Centre for Digital Security and Societal Resilience was established earlier this year to bring together expertise from across computer science, engineering, law, business, social sciences, humanities and public engagement. Its work spans areas including applied cryptography, trustworthy software and AI systems, critical infrastructure resilience, digital law and governance, economic risk, societal trust and human factors.

The Centre will run a series of events throughout Ireland’s EU Presidency, creating space for public discussion, policy engagement and European collaboration on digital security and societal resilience. Further details will be available on the Centre’s website: www.tcd.ie/digital-security-resilience

About the Trinity Centre for Digital Security and Societal Resilience

The Trinity Centre for Digital Security and Societal Resilience is a multidisciplinary research centre at Trinity College Dublin advancing research, policy and innovation for a safer, more resilient digital future. Bringing together expertise across science, technology, law, business, medicine, social sciences and the humanities, the Centre helps address critical challenges spanning digital security, infrastructure resilience, governance, trust and AI accountability. www.tcd.ie/digital-security-resilience

See more breaking stories here.

I have trained nearly every day of my adult life. Tracked macros before tracking macros had an app. Watched what I ate when the people around me were eating whatever they wanted and calling it living. My wife and I do yoga together every day. I train weights on top of that; not as a lifestyle brand, not for the Instagram grid, but because we decided a long time ago that the body you have at sixty is built in your thirties and forties whether you’re paying attention or not. I have run marathons, obstacle races, and one ultramarathon; events that don’t forgive months of comfortable inactivity dressed up as a fitness journey. You either did the work or the course tells you immediately and without diplomacy.

And yet the once-a-month gym goer always has the most to say. They talk periodization. They have opinions on recovery protocols, sleep optimization, and the relative merits of cold plunge versus sauna. They have the vocabulary of someone who trains seriously and the consistency of someone who doesn’t. The industry built that person deliberately; gave them the language, the gear, the identity, and just enough infrastructure to sustain the performance indefinitely without ever demanding the actual output.

Now they are arriving in their forties and fifties with a personal trainer, a Whoop band, and the urgent energy of someone who just received a bad blood panel. They are not late converts. They are late customers; and the industry has been waiting for them with open arms, dim lighting, and a $30 Pilates class.

The global fitness industry crossed 125 billion dollars in gym and health club revenue in 2025, according to industry research aggregators tracking the sector. That figure should come with an asterisk the size of a barbell plate; because two out of every three gym memberships, globally, go completely unused (IHRSA, 2024). Americans alone waste an estimated 1.3 billion dollars annually on memberships they never use. Canadians pay between 60 and 80 dollars a month while membership prices rose 15.9% between 2021 and 2024 (Statistics Canada, Consumer Price Index, 2024). Ireland, with nearly 60% of its adult population carrying excess weight (HSE, 2024), has gym penetration under 11% of the population.

This is not a fitness industry. It is a guilt-management industry with excellent branding; and it has never been more precisely engineered for the generation that spent thirty years avoiding the problem and is now paying a premium to feel like they are solving it.

The Business Model Requires Your Absence

Planet Fitness operates between 6,000 and 10,000 members per location. Its facilities hold perhaps 300 people comfortably at one time. The arithmetic only works if most members never appear; and most don’t. Internal membership utilization data consistently places consistent attendance at between 20 and 25% of the total member base. The lunk alarm; the siren that sounds when someone drops weights or grunts; is not a quirky cultural detail. It is brand architecture. Serious lifters create friction, occupy equipment, and make aspirational casual members feel inadequate. Remove them and the space becomes what it functionally is; a brightly lit room where the equipment exists primarily to justify the monthly charge.

The industry understood something before most consumers did: the product is not the workout. The product is the identity. Pay 10 dollars a month and you are, technically, a gym member. The psychological permission that purchases; to eat, drink, and live without guilt because you belong to a gym; is worth considerably more than 10 dollars. The business depends entirely on the gap between who you believe you are and what you actually do. Globally, 50% of new gym members cancel within six months (IHRSA). The revolving door is not a retention failure. It is a revenue feature. The guilt of non-attendance keeps the card on file. The occasional visit reinforces the identity. Results never quite materialize; but neither does the cancellation.

Canada’s Spa-Gyms: Where Wellness Goes to Look Expensive

The feel-good gym did not invent this. It inherited it; and then Canadian operators refined it into something altogether more sophisticated. Walk into an Altea Active or a MOVATI Athletic and you are not walking into a gym in any meaningful functional sense. You are walking into a hospitality experience that happens to have barbells in one of the rooms.

MOVATI markets itself explicitly around resort-style fitness; pools, saunas, steam rooms, eucalyptus-infused towel service, and group fitness studios where the lighting appears to have been more carefully considered than the programming. Altea goes further; spa treatments, cafe service, aesthetically curated change rooms, and a membership price point calibrated to signal arrival somewhere significant. Both are beautiful facilities. Both are demonstrably popular. Neither appears primarily designed around producing measurable physiological outcomes in its members; and the marketing copy, read carefully, does not claim otherwise.

This is the Canadian iteration of a global structural pivot. Pilates now anchors 43% of boutique fitness studios worldwide (Wellness Creative Co., 2025). Yoga, barre, and indoor cycling follow. High-intensity training accounts for 18%. The fastest-growing, highest-margin segment of the fitness economy is built around formats that produce limited mechanical load; slow, deliberate, aesthetically pleasing movement delivered in an environment engineered to feel transformative whether or not transformation is occurring.

Nothing wrong with pilates. My wife and I do yoga every morning and I understand precisely what it delivers and what it doesn’t. The problem is not the modality; it is the marketing. When a resort-style membership is sold as body transformation to someone carrying metabolic dysfunction or cardiovascular risk, it is not a fitness product. It is an expensive spa with a more credible cover story. When Equinox begins offering sleep coaching, mindfulness programs, and automated massage beds alongside the squat racks, it has already answered the question of what it actually is. The gym is becoming the spa. The spa is becoming the gym. The consumer is paying premium prices for both while receiving the clinical benefit of neither.

Canada Is Paying Twice

Canada’s fitness and recreational sports centres generated 5.8 billion dollars in operating revenue in 2024, a 14.9% year-over-year increase (Statistics Canada, December 2025). Ontario alone accounts for approximately 2.4 billion dollars of that figure across 4,195 registered gym businesses (IBISWorld Canada, 2026). Those are the receipts from an industry selling wellness to roughly 15.5% of the adult population (Fitness Avenue, 2026); a penetration rate declining under financial pressure even as membership prices climb.

Meanwhile, physical inactivity costs Canada 3.9 billion dollars annually in direct healthcare expenses and lost productivity (Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute / Canadian Parks and Recreation Association, 2023). Obesity costs the healthcare system an incremental 5.9 billion dollars annually, with workplace productivity losses reaching an estimated 21.7 billion dollars (Obesity Canada, 2025). The country is simultaneously funding a 5.8 billion dollar industry that serves a shrinking minority; and absorbing approximately 27 billion dollars in annual consequences for the 85% that industry never reaches.

That is not a market failure. That is a policy failure dressed in athleisure.

The fastest-growing segment of Canadian fitness is not the gym floor. It is the app. Canada’s fitness app market reached 635 million dollars in 2025 and is projected to reach 2.46 billion dollars by 2033, growing at an 18.1% compound annual growth rate (Fitness Avenue, 2025). Forty percent of Canadians aged 18 to 34 use a fitness tracking app daily (Canada Fitness Industry Report, 2026). A generation that quantifies everything and moves less than any cohort before it has found the ultimate feel-good product; progress measured without progress achieved. Close your rings. Log your sleep. Watch your resting heart rate trend slightly downward. The data feels like accountability. It is not.

The Logical Endpoint

For Ireland, the domestic picture deserves a direct look; and it is not a comfortable one.

Ireland sits at under 18% gym penetration; among the lowest market penetration rates in Western Europe. Sweden registers 21.6%. The Netherlands 17.1% (European Health and Fitness Market Report, 2022). Ireland built a fitness sector that is 80% privately owned, dominated by independent operators and budget chains like FLYEfit and Ben Dunne Gyms offering no-contract access at between 25 and 29 euros a month (Fora, 2019); and then watched nearly 60% of its adults accumulate overweight or obesity regardless (HSE Research, 2024).

Physical inactivity costs Ireland approximately 1.5 billion euros annually (WHO Ireland Country Physical Activity Factsheet, 2024). The WHO declared obesity an epidemic on the island following COVID-19. The Irish Health Survey 2024, published by the Central Statistics Office, confirmed that 63% of men and 50% of women reported overweight or obese weight measurements; figures statistically unchanged from 2022 despite every wellness trend that moved through Dublin in the intervening years. The OECD Health at a Glance 2025 report placed Ireland’s self-reported obesity prevalence at 21%, above the OECD average of 19%.

The boutique sector’s response to all of this has been to open more pilates studios, install cold plunge pools in Ranelagh, and charge 30 euros a class to the same narrow converted demographic that was already exercising. The 82% without a gym membership remains where it was. The industry is not designed to reach them. It is designed to extract maximum revenue from the minority who have already decided to appear; and to ensure that minority feels, at all times, that they are participating in something aspirational rather than something clinical.

Ireland’s technology sector understands product-market fit. Apply that framework to the Irish fitness industry and the conclusion is uncomfortable: the product fits a market that does not need it, while systematically failing the market that does.

The Psychology They Are Monetizing

None of this is accidental. The perceived effort from 45 minutes on a stationary bike in a dark room with a curated soundtrack is neurologically real. Dopamine fires. Endorphins release. You leave sweating and satisfied. The problem is that perceived effort and actual physiological stimulus are different variables entirely. Building muscle requires increasing resistance applied consistently over time. Building cardiovascular capacity requires sustained effort above a meaningful threshold. Neither reliably occurs in most of these sessions; and the industry understands this, because if meaningful change occurred at scale, members would eventually plateau, get bored, and stop needing the gym the way they currently need it.

The feel-good gym’s retention model is structurally opposed to a good coach’s model. A good coach produces results; results produce confidence; confidence eventually produces independence. The gym needs you aspirational, dependent, and never quite there. Close enough to feel movement. Far enough to keep renewing. The eucalyptus towel at MOVATI and the infrared sauna at Altea are not amenities added to a fitness product. They are the product; and the weights room is the amenity that makes the membership feel legitimate.

Conclusion

The fitness industry is not broken. It is working exactly as designed; and that is the problem. It identified that most people want to feel healthy more than they want to be healthy; and it built a $257 billion global infrastructure to serve that preference at scale. The spa-gym convergence; cryotherapy suites, red light therapy lounges, resort pools, guided breathwork, automated recovery beds; is not an evolution of the fitness product. It is the honest arrival at what the product always was.

Clavicular is where this logic terminates. A 20-year-old American who began injecting testosterone at 14, used crystal meth as an appetite suppressant, advocated hitting facial bones with a hammer to reshape them, and sold a $50-a-month optimization course to young men who confused his body with evidence of a system that works; he is not an aberration. He is the performance training archetype stripped of its eucalyptus towel and its resort lighting. The fitness industry sells the identity without demanding the work. Clavicular sold the fantasy of output while becoming its warning label; reportedly hospitalized after a suspected overdose and visibly damaged by the same optimization culture his audience called looksmaxxing. The distance between a Spa/Gym membership and a bonesmashing tutorial is shorter than the industry would like you to believe. Both are selling appearance over physiology. Both depend on the customer never standing in front of an honest result.

I have been in this game long enough to know the difference between someone who trains and someone who performs training. The marathons clarified that. The ultramarathon confirmed it. You cannot fabricate the work when the distance is real and the clock does not negotiate. Most people never stand in front of an honest clock; and the industry has constructed an entire economy on ensuring they never have to.

The 60 dollar monthly fee quietly leaving millions of bank accounts is not the real cost. The real cost is the 3.9 billion dollars Canada absorbs annually in direct and indirect healthcare expenditures from physical inactivity; the 1.5 billion euros Ireland absorbs for the same reason; and the tens of millions of people who leave a beautiful, eucalyptus-scented room convinced they accomplished something; while the chronic disease accumulating in their arteries, their visceral fat stores, and their metabolic function does not register how the playlist made them feel.

Sell them a gym. Give them a spa. Call it wellness. The public healthcare system will cover the rest.

Marc-Roger Gagné MAPP

@ottlegalrebels

We look at the new Google Home Speaker, see more about it here. 

Google Home Speaker reviewed

First up, the device looks great, especially in the colours available once the product is on sale. There was definitely some sadness that those colours were in the review samples, but hey, sometimes you just have to roll with the punches.

If you are okay with a third party knowing everything and anything about your life, then this device will then bring you the functionality and ease that many have come to love at AI enabled chat devices in their homes. As more smart devices come into our homes then there is the scope for more and wider voice led interactions between them all. The user manual provides a lot of good multi step actions that you could use it to do for you.

As a speaker, it is small, compact, competitively priced and will do a lot of things well. If you are doubling down on the AI enabled side of things, then you will need to factor in that some of the cooler, sexier, more useful features may well be in the higher level of, extra subscription, paid for options. Therefore, while the price of the device is good, if you want all the bells and whistles, the cost per year will quickly double. As we said, horses for courses, and it will depend on how much functionality you are looking for here. Well made, nice looking, good sound, beyond that, you will need to think about the rest of the options carefully.

Here’s a rundown of everything you need to know about the Google Home Speaker

Meet the new Google Home Speaker, built for Gemini

The Google Home Speaker comes with Gemini for Home voice assistant, which features advanced natural language understanding and reasoning. Instead of having to memorize rigid command phrases, Gemini adapts to how you speak, making it easier and more intuitive to get the help you need.

Natural and Expressive voices: Gemini ships with 10 new natural sounding voices designed to complement the vast new ways that you can interact with your voice assistant. Pick the voice that’s right for your home.
Say what you want: Use logic in your requests and Gemini will make it happen. “Turn off all the lights except for my bedside lamp.”
Get more done in one breath: Save time by giving multiple commands at once. “Dim the kitchen lights, play some relaxing music and set a timer for 20 minutes.”

Make easy corrections: There’s no pressure to say the correct prompt first. Just correct yourself mid-sentence and Gemini will understand. “Turn off the coffee maker…I meant turn it on!”
Ask complex questions: Gemini reasons through multiple steps to answer nuanced questions. For instance, if you ask, “What’s the weather going to be like for the next baseball game?” Gemini intelligently figures out when the game is, where it’s located and what the weather will be like at game time to deliver you a precise answer.

Get more done with two-way conversations: Gemini has conversational context (a “short-term memory”), so it follows the thread of your discussion enabling real back-and-forth interactions. Ask follow-up questions to dive deep on a topic or string together multiple tasks. No need to re-specify context. Gemini will follow along. And, with Continued Conversation, the microphone stays open briefly after a response so you can ask follow-up questions without repeating “Ok Google.” Continued Conversation is now available for the first time in all supported languages. Accomplish more with intuitive, multi-step conversations:

You can now pre-order the new Google Home Speaker with units hitting shelves on June 25. This device features Gemini for Home, allowing for natural, multi-step conversations and more intuitive control over your smart home. You can also pair it with your Google TV Streamer for an enhanced audio experience or subscribe to Google Home Premium for advanced AI features like camera history search.

Unlock more AI capabilities with Google Home Premium

Gemini Live: Say, “Hey Google, let’s chat” to have natural, free-flowing chats where you can brainstorm, change topics and interrupt.

Camera History Search: Ask your speaker to describe current or recent activity captured on your Nest cams: “Hey Google, is my back gate open?” You can also ask about familiar faces or pets: “Hey Google, did Rover go on the couch today?”

Home Briefs: Whether you’re away for the weekend or just the afternoon, ask Gemini for a summary of what happened around the house while you were out.

See more breaking stories here.

The Minister convenes industry and education leaders to tackle urgent AI skills gaps and prepare Ireland’s workforce for rapid technological change

At a national skills roundtable today, Minister James Lawless will warn that the rapid and unprecedented impact of Artificial Intelligence on work and daily life has brought Ireland to a “critical moment”.
Minister Lawless was speaking at ‘AI Workforce Readiness’, the third national skills roundtable he has convened, bringing together leaders from industry, government and education to examine emerging skills gaps, system challenges and ongoing policy responses, and to help shape Ireland’s future direction.

AI Skills Race for Ireland

The event is taking place in the context of the whole of Government national Digital and AI strategy, “Digital Ireland – Connecting our People, Securing our Future”. This sets out several actions for the tertiary system, which are advancing under the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

The high-level forum, hosted at Vodafone’s headquarters on St Stephen’s Green, comes amid growing recognition that the pace of AI adoption is accelerating faster than workforce preparedness across many sectors.

Speaking at the forum, Minister Lawless said: “AI is transforming our economy and society at pace, and our response must match that scale and speed. That is why I am bringing together leaders from industry, education and across Government to drive a coordinated national response. We are investing in flexible upskilling through micro-credentials, strengthening collaboration between enterprise and education, and ensuring our training system is aligned with real workforce needs.

“Earlier this year, I launched the AIReady.ie platform with the ambition to upskill one million people in AI. Building on that, I recently repurposed €4 million to support the Learner Fee Subsidy scheme until the end of the year, delivering several thousand micro-credential courses, more than half focused on digital skills, to ensure people right across Ireland can seize the opportunities AI presents.

“Ireland has the opportunity to lead in the age of AI, but only if we act now to equip our people with the skills to succeed.”

Speaking about the forum, Minister Marian Harkin said:  “Further education and training must lead the response to AI driven change. We need to arm our people with the skills to navigate a labour market where technology both complements and transforms our work.”

This morning’s discussion will inform ongoing Government efforts to strengthen skills across priority sectors, in the context of rapid change across Ireland’s economy and skills landscape. Further sector-focused roundtables will be convened in the coming months, with professional services scheduled next.

An Roinn Breisoideachais agus Ardoideachais, Taighde, Nuálaíochta agus Eolaíochta
Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science 

gov.ie/dfheris

See more breaking stories here.

A new European flagship project is set to demonstrate at industrial scale, how an underutilized side-stream from the potato processing industry can become a valuable source of sustainable chemicals.

PACE (Potato Juice to Fatty Acids for New Bio-based Value-Chains in Europe) will demonstrate a first-of-its-kind flagship biorefinery by retrofitting part of Royal Avebe’s existing production facility. Using advanced fermentation and microbial chain elongation, the facility will convert potato juice side-streams into valuable biobased medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), for applications across the chemical industry.

The project represents an important step toward reducing Europe’s dependency on fossil and palm oil-based chemistry while strengthening local, circular value chains. By integrating circular solutions into existing industrial infrastructure, PACE demonstrates how industrial side-streams can be transformed into scalable and commercially relevant chemical building blocks.

PACE (Potato Juice to Fatty Acids for New Bio-based Value-Chains in Europe)

Kick-off meeting

The kick-off meeting took place on 17 June 2026 in Amsterdam. The meeting marked the official start of the four-year project and brought together representatives from all consortium partners to align on objectives, implementation activities and next steps. It was a productive and inspiring day, laying the foundation for a successful collaboration over the coming years.

The meeting provided an opportunity for partners to discuss the project roadmap, establish collaboration mechanisms and coordinate activities across the technical, industrial, sustainability, market uptake and communication work packages. The strong engagement and enthusiasm across the consortium highlighted the shared ambition to make PACE a success.

Vision and objectives

As Niels van Stralen, project coordinator said, “PACE demonstrates how circular chemistry can become part of existing industrial systems at a meaningful scale. By upgrading infrastructure that already exists and using locally available side-streams, we show that sustainable chemistry does not have to start from scratch. PACE is an important example of how Europe can build more resilient and circular chemical value chains.”

Next steps

The PACE consortium will now focus on the first implementation activities required for the establishment of the biorefinery and the optimization of the MCFA production process. In parallel, partners will advance the validation of bio-based MCFAs in targeted industrial applications, while carrying out sustainability, circularity and market uptake assessments to support future replication across Europe.

Stakeholder engagement, knowledge exchange and communication activities will accompany these efforts, ensuring collaboration across the value chain and supporting the wider deployment of circular bio-based solutions.

Project consortium

• CHAINCRAFT BV (Coordinator) – Netherlands
• COOPERATIE KONINKLIJKE AVEBE UA – Netherlands
• INNOV AD – Belgium
• ECOVER CO-ORDINATION CENTER – Belgium
• ACONDICIONAMIENTO TARRASENSE ASSOCIACION (LEITAT) – Spain
• STICHTING PDC RESEARCH FOUNDATION – Netherlands
• Anorel NV – Belgium
• ena Development Consultants – Greece
• SPECIALTY OPERATIONS FRANCE (Syensqo France) – France
• SYMRISE AG – Germany

For further information, you may contact at info@pace-project.eu

Website Url: https://pace-project.eu/

See more breaking stories here.

EirGrid has today launched its Group Strategy 2026, setting out an ambitious roadmap to transform Ireland’s electricity grid for a future where every home business and community is powered by secure, clean and affordable electricity.

Launched by EirGrid CEO, Cathal Marley, the strategy outlines how EirGrid will deliver the most extensive programme of work ever undertaken on Ireland’s electricity system, to transform the economy and society through electrification.

EirGrid is responsible for operating the electricity transmission system securely and reliably, while planning and delivering the grid of tomorrow.

New plans for Ireland’s electricity grid

Following an allocation of €18.9 billion by Government and the regulator, for investment in the electricity grid, EirGrid will deliver an ambitious programme of work over the strategy period to 2030, with a clear focus on building grid infrastructure at pace and at scale.

Ireland’s electricity system is entering a period of rapid and unprecedented change, with demand set to grow significantly, more than doubling by 2050, and large volumes of new renewable generation, including offshore wind, onshore wind, solar and battery storage expected to come onto the system in the years ahead.

To meet this challenge, EirGrid will significantly grow its delivery capability by expanding its workforce, strengthening its digital systems and ensuring the financial strength required to deliver major infrastructure programmes across the country, including 381 transmission projects.

Over the past five years, EirGrid has grown from a workforce of 500 to 1,500 and over the period of the strategy that will reach over 2,000 to facilitate and drive growth.

Speaking at the launch, Cathal Marley, Chief Executive of EirGrid, said:

“We are launching this strategy at a defining moment for Ireland. A secure, clean, affordable electricity grid is at the heart of the country’s economic and social ambition. There is huge growth in clean and renewable energy generation, while demand is also increasing at pace due to population and economic growth and the electrification of society.

A modern fit-for-purpose grid opens the country up to more possibilities. Electricity is an enabler of investment, regional development, housing, innovation and better lives for the people and communities we serve.

Our ambition is clear, to build and operate a grid that can power Ireland’s future. By delivering infrastructure at pace and at scale, we are not only supporting the energy transition, we are also supporting long-term social and economic progress.”

Speaking about the new strategy, Chairman of EirGrid’s Board, Brendan Tuohy said: “Electricity is no longer simply one part of the economy, it is becoming the foundation of society, and this strategy sets out how EirGrid will play its part.”

The strategy is built around four key pillars:

• Keeping Ireland Powered – ensuring a safe, secure and resilient electricity system every minute of every day
• Building the Backbone. A Grid for Growth – delivering grid infrastructure at pace and at scale to support balanced growth and create the conditions for a low-carbon future
• Transforming for Clean Energy – enabling much higher levels of renewable electricity, clean technologies and a more flexible power system
• Unlocking New Frontiers. Offshore and Interconnection – advancing offshore wind and interconnection to strengthen Ireland’s long-term energy independence

A significant focus of the strategy is on offshore wind and interconnection, which are critical to Ireland’s future energy system.

EirGrid will build new capability in this area, taking on an expanded role in delivering and operating offshore infrastructure to connect large-scale renewable generation. This includes setting up a new business unit to focus on delivering offshore infrastructure.

Building towards the goal of 80 percent of our electricity coming from renewable sources in the coming years, as set out by Government, the grid must connect 9 GW of onshore wind and 5 GW of offshore wind.

The organisation’s purpose – powering up Ireland’s electricity grid for a clean energy future, remains at the heart of the strategy, while putting strong emphasis on meaningful collaboration with all stakeholders.

Marley added: “Over the next five years, EirGrid will work closely with Government, regulators, industry and communities to deliver an unprecedented level of investment in energy infrastructure, supporting national climate targets, while unlocking economic opportunity across the country.”

For more on EirGrid’s Group Strategy 2026, visit eirgrid.ie/strategy

• EirGrid is responsible for operating, developing and enhancing Ireland’s electricity grid and market operations, while also planning for Ireland’s long term electricity needs.
• Read 10 fast facts about EirGrid and the work we do:Did you know? (eirgrid.ie)

See more breaking stories here.

By David Stephen

In the human brain, there is no difference between intelligence and consciousness. Or simply, the human brain has shown that if intelligence is somewhere, consciousness is — or could be — there.

In the brain, what has been proven [by neuroscience] to mechanize functions are neurons and their electrical and chemical signals. So, whether the mechanism is for consciousness or for intelligence, it is the electrical and chemical signals — of neurons — that are responsible.

Why Eleos AI Research and Anthropic haven’t solved AI consciousness

In the brain as well, what processes language are the electrical and chemical signals. This means that the configuration for what it means to have memory, feelings, emotions or regulations of internal signals are held by electrical and chemical signals, not neurons.

Why, because neurons are cells and have a near fixed anatomy, without the ability to adjust widely, to configure or represent all functions. So, the options are electrical and chemical signals, conceptually.

Now, if large language models [LLMs], with their intense optimization algorithms are assumed to be intelligent, could that mean that they might be conscious, given that consciousness and intelligence are parallel in the human brain?

Also, if the proper use of language, for humans, is a conscious process, could that mean that a proper use of language by LLMs is a conscious process?

These are the basic questions for any organization or team that is seeking to answer the AI sentience conjecture. The brain, the human brain, the brain. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Even as the topic of AI consciousness has gone mainstream, the two major organizations at the center of it, Eleos AI Research and Anthropic have research and efforts that have proved fruitless for more than a year.

Anthropic is a successful LLMs company but a failed company in AI consciousness research and a failed company in figuring out the biology of human intelligence, in spite of Claude being great at biology and the CEO being a biological scientist as well.

Anthropic in AI consciousness is feeling like Uber autonomous driving rush circa 2014. They didn’t have what it took. It did not matter everything they were and threw at it, they failed. Anthropic is already on the same missed trajectory, in biological-to-machine consciousness and intelligence.

What is worst with Anthropic is that even with their state-of-the-art mechanistic interpretability research that should inform a draw into machine mind and human mind, has not made them provide any particular riveting answer.

What is human intelligence in the brain? How is it parallel to artificial intelligence? This is not just a question for the consciousness problem but to also track the pathway to artificial general intelligence [AGI].

Where is human intelligence in the brain? Some studies point to the prefrontal cortex. OK, what goes on there that is different from some other part, say the hypothalamus, that makes intelligence domicile in one and not the other?

In both centers, there are clusters of neurons. These clusters can be assumed to contain sets of electrical and chemical signals. So, a postulate could be that there are near-dedicated configurations, assembly or formations of sets of electrical and chemical signals, that specify what happens in different circuits.

Simply, there should be a model of what intelligence could be in the brain and then what consciousness could be. Then the definition of a standard, where machines can be considered.

For example, if functions can be categorized as memory, emotion, feeling, and regulation of internal senses. Then if the factors [or attributes, or measures of the extents] of functions are attention, pre-attention, subjectivity, and intent. Then it is possible to find how AI compares.

Simply, all functions are mechanized by the interactions of electrical and chemical signals. However, the extents to which they interact is called their attributes or factors. Now, since AI does not have electrical and chemical signals, it is possible to compare with the divisions of functions [memory, emotion, feeling, regulation of internal senses] and their factors [attention, pre-attention, subjectivity, intent].

Now, what AI has is intelligence and language. Both intelligence and language are subdivisions of the function, memory. AI does not have emotions, feelings or regulation of internal signals.

So, language and intelligence, then what factors [attention, pre-attention, subjectivity and intent] apply and can be used to estimate a fraction of LLMs sentience?

This is how to make progress in the machine consciousness question, where there is a direct peg to the electrical and chemical signals.

Philosophers as Labelists

Eleos AI Research and Anthropic are seeking to solve consciousness from a philosophical angle. But really, how much of a philosophical problem is human or machine consciousness? Human consciousness is completely concerned with neurons — and electrical and chemical signals. AI consciousness is concerned with memory [language and intelligence]. Language and intelligence can be linked with human language and intelligence, as mechanized by electrical and chemical signals.

So, if the objective is electrical and chemical signals, which is the forte of conceptual brain science, or theoretical neuroscience at least, what is a philosopher to do?

There have been several papers written about AI consciousness in the last 18 months, by philosophers, all they have done is labels — and more labels and just labels. Nothing about a standard, no delineation of functions or the factors of functions, no reference to electrical and chemical signals. Like nothing close.

Philosophers are labelists in the consciousness problem. Hard problem does not mention what components of the brain to focus or what preliminary mechanism would be necessary. The same can be said for any philosophical label, no matter how cool it sounds.

Also, intelligence in the brain, is much harder to solve than consciousness. Intelligence, at least in the era of AI, is more important too. What exactly is human intelligence in the brain? What are they types, their mechanisms and components? Assuming a company answers this, and then presents a display, it can be useful for learning, memory, problem-solving modeling, and so forth, it would be a major advance and intense revenue magnet.

This however has not been the case. Eleos AI Research and Anthropic are trying to solve AI consciousness with philosophical labels. It won’t go anywhere, ever. There can be new labels or assumptions, but the problem starts with the brain and ends with the brain, extending to how AI compares, with language and intelligence, as divisions of memory.

And human memory, assuming Anthropic had a model, is the channel to making artificial general intelligence. Humans have generalized memory which helps to results in generalized intelligence.

Simply, human memory does not store a unique configuration of everything. It does collective configurations. So, a fan, door, table and so on are collectives, so interpretations are done with the collective. Aside that, there are overlays of collective configurations with similarities as well, like the one of a fan to an air conditioner, or that of a door to a window. This allows for memory to do some primary sorting work that makes intelligence easier.

So, if there would be AGI, it is likely that the data for which training is made, would be stored differently from what is currently obtainable.

All of these can emanate from a properly executed AI consciousness research, something that Anthropic lacks, as well as Eleos AI Research and Google DeepMind — with a recent philosophical hire.

Anthropic is exploring to solve biology with Claude. The most important biology, with opportunity for explosive answers and revenue is human intelligence, not just drug development or more proteins.

There is a recent [June 19, 2026] report on Reuters, US scientist John Jumper to leave Google DeepMind for Anthropic, stating that, “Senior research scientist John Jumper said on Friday he would leave Google DeepMind to join AI startup Anthropic, the latest high-profile departure ?at the Big Tech giant’s AI lab.”

“Jumper’s surprise departure comes just days ?after Noam Shazeer, a vice president of engineering at Google and co-lead of its Gemini AI models, said ?he ?would leave the company to join IPO-bound OpenAI.”

“Anthropic is hosting a science event on June ?30. The ?startup did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment regarding Jumper’s new role.”

David Stephen does research in conceptual brain science and served as a visiting scholar in medical entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He did computer vision research at Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona.

See more breaking stories here.

The Noledge Group, the financial management and ERP solution specialist, has announced the launch of sruu, an integrated digital platform which provides deeper business insights, streamlines processes, and reduces energy costs for retailers in Ireland and the UK.

Noledge has invested €250,000 in the launch of sruu and expects the platform to generate an additional €1 million in revenues for the group by 2028. The launch will create 10 new jobs within the same timeframe to meet expected demand for the solution. These roles are being created across product development, support, finance, sales, and marketing.

sruu is the evolution of Noledge’s Connections platform as businesses become increasingly digitalised, unifying electronic point of sale, supplier, accounting, and energy data for retail stores. It currently serves more than 600 stores across Ireland and the UK, and Noledge plans to double this figure within the next three years as part of its continued growth strategy. sruu customers include Corrib Oil, Jump Juice Bars, Sewell on the go, and Jos Richardson & Son.

The solution is purpose built for retailers that require business operations to be streamlined across both single and multiple locations. It unifies disconnected systems across areas including sales, stock, and financial reporting, reducing the complexity of managing dispersed operations and ultimately driving smarter, data-driven decision-making for retail outlets.

In turn, sruu gives time back to retailers and enables them to focus on delivering an enhanced experience to customers in-store. Employees benefit from increasingly streamlined workflows and ease of access to critical data and systems, leading to reduced administrative burden. In addition, the platform analyses, controls, and automates energy usage, which enables retailers to reduce their energy costs and cut carbon emissions.

Ladislav Zimanyi, Head of Operations, sruu, said: “sruu is a one-stop-shop for retailers to automate their business processes and improve their operational visibility. It is scalable as businesses continue to grow and simplifies continued expansion as new retail sites are added. In addition, the ability to leverage business data to spot trends or patterns in a rapidly changing retail landscape and as consumer demand continues to shift will help stores to keep pace with their competitors.

“We are on an ambitious growth path and plan to expand our presence in response to increasing demand for digital capabilities among businesses. There is a new generation of retailers emerging in the digital age and we’re looking forward to becoming a key part of their journeys.”

See more stories here.

Technology Ireland, the Ibec trade association representing the ICT, digital, and software sectors, has published its Budget 2027 submission. TI are calling on the Government to leverage Ireland’s strong fiscal position to fund long-term resilience, balancing immediate cost pressures with strategic investments with a particular focus on talent development, research & innovation (R&I), and the indigenous startup ecosystem.

With Ireland’s upcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union approaching, the global economy faces major structural challenges, including seismic shifts in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and changing patterns of globalisation.

Director of Technology Ireland said:

“Ireland stands at the heart of Europe’s vibrant technology ecosystem. In the coming year, Ireland has a unique window to shape European policy and champion a continent that prioritises competitiveness and adopts a smarter, pro-innovation approach to regulation. Budget 2027 must balance immediate cost pressures with strategic investments in talent, R&I, and our indigenous sector. Our goal is to ensure Ireland remains the leading location for global technology companies while building a domestic sector that starts here and grows here.”

The Budget 2027 submission outlines key policy recommendations across four core areas:

Securing the Future Talent Pipeline: To meet verified industry demand, Technology Ireland calls for an increase in core funding for Skillnet Business Networks by €50 million over three years (€16.7 million in 2027). Key proposals include a new €10,000 AI Training Voucher for SMEs and Mid-Caps, establishing an AI Skills Fund across the tertiary education system, and expanding the National Training Fund to subsidise Level 10 (PhD) training through the new PhDStart initiative. The body also emphasises the national scale-up of the STEM Passport for Inclusion and P-TECH programs to tackle gender imbalances.

Supporting Indigenous Founders and SMEs: The submission stresses the importance of fostering a domestic sector that scales globally. Technology Ireland recommends reforming Capital Gains Tax (CGT) for technology entrepreneurs to unlock stagnant capital and encourage new founder-led businesses. Furthermore, it highlights the critical need to simplify the Key Employee Engagement Programme (KEEP) by slashing burdensome administration and complex valuation requirements, enabling indigenous SMEs to realistically compete for world-class talent.

Boosting Research and Innovation (R&I): To keep pace with international knowledge economies, Technology Ireland calls on the Government to increase public investment in research and innovation to 1% of GNI* by 2035, requiring an extra €70 million in public spending. Additionally, the association recommends amending the R&D Tax Credit to include Irish-based management of offshore R&D activity, anchoring high-value decision-making roles within the country.

Enhancing Digital and Regulatory Ambition: As EU regulatory frameworks like NIS2, the AI Act, and the Data Act take effect, the submission notes that regional sectoral regulators must be adequately resourced through primary Exchequer funding rather than damaging industry levies. Technology Ireland also emphasizes accelerating the “Silicon Island” and “Quantum 2030” strategies, expanding Cyber Review and Improvement Grants up to €60,000, and scaling up Ireland’s defensive capabilities toward the Commission on Defence Forces’ Level 3 target.

See more stories here.

The Mater Hospital has launched a dedicated website LungTransplant.ie which aims to support patients and their families through their transplant journey.

Co-designed with patients and their care partners, the website brings together expert medical information with lived experience and practical guidance. From real-life patient stories to practical supports and information, the website provides a central hub for those affected by life-limiting lung conditions and those awaiting or living with a lung transplant.

Content has been carefully developed to support each patient and their family through every stage of the transplant journey, from referral and waiting through to recovery and life post-transplant. Highlights of the website include: Patient testimonials, Practical guidance about everything from what medical tests to expect to end-of-life planning, Books for children who have a family member navigating a transplant, Imagery and videos detailing post-surgery, and more.

The project was funded by the Mater Hospital Foundation, double lung transplant recipient Mick (Michael) Cosgrave and his family and friends, and the HSE Spark Innovation Fund.

Describing the difference this website will make, Mick shared, “The team [at the Mater] are incredible and were extremely helpful to me during this time of great change but this website would have been an additional resource that may have made it all a little bit easier for me and I know that it will be extremely valuable to patients going forward whether they are awaiting surgery or have already had it.”

He continued, “Before having my transplant, I didn’t fully understand the amount of work a transplant took. I didn’t understand how the waiting list worked and I definitely didn’t know what to expect after the surgery. I had a lot of learning to do. Between all of the new medications, managing follow-up appointments and learning to use new equipment to measure my blood pressure and lung function at home, it could definitely feel overwhelming at times.”

Dr Michelle Murray, Consultant in Respiratory Medicine at the Mater adds, “Lung transplantation is a complex and often frightening journey for patients and their families – and every journey is unique. This website is a vital extension of our care, grounding medical advice in real life patient experiences. We are deeply grateful to those who have shared their stories with such courage to support anyone living with serious lung conditions.”

Speaking on the launch of the website, Mary Moorhead, Chief Executive of the Mater Hospital Foundation said, “This website is so much more than providing information, it’s about hope. It’s about making sure no patient or family feels alone in what can be an overwhelming journey. I hope more people are inspired to consider the gift of organ donation. There is no doubt that organ donation transforms loss into hope and provides a second chance to those who need it most.”

The launch comes at a pivotal time for organ donation in Ireland, following the introduction of a new national framework aimed at increasing donor numbers and improving transplant outcomes.

Despite progress, many patients remain on waiting lists, underscoring the ongoing need for greater awareness of organ donation and the life-changing impact it can have.

See more stories here.