Longford County Council is proud to announce that 92% of primary schools participating in STEM-related activities across the county have now received ten or more laptops per school, significantly strengthening digital learning capacity and access for students.

To date, over €192,000 has been invested in laptops which have now been delivered to participating primary schools as part of Longford County Council’s continued commitment to advancing STEM and STEAM education. This investment ensures that students across the county have greater access to the digital tools required to develop essential skills in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

The positive impact of this strategic investment was clearly demonstrated at this year’s Dream Space Showcase which recorded its highest-ever attendance with over 700 students taking part. The record turnout highlights the growing enthusiasm for STEAM education among young people and reflects the success of collaborative efforts between schools, educators and Longford County Council.

This initiative is supported through funding from the Government of Ireland and the European Union, under the Just Transition Fund Programme 2021–2027, which aims to support communities as they transition towards a more sustainable, innovative and inclusive future.

Cathaoirleach of Longford County Council, Cllr Garry Murtagh said, “The strong level of school participation and the exceptional attendance at this year’s Dream Space Showcase demonstrate the real impact targeted investment can have. By equipping schools with modern technology and supporting innovative learning opportunities, we are helping to inspire the next generation and ensure no student is left behind in the digital age.”

Chief Executive of Longford County Council, Paddy Mahon said, “This investment is about giving children practical tools to learn, explore and build confidence with technology. By supporting schools across the county, we are helping to ensure that access to digital learning is not shaped by location or circumstance.”

Longford County Council remains committed to building on this progress, continuing to support schools, educators and students through meaningful investment in STEAM education and digital infrastructure.

See more stories here.

Equal1 has announced a milestone in the evolution of quantum computing with the global release of Equal1 RacQ. RacQ, the next generation evolution of our Bell-1 Server, represents the world’s first deployable rack-mounted silicon-spin quantum computer designed to live within a standard 19-inch data center rack.

Hybrid Quantum-Classical Computing (HQCC) Integration

HQCC enables high-impact applications, including investment risk analysis, materials simulation and supply chain optimisation.

In these workflows, classical and quantum workloads operate as a single system. Intensive subroutines are offloaded to the RacQ quantum processor, while pre- and post-processing remain on the classical compute server.

This integration allows organisations to prioritise high-impact use cases and move hybrid systems directly into production.

Experience RacQ and HQCC In Action

Equal1 and Dell Technologies are demonstrating how HQCC could be deployed in a data centre next week at Dell Technologies World in the Modern Data Center area of the Solutions Expo. In this experimental prototype, Equal1’s RacQ integrates a silicon quantum computer with a Dell PowerEdge R770 server, a PowerSwitch networking environment and Dell’s Quantum Intelligent Orchestrator – a prototype created to manage and schedule workloads across heterogeneous compute resources – all within a standard data centre rack design.

While the demonstration is a research collaboration, it shows how HQCC is indeed possible in HPC environments and sets a practical benchmark for low-disruption QPU integration.

RacQ highlights

Standard Power: It plugs into a standard single-phase electrical socket, consuming only 1600 W – comparable to a high-end classical server.

Advanced Cooling: It features an integrated, self-contained, closed-cycle cryocooler that maintains an internal temperature of 0.3 Kelvin without external infrastructure.

Compact Footprint: Weighing 400 kg, the hybrid quantum classical compute device fits perfectly into a standard Dell 42U frame.

For too long, quantum computing has remained isolated in specialist environments, custom-built and disconnected from standard infrastructure. Equal1 is changing this by delivering quantum compute in a familiar footprint, accessible to every data center operator.

Building on the foundation of the Bell-1, the new Equal1 RacQ translates that same quantum power into a deployable, rack-mounted form factor. The Equal1 RacQ is designed to integrate seamlessly with any classical compute hardware, enabling hybrid quantum classical compute all within the same data centre rack form factor.

Whether an organisation utilises existing server stacks or specialised high-performance computing (HPC) nodes, RacQ functions as a peer-level resource within the rack.

“For nearly every organisation, quantum computing remains out of reach, confined to labs,” says Jason Lynch, CEO of Equal1. “We’re changing that. We are putting quantum inside the rack so customers can roll it in, plug it in and begin running hybrid quantum–classical workloads in days, using the infrastructure they already own.”

Powered by UnityQ: Silicon-Scale Innovation

The Equal1 RacQ is powered by UnityQ, a breakthrough quantum system-on-chip that will integrate the complete quantum system onto a single silicon package.

Standard CMOS: Built using standard semiconductor processes, allowing it to scale on the cadence of global chip progress.

Efficient Power: Runs at approximately 1.6kW from a single-phase electrical socket.

Self-Contained Cooling: An integrated, closed-cycle cryocooler maintains an internal temperature of 0.3 Kelvin without requiring external cryogenic infrastructure.

Data Centre Ready: The full system weighs 400 kg and fits within a standard rack footprint.

See more stories here.

The #PlantHealth4Life campaign, led by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Commission (EC), and supported in Ireland by the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine, has launched today (12 May), warning the public that everyday actions — from bringing plants home from holidays to buying online — could put plant health, food supply and biodiversity at risk.

Now in its fourth and final year, the campaign continues to raise awareness of plant health risks and their direct link to the economy, local communities and food safety across Europe.

Launching on International Day of Plant Health (12 May), garden designer and UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Goodwill Ambassador for Ireland, Diarmuid Gavin, said: “We often think of plant health as something distant, but it starts in our own gardens and green spaces. The choices we make, what we plant, where we buy from, how we care for our gardens, all have a real impact. This campaign is a reminder that small, informed actions by many people can make a big difference for plant health, biodiversity and climate resilience.”

Be aware of plant health risks

Holidaymakers are urged not to bring plants, cuttings, fruit or vegetables home when travelling outside the EU, as these may harbour harmful pests or diseases. Gardeners are encouraged to choose local plant species, reduce reliance on pesticides and check the “plant passport” on new plants, confirming they are free from harmful pests and disease. Parents and teachers are also encouraged to raise awareness of plant health among children. Full details are available at efsa.europa.eu/en/plh4l, with resources including social media posts, top tips and videos.

Ireland’s Chief Plant Health Officer, Ms Louise Byrne, emphasised the importance of public awareness and simple actions: “Protecting plant health is something everyone can contribute to. Simple steps like sourcing plants responsibly, avoiding bringing plants and seeds home from abroad, and staying alert to signs of pests and diseases, can have a significant impact. By working together and staying informed, we can help protect Ireland’s environment, food systems and biodiversity.”

This final year builds on growing awareness across Europe, with 33 countries now involved, and a renewed focus on turning knowledge into action — empowering individuals, families, gardeners and travellers to play their part.

Sylvain Giraud, Head of the Plant Health Unit at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, said: “Plant Health 4 Life is built on a key principle: awareness empowers action. In this final year, the campaign reinforces how protecting plant health means safeguarding our food, our environment and our future. By engaging citizens across Europe, the campaign has laid strong foundations that will continue to support efforts to protect plants well beyond the campaign itself.”

Tobin Robinson, Head of the Environment, Plants and Ecotoxicology Unit at EFSA, added: “Science helps us understand the risks to plant health, but that’s not enough: we need Europeans to connect that knowledge to their daily lives. Plant Health 4 Life makes plant health accessible and relevant. By travelling responsibly, shopping responsibly, and educating the next generation, we can all be part of the solution.”

As Cyprus holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Anthemis Melifronidou, Chief Officer for Plant Health of Cyprus, said: “Hosting the launch of the campaign during the Cyprus Presidency, together with Chief Officers for Plant Health from across Europe, highlights how plant health is a shared European responsibility. Simple actions by citizens, supported by strong cooperation across countries, help protect our plants and our future.”

Visit www.efsa.europa.eu/en/plh4l to discover how to safeguard plant health.

About the campaign

#PlantHealth4Life is a multi-year campaign developed at the request of the European Commission. It is based on an in-depth analysis of citizen perceptions and behaviour with respect to plant health across the EU.

The campaign continues to extend its scope and reach, covering 33 countries:

EU countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden
Pre-accession countries: Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, and Türkiye, and
Switzerland.
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.

How does plant health affect our lives?

Plants make up 80% of the food we eat, feed the animals we raise for food, and clean the air we breathe. But that’s not all: healthy plants mean good agricultural yield, which impacts food availability and food prices for consumers. See more information on the role of plants.

Climate change and human activities, such as trade and travel put plants under heavy pressure. The spread of plant pests and diseases can have devastating economic and environmental consequences. For example, the pine wood nematode is a microscopic worm that can quickly kill pine trees and devastate forests. Until 1999, it was never detected in the EU. First introduced in Portugal, it is now present also in parts of Spain and has recently been detected in France. To stop it spreading, EU rules require all at-risk trees (mainly pines) within a 500 metres radius of an outbreak to be cut down and destroyed, with major economic and environmental impact, especially in regions with large pine forests.

About EFSA

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is an agency of the European Union set up in 2002 to serve as an impartial source of scientific advice to risk managers and to communicate on risks associated with the food chain. It cooperates with interested parties to promote the coherence of EU scientific advice and provides the scientific basis for laws and regulations to protect European consumers from food-related risks – from farm to fork.

About the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The international standards on plant health to facilitate trade in plants and plant products are based on the provisions laid down in the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation’s (FAO) International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures. Each of the 181 member countries of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) have a National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) to implement the standards agreed.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) fulfils the role of Ireland’s NPPO, implementing the annual plant health programme under EU and national legislation with the aim of protecting the health of plants in Ireland.

DAFM will launch its new Plant Health and Biosecurity Strategy 2026-2030. The Strategy will set out the vision to protect Ireland’s agriculture, horticulture and forestry sectors and the wider environment from plant pests and diseases thereby safeguarding food security, facilitating safe trade and protecting the environment.

The Strategy will focus on (i) risk anticipation, (ii) risk surveillance and management and, (iii) risk awareness and communication relating to plant health and biosecurity.

At the EU level, DAFM represents Ireland’s interests and provides input into the development of phytosanitary legislation. Ireland is also a member of the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation (EPPO), which is a Regional Plant Protection Organization under the IPPC that promotes the exchange of information between its member countries.

See www.gov.ie/planthealth

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Equinix, Inc., the world’s digital infrastructure company®, has announced the global expansion of Equinix Fabric Geo Zones, the first network-level, sovereignty enforcement layer that operates across interconnected clouds and providers. Enterprises face growing compliance risks from network rerouting events that can inadvertently move sovereign data across borders they are legally required to respect. Built natively into Equinix Fabric®, Geo Zones eliminates that risk by keeping data within defined geographic boundaries.

“Businesses are facing one of the most complex global regulatory environments in history while at the same time facing huge pressure to deploy new technologies,” said Courtney Munroe, Founder, Apex Research. “A global enterprise operating under GDPR in Europe, LGPD in Brazil, and APRA in Australia simultaneously needs different data routing rules for each jurisdiction, with every outage, failover, or congestion event a potential compliance violation. With Fabric Geo Zones, Equinix is delivering a foundational solution that is truly built from the ground up with native sovereignty controls at its core, giving enterprises confidence to operate in a globally fragmented regulated environment.”

Most networks prioritise availability and performance over geographic or regulatory boundaries, often leaving customers with limited visibility or control over where their data travels. Fabric Geo Zones ensures that rerouted data remains within defined jurisdictions. This capability is especially critical for organisations operating in regulated industries.

Unlike solutions built within a single cloud or delivered as software overlays, Fabric Geo Zones enforces sovereignty at the network layer. Because it is enforced directly within the interconnection fabric itself, it delivers a level of control difficult for a single cloud or software overlay provider to match.

“Sovereignty can’t be a setting you configure inside a single cloud. Global enterprises must enforce sovereignty at the network layer, across every cloud, provider and path simultaneously,” said Arun Dev, Vice President of Digital Interconnection at Equinix. “Equinix Fabric Geo Zones is the only solution that enforces geographic boundaries as a property of the network itself. Traffic either flows along compliant paths or it’s blocked. That’s why enterprises across industries trust Equinix to move data across clouds without compromising sovereignty.”

The expansion of Fabric Geo Zones is part of Equinix’s ongoing investment in reimagining networking for the AI era, following the launch of Fabric Intelligence and the Distributed AI Hub. Together, these capabilities provide customers with an adaptive, secure foundation for distributed AI and multicloud environments. Fabric Geo Zones is built on the Equinix Fabric industry-leading software-defined network spanning 77 metros worldwide, enabling customer-controlled data sovereignty at global scale. Reflecting the advanced compliance and control it delivers, Geo Zones is available at a premium tier—included in Unlimited Ports and Unlimited Ports Plus packages and priced at a premium to standard virtual circuits.

Fabric Geo Zones is built for workloads where compliance can’t be an afterthought. A European financial institution can run real-time transactions across multiple clouds while ensuring customer data never leaves the EU, even when an outage triggers automatic rerouting across clouds. A healthcare organisation can keep patient and AI inference data within defined jurisdictions across hybrid environments. A government agency can deploy sovereign AI with data confined to national or regional boundaries. A global company can automatically apply jurisdiction-specific routing rules to meet GDPR, LGPD, APRA and other regional requirements across its operations.

Fabric Geo Zones enables customers to:

Keep sensitive data within approved jurisdictions

Reduce regulatory and jurisdictional risk from unintended cross-border routing

Accelerate deployments using Fabric Super Agent

Eliminate uncertainty during failover where outages reroute sensitive traffic

Fabric Geo Zones is available today in preview across Equinix’s global footprint, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S., with European Union availability to come in June. Equinix will be speaking about this at the International Telecoms Week conference panels on May 19: “The quest for sovereign AI meets the edge-cloud infrastructure battle” and “Unleashing the 3 pillars of AI.”

See more stories here.

The InvizCrypt platform, developed at Trinity, is designed so users can collaborate on sensitive documents without the platform provider being able to read the content.

The global cloud productivity market exceeds $50 billion annually, for healthcare, legal, financial, and public-sector organisations, underlining the potential significance of this innovation. Researchers at Trinity College Dublin have developed a new cloud collaboration platform (InvizCrypt) that offers true privacy, giving users much stronger control over who can access their sensitive data and documents

Better privacy for cloud collaboration developed

The InvizCrypt platform, developed by Professor Hitesh Tewari and colleagues from Trinity’s School of Computer Science and Statistics and ADAPT at Trinity College Dublin, is designed to allow users to collaborate on sensitive documents while preventing the platform provider from reading the content.

The project comes amid growing European concern about data privacy, security, digital sovereignty and foreign legal access to sensitive information held by large technology providers.  In April 2026, the European Commission advanced a sovereign cloud procurement framework that will allow EU institutions, bodies and agencies to procure up to €180 million in sovereign cloud services over six years. France has also moved to replace Microsoft Teams and Zoom with its own sovereign video conferencing platform, Visio, across government departments by 2027.

Speaking about InvizCrypt, Professor Hitesh Tewari, said: “Users place huge trust in cloud platforms to store and process their data, but many people do not realise that, in conventional systems, the provider can technically still access document content. That creates risks around privacy, security and legal disclosure, regardless of where data is hosted. InvizCrypt is designed to offer a fully private model that can not only support real-time collaboration but also ensure the security of the data within the documents.”

What are the potential impacts of this research?

Most cloud collaboration platforms are built on a model where the provider can technically access the contents of a document as part of delivering the service. The InvizCrypt system is designed differently. Before a document leaves the user’s own device, it is encrypted into unreadable data. The cloud platform can still store the file, allow collaboration between users, and keep the document in sync, but it cannot see what the document says. Only approved collaborators hold the keys needed to read it.

This fundamental difference means that documents, attached files and real-time edits are protected before they reach the platform. For users, InvizCrypt feels like ordinary cloud collaboration but with the added layer of security.

Prof. Tewari said: “The first users of InvizCrypt will be researchers because research teams often work on highly sensitive material before publication and collaborations often require close contact despite individuals being situated around the globe.”

“This information can be valuable to competitors, cyber criminals, or even foreign state-backed actors. Universities are increasingly being warned that research data and intellectual property are attractive targets, and even retaining total privacy from the eyes of governments — foreign and domestic — is something many researchers highly value in today’s world.”

The team has started with LaTeX, a writing system used by many researchers, scientists, engineers and mathematicians to prepare complex academic papers and technical documents.  Following this first phase, the technology will then be extended into secure document editing and spreadsheet workflows for organisations that need to collaborate without exposing sensitive content to platform providers.

By beginning with an encrypted collaborative LaTeX editor, InvizCrypt targets a community that already depends on cloud-based collaboration but has limited options for keeping sensitive work private from the platform provider. This initial phase will allow the team to validate the system in real research workflows, build trust with universities and research institutions, and establish the institutional relationships needed for wider adoption.

The team will then extend the same server-blind architecture beyond LaTeX into secure document editing and spreadsheet workflows, creating a broader privacy-first platform for a range of users and domains later in 2026.

About ADAPT

ADAPT is the world-leading Research Ireland Centre for AI Driven Digital Content Technology hosted by Trinity College Dublin. ADAPT’s partner institutions include Dublin City University, University College Dublin, Technological University Dublin, Maynooth University, Munster Technological University, Technological University of the Shannon, and University of Galway. ADAPT’s research vision is to pioneer new forms of proactive, scalable, and integrated AI-driven Digital Content Technology that empower individuals and society to engage in digital experiences with control, inclusion, and accountability with the long term goal of a balanced digital society by 2030. ADAPT is pioneering new Human Centric AI techniques and technologies including personalisation, natural language processing, data analytics, intelligent machine and translation human-computer interaction, as well as setting the standards for data governance, privacy and ethics for digital content. www.adaptcentre.ie

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The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is inviting entries from individuals and organisations to the SEAI Energy Awards 2026.  For over two decades, the Awards have highlighted the exemplar businesses, communities, and organisations that are driving Ireland’s transition to a cleaner, more energy?efficient future.

Open to organisations across the island of Ireland, the awards reflect the wide range of sectors and project types contributing to national energy and climate ambitions. Each year, entries demonstrate how practical action, innovation, and collaboration can generate meaningful energy savings and accelerate our clean energy transition.

SEAI Sustainable Energy Awards

Calling for entries to the Awards, Fergus Sharkey, Head of Business Supports in SEAI said: “Ireland’s most inspiring sustainable energy initiatives will once again take centre stage at the SEAI Energy Awards 2026. We’re offering those leading such initiatives an opportunity to showcase their inspiring work.  The Awards give SEAI an opportunity to acknowledge excellence, innovation and ambition across the country’s clean energy community.  We want to celebrate these achievements, showing others what’s possible.”

Diverse award categories reflecting Ireland’s energy landscape

The array of categories in the SEAI Energy Awards captures the breadth of energy innovation in Ireland. This year entrants can choose from 11 categories that are suited to multiple sectors and company sizes.  There are also two new categories to choose from:

• Hotels and Tourism Accommodation (in partnership with Fáilte Ireland)
• Design and Construction

The new categories reflect the importance of the tourism and built environment sectors in delivering Ireland’s climate and energy ambitions.

See all categories

Why enter the SEAI Energy Awards?

1. The SEAI Energy Awards offer participants a unique opportunity to showcase their sustainable energy achievements on a national stage.

2. For many organisations, being shortlisted or winning an award provides powerful recognition for the dedication, creativity and leadership behind their projects.

3. Entrants gain visibility among peers, customers, policymakers and energy experts, while winners are celebrated for delivering ambitious, smart energy solutions that go beyond business?as?usual.

4. The awards highlight not only successful outcomes, but also ideas and approaches with strong potential to be replicated elsewhere.

A rigorous and independent judging process

The SEAI Energy Awards are underpinned by a robust, independent judging process, led by a distinguished panel of energy experts and stakeholders. Entries are assessed against clear criteria, with a strong emphasis on innovation, measurable impact and the ability for solutions to be replicated.  The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony taking place in  November.

Apply today and get the recognition you deserve!

Whether you are delivering energy innovation at a local, regional or national level, the 2026 awards will provide a platform to showcase your work, gain recognition and be part of a growing community of energy leaders. Entries are open until 29th May 2026.

Apply now at www.seai.ie/energyawards

About SEAI

SEAI is the expert authority on decarbonising Ireland’s energy system, using robust, objective data and an evidence-based approach to help inform policy development and energy user behaviours. SEAI empowers households, businesses, motorists and the public sector to move away from fossil fuels with practical advice and financial supports. We encourage positive changes in how Ireland uses energy to deliver a more prosperous, energy efficient and cleaner environment.

SEAI is funded by the Government of Ireland through the Department of  Climate, Energy and the Environment

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Africa Tech Summit London, the leading African tech conference in Europe, today announced 13 investor-ready ventures selected to showcase their solutions at the London Stock Exchange on May 29, 2026.

The landmark 10th edition brings together 350+ African and International ventures, investors, corporates, and regulators, including Shekel Mobility, London Stock Exchange, Goodwin, Tola, Verto, Loobv, HubSpot, and more.

Africa Tech Summit returns

The 13 ventures include:

Aktivate (Nigeria) is a Creator Operating System that helps African creators collaborate with brands, manage campaigns, sell digital products, and receive cross-border payments in one platform.

Bunce (Nigeria) is helping businesses turn customer data into personalised engagement that drives retention, revenue, and growth.

10mg Health (United Kingdom) is an embedded credit platform that enables clinics and pharmacies to buy medicines now and pay later, using AI underwriting to help lenders finance healthcare supply purchases instantly.

Mowoki (Togo) is building travel infrastructure across Africa, enabling seamless travel through curated experiences, cross-border mobility, and local networks.

Koolboks (France) is making solar-powered refrigeration accessible through flexible Pay-As-You-Go financing, helping small businesses reduce food spoilage and grow sustainably.

Orbit Electric (Nigeria) assembles IoT-enabled electric motorcycles in Lagos and provides PAYGO financing for last-mile delivery riders.

ProDevs (Nigeria) is helping companies find, assess, and hire top engineers faster, without the inefficiencies of traditional recruitment.

Reisty (Nigeria) is a guest management software that helps African restaurants improve customer experience and boost profitability.

Redbiller Technologies Inc. (Nigeria) is building a complete financial suite that neobanks, fintechs, and crypto exchanges can leverage to scale globally.

Scandium Systems (Nigeria) is a suite of AI-powered test automation and management tools that removes the quality assurance bottleneck by enabling teams to test as fast as they build.

UltraPay (Nigeria) is a multi-asset spending platform that lets users hold and spend crypto, stocks, and fiat globally via one card.

Workspace Global Ltd (Ghana) is a subscription platform that provides reliable, scalable, and high-quality creative production for growing businesses.

Zynta (Africa) is a B2B regulated stablecoin last-mile infrastructure for Africa that enables local and global businesses to make payments via compliant stablecoin rails.

Over the past decade, Africa Tech Summit London has showcased more than 100 high-growth African tech ventures to global investors and industry experts in Europe, creating opportunities for investment and collaborations across the ecosystem.

Marc Mugenwa, Business Development Manager, Africa Tech Summit, commented

“Ten years ago, Africa’s startup ecosystem was still finding its feet, with only a handful of investor-ready ventures getting global attention. The ecosystem is far more mature now, and the quality of ventures applying for the Investment Showcase continues to rise. For this edition, we received more than 200 applications to showcase, and we look forward to connecting the founders with investors and the wider ecosystem at London Stock Exchange for our 10th edition on May 29th.”

Register for final passes here

About Africa Tech Summit London

Africa Tech Summit London, the leading African tech conference in Europe, connects tech leaders from the African ecosystem and international players under one roof at the London Stock Exchange. Network and do business with tech corporates, investors, leading ventures, and industry stakeholders, driving business and investment forward.

For more information:

Email: register@africatechsummit.com

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Interview with Yifan He, Founder and CEO of Red Date Technology by Selva Ozelli Esq, CPA who 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.

Yifan He interviewed

Yifan He is the founder and CEO of Red Date Technology, a Hong Kong-based technology firm known primarily as the technical architect behind China’s Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN) and the UDPN (Universal Digital Payments Network) in the global financial industry

Founded in 2014, Red Date Technology initially focused on “smart city” technology before pivoting to blockchain in 2018. The company is the driving force behind several major global infrastructure projects:

Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN): A state-sanctioned initiative in China aimed at providing a low-cost, unified infrastructure for deploying and managing blockchain applications.

BSN Spartan Network: An international, non-cryptocurrency public chain infrastructure designed for global enterprises to use blockchain technology without regulatory or financial volatility.

Universal Digital Payments Network (UDPN): A messaging layer intended to connect different central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), commercial bank tokenized deposits, and stablecoins, similar to a “SWIFT for digital money”.

China RealDID: A national-level blockchain-based identity verification system launched in China to manage digital IDs.

Tell us about your educational and professional journey that led you to founding Red Date Technology

My background combines technology, finance, and long-term infrastructure thinking. I studied computer science at SUNY Stony Brook and later completed an MBA at MIT Sloan. I started my first internet company while still in college in the United States, and then spent many years in China working across finance, private equity, and large-scale technology projects.

When I founded Red Date in 2014, the company initially focused on smart city and large-scale digital infrastructure. In 2018, China elevated blockchain to a national strategic priority. Around the same time, I had become convinced that distributed systems would be part of the next generation of public digital infrastructure and the internet, much as cloud computing had become essential to the last generation. That was the moment we moved decisively into blockchain.

Red Date Technology from the beginning has been focused on implementing blockchain infrastructure globally as opposed to selling tokens.  Tell us why.

On top of today’s internet stack, a new layer will be added specifically to support distributed systems. This new layer will enable multiple-system communications and applications, unlike the traditional layer, which only handles system-to-system bilateral communications.

That is where blockchain has enormous long-term value. The new multi-party IT architecture should apply to all industries, all nations, and all applications. It should not, and will not, be limited to cryptocurrencies. There is a much greater good that this technology can bring to the world.

We identified that the early adoption of the decentralized technologies would come from two main non-cryptocurrency industries: banking/payments and government identities. The value propositions are clear and immediate. That’s why five years ago, we began moving into these two industries from just building blockchain infrastructures.

That same logic also explains why Red Date’s business is increasingly concentrated around two areas: digital currency infrastructure and identity infrastructure.

Tell us about Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN)

BSN was created to make blockchain deployment more practical and more accessible. The basic idea was simple: blockchain infrastructure should become easier to deploy, cheaper to operate, and more standardized, much like cloud infrastructure did for traditional IT. BSN was designed as a multi-chain infrastructure network that enables public and private distributed systems to be deployed in cloud or on-premises environments for various types of distributed applications. BSN is not a blockchain. It is a system designed to standardize the deployment of all blockchains and DLT-based applications across cloud infrastructure in an easy, affordable, and efficient way.

Tell us about the BSN Spartan Network

BSN Spartan Network is Red Date’s answer to a very practical market problem: public chains are useful, but many enterprises do not want the volatility of cryptocurrency, the unpredictability of gas fees, or the operational burden of handling crypto directly. Spartan keeps the programmability and openness of public-chain architecture while removing the need for transferable crypto gas tokens in day-to-day enterprise use — a kind of “decentralized AWS” for public-chain infrastructure.

Tell us about Universal Digital Payments Network (UDPN)

UDPN has two main products: UDPN Token-based Core Banking System and the UDPN Kissen Network

The UDPN Core Banking system was built to serve as a token sub-ledger in a bank. We believe that all commercial banks over the next 10 years will implement some form of token system within their core banking systems, such as tokenized deposits, stablecoins, or CBDCs.  Today, any technically capable team can deploy a token contract. But the real challenge is everything around regulated money and compliance: wallet and account lifecycle management, enterprise integration, bank controls, governance, FX coordination, settlement logic, auditability, accounting, reconciliations, AML, KYC, compliance across jurisdictions, and the upcoming agent-initiated payments.

That is why the UDPN Core Banking System is not about “building a stablecoin or token.” It is about building the operating infrastructure around regulated stablecoins and tokenized deposits, so that banks and enterprises can issue, manage, connect, settle, and interoperate in a controlled and compliant way. We see the real value not at the token layer, but at the bank-grade operating layer.

The UDPN Kissen network is built to connect all such token-based core banking systems globally, just like the SWIFT system connecting all fiat-based core banking ledgers today.

Over the past five years, we have developed UDPN together with a range of global partners. Our focus has always been practical: giving financial institutions and enterprises the infrastructure they need to bring digital currencies into real-world operations.

Tell us about RealIDID

The RealDID technology represents Red Date’s second major strategic pillar: identity infrastructure. This technology fundamentally transforms the entire verification process for government IDs and related digital business credentials beyond traditional document-centric human-read verification.

Public reporting describes China RealDID as the world’s first national-level decentralized identity system, launched through cooperation with the Ministry of Public Security’s First Research Institute, to allow people to prove identity in a privacy-preserving way while still meeting real-name compliance requirements in China.

With this technology, real-world identities can be bound to decentralized identifiers and used across different systems without forcing users to repeatedly hand over raw personal data. That creates a very different future for KYC, access control, digital business credentials, and cross-border verification. This is much bigger than simply “logging in with blockchain.” It is about building identity infrastructure for digital finance, digital services, and eventually AI-driven transactions with accountability.

Until now, Red Date has remained the only technology provider in this sector with a proven track record of delivering government-backed decentralized identity and credential solutions.

Tokenization of the global financial markets, Hollywood, Sports & Prediction Markets Betting, Social Media Accounts are in focus with Hong Kong as a financial center and Red Date Technology playing a pivotal role in architecting the new global tokenization framework aimed at facilitating digital payments/stablecoins, regulated digital currencies, NFTs and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs).  Tell us why.

In the early days of the internet, email and the web were the two foundational applications that showed people the real power of the internet technologies. Once those two core use cases were established, many other internet products and services could grow on top of them.

We believe the same logic applies to the broader tokenization market today. Payment and identity are the two foundational applications. With the broader adoption of token-based digital currencies and digital identities, the acceleration of distributed technologies can drive, over time, the formation of a true global public ecosystem for tokenization and decentralized applications.

In this context, Hong Kong is central to the story because it is one of the few places actively trying to build a regulated bridge between traditional finance and digital asset infrastructure. Red Date is actively working with institutions and businesses in Hong Kong to help realize that vision.

Which parts of tokenization which covers a very wide spectrum in the USA as detailed in question 7 allowed in Hong Kong.  For example, is sports betting and prediction market tokenization, or paying digital currencies to people who watch movies allowed in Hong Kong?

The clean answer is that Hong Kong is clearly opening up regulated digital asset and tokenization activity, but not all “tokenization” use cases are treated equally.

In my view, token-based core banking and tokenized finance will be one of the biggest long-term trends. Hong Kong has already moved beyond discussion and into implementation. On April 10, 2026, the HKMA granted the first stablecoin issuer licenses under its new regime, marking the beginning of a regulated stablecoin market in Hong Kong. That is an important signal.

Prediction markets are very different. Just days ago, Hong Kong’s Investor and Financial Education Council warned that trading activities in prediction markets may constitute illegal gambling in Hong Kong. So I would be very cautious about putting prediction-market tokenization or sports-betting tokenization in the same category as regulated financial tokenization. There are many legal activities in the U.S. that are considered criminal around the world. Prediction markets have nothing to do with tokenization. They are just adopting cryptocurrencies and stablecoins as anonymous payment methods.

You are an advocate of Web3 and decentralized web initiatives often associated with proponents of the fifth industrial revolution.  Tell us where you see the developments in this area.

I see this as an irreversible technology trend, especially now that AI agents are maturing and the limitations of current infrastructure are becoming more obvious. Blockchain has already moved far beyond the narrow cryptocurrency narrative. But Web3 only becomes meaningful when it leaves the crypto-native bubble and becomes part of mainstream IT infrastructures and applications serving real-world use cases.

The next stage is not simply more tokens or more chains. It is the fusion of programmable money, programmable identity, and programmable authorization inside institutions and enterprise systems. In the earlier internet, identity was largely platform-controlled. In the next wave, identity needs to become portable, verifiable, and selectively disclosable. That is why DID and VC matter so much. The winning models will be those that enable institutions to adopt decentralized capabilities without sacrificing compliance, governance, performance, or legal accountability.

Red Date Technology’s focus has expanded significantly into the intersection of blockchain and Artificial Intelligence (AI), specifically addressing the infrastructure needs for AI agents to interact with financial systems and verifiable data.  Tell us more about this.

AI agents are not useful in finance unless three questions are answered very clearly: who is the agent, who authorized it, and what exactly is it allowed to do. Payments and financial actions cannot be safely delegated to AI without identity, authorization, auditability, and revocation. In our view, this is fundamentally a DID/VC problem sitting on top of a payment infrastructure problem.

From Red Date’s point of view, this is not really about “AI on the blockchain.” It is about making AI operable inside regulated systems. A human or an enterprise should be able to bind an AI agent to a verifiable identity framework, issue credentials that define scope and permissions, and let that agent interact with token-based financial infrastructure under policy control.

We are in the process of setting up a comprehensive AI Agent identity and accountability infrastructure in China and Hong Kong with support from various government agencies.

Red Date Technology rather than owning physical data centers, provides software infrastructure that integrates into existing physical data centers to manage blockchain , AI and Web3 applications.  With orbital data centers becoming a reality will your company develop the needed software infrastructure that integrates into existing orbital data centers to manage blockchain, AI  and Web3 applications?

Orbital data centers are an extension of a broader trend we have been watching: the separation of where infrastructure is physically located from the software layers that operate digital systems on top of it. At Red Date, we build the operating layer that sits above infrastructure, whether that infrastructure is on-premise, in conventional cloud environments, in sovereign data centers, or in the future, potentially in orbital environments.

So from our perspective, orbital data centers would simply be another execution environment. If they become commercially viable, we would not need to reinvent our stack — we simply extend it.

For a country or a company or an organization what  are the advantages of developing an AI infused CBCD,  stablecoin, token, NFT, digital asset infrastructure?

In the coming years, AI agents will increasingly handle operational tasks that are still initiated manually today — such as making payments, managing treasury workflows, conducting settlement instructions, triggering asset transfers, or interacting with service providers and counterparties. For that to happen safely in financial environments, the infrastructure must be designed to support non-human actors in a controlled and accountable way.

That said, the key requirement is trust. An AI agent cannot simply act like an anonymous software tool. The system must be able to verify who the agent represents, what it is authorized to do, under what conditions it can act, and who is ultimately accountable for its actions. This is why digital asset infrastructure must evolve together with DID and VC technologies.

These are still very new areas in terms of commercialization and adoption. But the trends are indisputable. Whoever works in these fields will take some risks and also gain huge benefits as first movers.

What are your thoughts on  China’s potential legalization of cryptocurrency, stablecoin, token trading in the future?

I think it is important to separate different categories. China has long shown support for blockchain infrastructure and for highly regulated digital systems, while remaining cautious about speculative retail cryptocurrency trading. So the more important question is not whether China will simply “legalize crypto trading” in the broadest sense. The more important question is how far China may go in supporting regulated stablecoins and tokenized financial systems.

Hong Kong’s progress is highly relevant here. Historically, Hong Kong has often served as a practical testing ground and policy window for new financial initiatives in the broader Chinese context. As Hong Kong continues to develop regulatory frameworks for stablecoins and digital assets, its experience could become an important reference point for how related policy discussions evolve more broadly in the future.

How can people reach you?

Red Date Technology Official Site: https://www.reddatetech.com/

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Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD, has announced funding of €20million for 22 high-risk, high-reward research projects through the Research Ireland Frontiers for the Future Programme.

Minister Lawless said: “The 22 projects announced today under Research Ireland’s Frontiers for the Future Programme are ambitious in both scope and scale, spanning areas from pioneering cancer therapies to advancing a more sustainable and circular economy, and much more besides. The breadth of research being funded reflects the exceptional depth and diversity of talent across our research and innovation ecosystem. I congratulate all the awardees and wish them every success as they push the boundaries of knowledge and deliver meaningful innovation.”

Welcoming the announcement, Dr Diarmuid O’Brien, CEO of Research Ireland, commented: “Curiosity-driven research funding is an essential part of a healthy, purposeful and forward-looking research ecosystem. Through the Frontiers for the Future Programme, Research Ireland supports researchers to take intellectual risks, and to pursue ideas that might not yet have a clear pathway, but could fundamentally reshape our understanding of the world around us. Supports like these are central to sustaining a vibrant and internationally competitive research environment, which is a core element of our recently launched strategy, ‘Curiosity. Capability. Competitiveness – Charting Ireland’s Research and Innovation Future.”

Frontiers for the Future is a legacy programme inherited from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), and has played an important role in supporting ambitious, curiosity-driven scientific research with the potential to deliver transformative societal and economic impact. As a new agency, Research Ireland is reimagining and redeveloping the legacy programmes inherited from both SFI and the Irish Research Council (IRC) to reflect its broadened remit and the full diversity of disciplines now supported, as set out in our recently published Programme Plan.

Research initiatives funded under the Frontiers for the Future programme enable independent investigators to pursue bold ideas and innovative research over a four- to five-year period. Research areas funded today range from advanced materials and road safety to antimicrobial resistance and cancer treatment, with this funding round supporting 16 medium-scale ‘projects’ and six larger scale ‘awards’.

The funding announced today represents the final Frontiers for the Future outcome for the ‘Projects’ stream of this programme. Future investigator-led funding of this scale is now being delivered through the Research Ireland Investigators programme, which combines aspects of the former Frontiers for the Future ‘projects’ funding and IRC Laureate programme. The Investigators Programme will run annually, and is open to independent researchers across all disciplines.

Some highlights of funded Projects are:

GlycoMetalGuard: Glycoconjugate metal complexes as targeted bacterial therapeutics and protective coatings suitable for medical devices (Dr Joseph Byrne, University College Dublin):

• Dr Byrne and his team are developing innovative antimicrobial coatings and therapies to prevent hospital-acquired infections stemming from medical devices. The research aims to target harmful bacteria with novel sugar-based metal compounds, supporting efforts to addressing antimicrobial resistance and improving patient safety and quality of life.

SHIELD: Intelligent Reflecting Surface for Enhanced Integrated Sensing and Communication to Protect Vulnerable Road Users (Dr Md Noor-A-Rahim, University College Cork):

• Dr Noor-A-Rahim and his team are developing new ways to improve the safety of vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians in busy urban environments. The research aims to overcome the limitations of existing sensor-based systems and generate new knowledge and practical solutions that support safer, smarter, and more inclusive urban mobility.

Valorising sustainable marine bioresources: exploration of the chemical diversity of Irish microalgae with antimicrobial, anticancer and antineurodegenerative properties [CHIMERA] (Dr Nicolas Touzet, Atlantic Technological University and Prof. Olivier Thomas, University of Galway):

• Dr Touzet, Prof Thomas and their teams will focus on using aquatic microscopic plant-like organisms to conduct frontier research on new marine natural compounds that could contribute to future health and wellbeing solutions. This work will support the development of sustainable, marine-derived natural ingredients for applications across cosmetics, health and medicine.

Research Ireland is also reimagining the ‘Awards’ stream of the Frontiers for the Future programme. While this stream remains open in its current form at present, this is in the process of being redeveloped in line with our Programme Plan. In 2026, it is set to be replaced with a new, integrated offering open to all disciplines, supporting excellent research across the entire research ecosystem.

Some highlights of funded Awards are:

Spatio-temporal regulation of osteocyte mechanobiology to treat cancer-associated osteolysis (STROMCO) (Prof. Laoise McNamara, University of Galway):

• Prof. McNamara and her team are investigating why cancers that spread to bone, including metastatic disease and multiple myeloma, trigger such aggressive and damaging bone loss. This work seeks to generate crucial new knowledge to guide the development of future therapies for people living with cancer-related bone disease.

LIGHT4CARB: Leveraging Visible Light Photocatalysis for Stereoselective Access to Unexplored Carbohydrate Chemical Space (Dr Chuanjie Loh, University College Dublin):

• Dr Loh will harness visible light to drive cleaner, more sustainable chemical reactions for building complex sugars that are vital for medicine and biotechnology. This award supports Dr Loh’s relocation from Germany to join the UCD, strengthening Ireland’s capacity in cutting-edge chemical research.

Investigating whole brain blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption in gliomas (Prof. Matthew Campbell, Trinity College Dublin):

• Prof. Campbell will use advanced imaging and genetic tools to investigate how the small blood vessels in the brain respond to Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) growth. Primary brain tumours termed GBM are amongst the most aggressive cancers described. The team will also use pre-clinical models of the disease in an effort to develop new forms of therapy for this devastating cancer.

The 25 awardees will be based in eight research bodies nationwide: Atlantic Technological University (1), Dublin City University (3), Trinity College Dublin (4), Tyndall National Institute (3), University College Cork (3), University College Dublin (8), University of Galway (2), University of Limerick (1).

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Vodafone Ireland has been named Ireland’s Best Fixed Broadband by independent benchmarking organisation umlaut, based on its latest assessment of fixed broadband performance nationwide.

The fixed broadband award builds on Vodafone’s tenth consecutive year being named Best in Test for mobile by umlaut in Ireland, reaffirmed most recently in June 2025, reinforcing the consistency of Vodafone’s network performance across both fixed and mobile.

Unlike lab tests or advertised speeds, umlaut’s assessment looks at how broadband actually performs in homes and businesses across Ireland. Using real-world data gathered from customers over a six-month period, the findings reflect the everyday experience people have with their broadband, from streaming and video calls to online gaming, remote working and business critical applications.

Vodafone’s performance reflects a broadband network designed around everyday customer use, delivering a strong and consistent balance across speed, availability, latency and stability.

Across Ireland, fibre now accounts for 78% of Vodafone’s broadband customer base, underlining the rapid move away from legacy technologies. This is supported by a fibre first delivery model using leading wholesale networks such as SIRO and the National Broadband Plan, with SIRO backed by more than €1 billion in long term investment, alongside Vodafone’s end to end responsibility for service design, management and customer support.

Vodafone Ireland achieved the highest overall score, with 962 out of a possible 1,000 points, outperforming all other providers assessed. The benchmarking measures customer perceived experience across five key categories: geo availability, download speed, upload speed, latency and stability.

The results are particularly significant for Vodafone Business customers. Vodafone Business connects six in ten Irish businesses, supporting organisations of all sizes with reliable fixed and mobile connectivity that underpins day to day operations, remote working and digital services.

The results show Vodafone Ireland delivered the most consistent all-round performance, highlighting the reliability of its fixed broadband experience for customers in everyday use.

Commenting on the award, Sheila Kavanagh, Network Director at Vodafone Ireland, said:

“Being named Ireland’s Best Fixed Broadband by umlaut is a powerful endorsement of the experience customers rely on in their homes every day, whether that is working from home, streaming, gaming, or staying connected with family and colleagues. Combined with our ten consecutive Best in Test mobile awards, it shows the consistency of Vodafone’s network performance across both fixed and mobile. This recognition reflects sustained investment and a clear focus on delivering dependable, high quality connectivity where it matters most.”

Vodafone Ireland continues to invest heavily across its fixed and mobile networks, supporting growing demand for data intensive services such as streaming, gaming, remote working and cloud based applications. With 25 years’ operating in Ireland, Vodafone’s ongoing investment reflects a long term commitment to national connectivity. Last month, the company announced a further €200 million investment programme, bringing total planned investment to €700 million across Ireland by 2030.

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KINTO Join Ltd, the leading sustainable mobility solutions company, has announced that it has saved almost 2 million kilometres (1.9 million) worth of transport emissions across Europe since 2024, reflecting a growing demand for greener mobility solutions.

Specifically, this equates to emissions savings of over 275,100kg of CO2. KINTO Join Ltd.  has also facilitated over 126,000 verified sustainable commuting journeys, removing 137,800 single occupancy journeys from European roads since 2024.

Closer to home, KINTO Join Ltd. has saved 32,600km worth of carbon emissions in Ireland over the last two years, equating to total emissions savings of 3,000kg of CO2. The company has also replaced a significant number of single occupancy journeys with shared alternatives, helping to reduce traffic congestion and ease pressure on busy commuter routes.

In the last six months alone, KINTO Join Ltd. has trebled its CO2 savings in Ireland, driven by a rapidly expanding customer base. The company recently welcomed several new clients to its portfolio including county councils, hospitals and universities such as Munster Technological University (MTU). KINTO Join Ltd. plans to further accelerate its Irish growth, doubling its customer base by year-end.

The company continues to grow rapidly following the 2025 launch of ZERO by KINTO, an end-to-end solution, combining expert consultancy with a comprehensive ESG reporting platform and the KINTO Join app. It aims to assist organisations in lowering their scope three transport emissions through shared mobility programmes, empowering businesses to take meaningful action towards their emissions targets.

Patrizia Niehaus, CEO, KINTO Join Ltd., said: “Organisations are constantly looking for ways to reduce their emissions, and yet, the daily commute remains one of the most overlooked opportunities. The fact is that companies don’t have to wait for large-scale infrastructure changes or flexible working mandates to make a difference. There are simple, practical solutions available today, from shared carpooling to shuttle buses, delivering real, measurable results.

“The numbers speak for themselves – people want to make a difference and small steps add up. As KINTO Join Ltd. continues to expand its presence in Ireland, we are committed to helping organisations of all sizes take meaningful action.”

See more stories here.

FutureRange, one of Ireland’s leading IT managed service providers, has completed its second acquisition of the year with the purchase of Echo IT, a Nenagh-based IT services provider, strengthening its presence in Munster as it continues to scale across the island of Ireland.

The move builds on FutureRange’s previously announced growth strategy, including plans to create up to 50 roles over the next 24 months, as organisations place increasing importance on cyber security, cloud and managed IT services.

Echo IT supports clients across multiple sectors including veterinary, distribution, medical and agri-foods, and will be integrated into FutureRange’s Limerick operations, enhancing regional delivery while maintaining continuity for clients.

FutureRange operates as a security-first managed services partner, helping organisations manage increasingly complex technology environments. Its capabilities include cyber security, cloud and infrastructure services, and the structured adoption of data and AI.

The two businesses have an established working relationship, particularly in cyber security, with strong alignment across technology platforms and service approach, supporting a straightforward integration.

Danny McEntee, Managing Director of FutureRange, said the acquisition reflects continued execution of the company’s growth plans.

“This is another step in delivering our all-island growth strategy. Echo IT is a strong regional business with deep client relationships, and there is a natural fit in how we approach service delivery and technology,” he said.

“We are seeing consistent demand from organisations for partners who can provide clarity, security and long-term support as their environments become more complex. This strengthens our ability to deliver that across the country, and we will continue to invest where it supports our clients and our long-term strategy.”

FutureRange continues to assess further growth opportunities as part of its expansion plans.

Donal Bray, Managing Director of Echo IT, said the move is a positive step for clients and staff.

“We have built Echo IT around strong relationships and a practical, client-first approach. Joining FutureRange allows us to continue that while giving our clients access to broader expertise and a more resilient service platform,” he said.

The acquisition represents a further step in FutureRange’s all-island growth strategy as the business continues to expand its footprint and invest in capability in line with evolving client needs.

See more stories here.

Following the success of previous inaugural Call for Pilots, Smart Docklands is proud to announce the winners of its second Call for Pilots 2025/2026 — a new cohort of innovators tackling some of the Docklands’ urban challenges.

Four projects have been selected out of 53 applications to receive seed funding, with €12,500 allocated to each project. This year’s winning pilots span an impressive range of disciplines — from radar-based biodiversity monitoring and augmented reality heritage trails, to inclusive wayfinding for neurodiverse visitors and tangible tools for community participation in urban planning.

Smart Docklands grants For Biodiversity, Accessibility, Community Innovation

The four pilot winners are:

WingSense, Trinity College Dublin – Biodiversity/Urban Greening: Low-power mmWave radar sensors detect insect and pollinator activity continuously, day or night and in all weather conditions, without capturing images or audio. Machine learning transforms this data into actionable, privacy-safe biodiversity insights for cities.
ScannAR, Solasine – Digital Tools/Tech Access: A web-based AR experience delivered via QR codes — no app needed. Scanning unlocks 3D experiences with audio narration and local storytelling, fully accessible to blind, visually impaired, deaf, and hard-of-hearing users.

ARROW, The Convention Centre Dublin – Accessibility/Inclusive Design: An inclusive wayfinding layer co-designed with neurodiverse users, combining ‘what to expect’ guides, typical and real time sensory environment indicators into one coherent, place-based service.

Raytown Roundtable, Codema – Dublin’s Energy Agency – Accessibility/Inclusive Design & Digital Tools/Tech Access: A touch-based interactive table piloted at the Raytown Energy Dock in Ringsend/Irishtown, giving residents a hands-on way to explore their neighbourhood and shape local decisions — no digital skills needed.
Smart Docklands is one of Dublin’s flagship smart districts – a unique collaboration across academia, industry and local government to advocate for and pilot community centred technology innovations.

The programme that supports the adoption of new and emerging technologies in cities is delivered in partnership between Dublin City Council and the CONNECT Research Ireland Centre for Future Networks headquartered at Trinity College Dublin.

This second round of pilots reflects the breadth and ambition of what community-led innovation can look like. Building on the learnings from our first Call for Pilots, these projects were again shaped by a community survey’s outcomes and wider engagement. Smart Docklands is committed to ensuring that smart technology is deployed with purpose — addressing real needs, identified by real people.

Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Ray McAdam said:

“Dublin’s Docklands area has long been a hub of innovation and creativity, placing the city in a strong position to enhance public services through technology-enabled solutions. The Smart Docklands Pilot Programme helps to ensure that innovation is community-led, focused on real needs, and delivering measurable impact. The four selected pilot projects demonstrate Dublin’s ambitions to be more inclusive and forward-thinking, and will make our city work better for everyone. I’m proud to see it happening right here in the Docklands.”

Nicola Graham, Smart Cities Programme Manager, Dublin City Council said:
“Pilots like these are how we deliver meaningful change within the council. They let us trial new approaches in real-world settings, learn fast, and build the evidence needed to scale what works. The strong number of applications this year reflects a clear commitment to developing solutions to the challenges identified by the Docklands community.”

Professor Dan Kilper, Director CONNECT Centre, Trinity College Dublin said:

“These pilots are not just proof-of-concept experiments — they are live research environments that generate insights no laboratory can replicate. Bridging that gap between academic innovation and lived experience is precisely what the CONNECT Centre exists to do, and Smart Docklands gives us the ideal platform to make it happen.”

Dr Karolina Anielska, Smart Docklands Programme Manager said:

“I am incredibly proud of what this second round represents. When we launched the first Call for Pilots, we set out to put the community at the heart of smart city innovation — and the response has been overwhelming. To see that grow into 53 applications and four outstanding winners spanning biodiversity, accessibility, and digital inclusion is a moment to truly celebrate. This is exactly what Smart Docklands was built to do.”

About Smart Docklands

The Smart Docklands programme, established in 2017, has built a strong track record of bringing academia, local government, industry, and residents together to address urban challenges through the deployment of new and emerging technologies. Each Call for Pilots strengthens that legacy, demonstrating that the most effective smart city solutions grow from the ground up.

After the success of the first Call for Pilots, this second edition reinforces Smart Docklands’ role in creating a connected, innovative, and engaged urban environment. The diversity of this year’s cohort — spanning ecology, heritage, inclusion, and civic participation — is proof that smart technology, in the right hands, can address the full spectrum of a community’s needs.

Smart Docklands extends its thanks to multiple DCC departments, IFAC, An Post, IPB Insurance, UTS  Technologies and National College Ireland for their continued support in evaluating applications. Their expertise and collaboration have been crucial to ensuring a fair and thorough process, and their commitment to this programme is a powerful example of what collective effort can achieve.
For more information about Smart Docklands and its initiatives, visit https://smartdocklands.ie/

About Smart Docklands

Smart Docklands is an award-winning programme that supports the adoption of new and emerging technologies in cities. The programme fast tracks innovation that addresses local and global challenges through collaboration, testing, learning, and education. It was established in 2017 as a test-bed for innovation and has delivered the following projects, including, but not limited to: connectivity experimentation – Dublin’s first 5G test-bed, Internet of Things in the city – Big Belly Bins, Ring Buoy Sensors and Gully Monitoring Sensors, engagement programmes including Academy of the Near Future for Youth and Local Authority Staff, and Innovation Tours including Smart Cities Urban Quest to over 1000 people.

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Photo: This year’s Computing Expo at South East Technological University (SETU) promises to be bigger and better than ever. Photo George Goulding, SETU.

The much-anticipated annual Computing Expo at South East Technological University (SETU) is set to take place on Friday, 22 May at SETU’s Cork Road Campus in Waterford.

This year’s event, at the Tourism and Leisure (T&L) Building, promises to be bigger and better than ever, combining innovative student computing projects, an engaging industry showcase, and a prestigious student awards ceremony all under one roof.

SETU’s Computing Expo 22 May

The expo, sponsored by Kargo, a leader in digital ad solutions, offers over 100 undergraduate and postgraduate final-year students a unique platform to showcase their innovative projects. It will also provide attendees the chance to network with future talent and engage with cutting-edge developments in the world of technology.

Amanda Freeman-Gater, Assistant Head of Computing and Mathematics Department at SETU said, “In addition to the student-led project demonstrations, the event will feature an industry showcase with leading ICT companies from the South East.

“These companies will have the opportunity to connect directly with students, promote their enterprises, and explore potential collaborations with SETU. This is an invaluable occasion for students to gain insights from industry professionals and for companies to discover the next generation of tech innovators.”

Ms Freeman-Gater added, “This event is not only a celebration of academic achievement, but also an opportunity for students and industry professionals to forge meaningful connections. SETU continues to lead the way in connecting education with industry, creating a bridge that ensures students have the skills and opportunities they need to thrive in the ever-evolving digital landscape.”

Join us for an exciting day of innovation, learning, and collaboration at SETU’s Tourism and Leisure Building on Friday, 22 May. If you would like to reserve an exhibitor stand, register as soon as possible using this link: The Computing Expo 2026 – Industry Registration Form

Event details:

Date: Friday, 22 May 2026
Time: 9.30am
Location: Tourism and Leisure (T&L) Building, SETU Cork Road Campus, Waterford

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Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) report highlights major implications for labour supply, skills planning and lifelong learning.

Summary

• Population projected to increase by close to one-fifth over the next two to three decades—around +1 million people.
• Population ageing will intensify pressure on the labour force, increasing the need for measures that expand labour supply.
• Long-term skills planning will be required to support enterprise growth, productivity and public services.
• This report underscores the importance of lifelong learning and initiatives to help more people participate in the labour market.

Ageing in Ireland, trends to watch

The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) has published a new report, ‘Skills Needs for Ireland in the Long-term’, setting out how demographic change is likely to shape Ireland’s labour market and skills requirements in the decades ahead. The analysis indicates that Ireland’s population is expected to grow significantly while also ageing—creating both opportunities for economic growth and challenges for labour supply, skills availability and workforce participation.

Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, welcomed the report and noted its relevance as Ireland plans for long-term competitiveness and workforce resilience.

“This report on skills needs for Ireland in the long-term is timely, and I congratulate the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs for this work. The findings are clear: demographic change is already happening at pace across our economy and that is why we need to continue to invest in our economy, in our workforce and in our enterprise sector.

“While the labour market remains robust, we need to focus on investing in education, training and helping people to enter and re-enter the labour force. We must continue to be proactive in preparing for the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead as Ireland’s population evolves over the coming decades.”

Minister of State with responsibility for Employment, Small Business and Retail, Alan Dillon also welcomed the publication as a timely input into Ireland’s evolving demographic and labour market needs.

“I would like to thank the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) for their work in producing this new report examining ‘Skills Needs for Ireland in the Long-term.’
It is clear that our labour market has performed very well of late with record numbers of people at work. This analysis however clearly shows us that we cannot and will not stand still. Our economy will continue to grow but we must be increasingly cognisant of demographic pressures. That is why we will continue to pursue policies that support growth and generate jobs.”

• Skills Needs for Ireland in the Long-term was produced by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN).
• The paper was authored by Diarmaid Smyth and issued by the Chair of the EGFSN, Colm Kelly.

Report link:
Publications – Skills Needs for Ireland in the Long-term

The EGFSN advises Government on future skills requirements and labour market issues that affect Ireland’s potential for enterprise development and employment growth.

For further information please contact Press Office, Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, press.office@enterprise.gov.ie

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As procurement leaders prepare to gather at the World Procurement Congress 2026, one thing feels markedly different from previous years: the conversation has moved beyond digital transformation theory and into practical implementation.

For much of the last decade, procurement has been described as “on the verge” of reinvention.

Automation was coming. Data driven sourcing was imminent. Artificial intelligence would eventually reshape how teams worked… that future has now arrived.

At WPC 2026, the central question is no longer whether AI belongs in procurement, it is how quickly organisations can deploy it to unlock measurable value.

Across industries, procurement teams are facing a familiar set of pressures: rising cost volatility, increased supplier complexity, tougher compliance requirements, and growing demands to deliver strategic value beyond simple cost savings. Traditional workflows, built around spreadsheets, email chains, and fragmented systems…. are increasingly unable to keep pace.

That reality is why this year’s Congress matters.

From digitisation to intelligent procurement

The first wave of procurement technology focused on digitising existing processes: e-sourcing platforms, contract repositories, spend dashboards, supplier portals.

Useful? Absolutely.

Transformational? Not always.

Create additional layers of complexity and therefore friction? Mostly.

The emerging wave is different. AI-native procurement tools are not simply recording activity; they are actively participating in it, surfacing risks, analysing supplier behaviour, drafting responses, identifying savings opportunities, and helping teams make faster, more informed decisions.

In other words, procurement software is beginning to behave less like a system of record and more like a strategic team member.

That shift is likely to dominate conversations in London this year.

Why procurement leaders are paying attention

The organisations leading procurement transformation in 2026 are not necessarily the ones with the largest budgets. They are the ones asking better operational questions:

• Where are manual bottlenecks slowing decision making?
• Which processes still rely too heavily on institutional knowledge?
• How much value is being lost through delayed action?
• Can AI reduce administrative work without sacrificing governance?

The answers increasingly point toward augmentation, not replacement.

Procurement professionals are not being replaced by AI; they are being equipped by it.

That distinction matters.

The most successful deployments so far have focused on removing repetitive, low-value tasks so teams can spend more time on supplier relationships, negotiation strategy, risk mitigation, and innovation.

A company to watch at Booth 49

Among the companies exhibiting at World Procurement Congress this year, one of the more closely watched names is Penny, appearing at Booth 49.

The company has built its reputation around a simple but increasingly urgent idea: procurement teams should not have to fight their tools to do strategic work.

Its platform uses AI to streamline Source-to-pay procurement workflows, reduce administrative friction, and help teams move faster without losing control or visibility, a balance many organisations continue to struggle with.

Penny have partnered with globally renowned mid market and enterprise companies all over the world, including the likes of McKinsey, KPMG, Votalia and MSC.

What makes companies like Penny particularly interesting in 2026 is timing.

A few years ago, AI in procurement was often discussed as a future concept. Today, buyers are less interested in ambitious roadmaps and more interested in practical outcomes: faster cycle times, better supplier decisions, improved compliance, and measurable ROI.

That is where the market is moving and why visitors to Booth 49 are likely to find plenty of traffic, with the worlds most senior procurement leaders from the worlds most auspicious companies knowing they can leverage partnerships with companies like Penny to optimise processes, ensure optimal efficiency, unlock game changing business intelligence and of course ensure meaningful savings for their procurement function.

What to expect from WPC 2026

If previous Congresses focused on digital ambition, this year’s event looks set to focus on execution.

Expect the biggest discussions to centre around:

• AI governance in procurement
• Autonomous sourcing workflows
• Supplier risk intelligence
• ESG data reliability
• Procurement’s evolving role in enterprise strategy

The winners in this next era may not be the organisations that adopt the most technology—but those that adopt it with the clearest purpose.

For procurement leaders attending World Procurement Congress 2026, that makes the event more than a networking opportunity. It is a glimpse into what the next operating model of procurement will look like.

And if that future is being built on the exhibition floor, Booth 49 may be one of the more interesting places to start.

Latest guest post by Declan Goodman is a digital transformation consultant, speaker and creator of the Digital Mythology.

After nearly 30 years working in digital transformation across different cultures, I have learned that the success of any digital journey comes down to the people, not technology.

Recently, I found myself in a room full of Enterprise Architects at the Chief Architect Network in London. The atmosphere was energised, and the topics were AI, architecture and strategy. However, at a more human level, this felt more than a professional gathering; it was a community of shared values and interests. It was a tribe.

Tips for Digital Transformation

The word tribe comes from the Latin tribus, referring to the original groupings of people in ancient Rome. In the high-pressure world of digital delivery, we often focus on the “what” and the “how,” but we forget that a tribe is bound by shared purpose, identity and a sense of belonging. Without this tribal alignment, even the best digital strategy remains a collection of technical initiatives rather than a shared journey.

This is where mythology offers a practical lens. Myths are deeply human narratives that help us make sense of uncertainty in a human way. By using the mythology of the “Tribe,” we can move past technical jargon and align our teams around a common story.

Here are three examples of how you can use myth to build the tribe your digital transformation needs.

Example 1: Mythology can help us ensure alignment before we begin

In Greek mythology, Jason’s quest for the Golden Fleece did not begin with the voyage itself, but with the gathering of the Argonauts. He sought out a group of individuals, each bringing unique strengths, perspectives, and capabilities to the journey. Together, they formed something greater than the sum of their parts.

The lesson we can draw on for digital transformation is that you must find your tribe before you embark on the journey. Success is shaped by having the right people with the right mindset in the boat before the roadmap is even finalised.

Practical ways to implement this myth include:

• Identify your Argonauts early: Look for the “hidden” talent and trusted SMEs in your organisation who are motivated to contribute meaningfully beyond their job title.
• Select partners with shared vision: Ensure your supplier partners are not just providing skills but are aligned with your organisation’s mindset and purpose.
• Build the capability first: Before high-speed delivery begins, invest time in creating a way of working that can be sustained over time.

Example 2: Mythology can help give people a part to play in the journey

One of mythology’s strongest themes is identity. In Irish myth, a hero named Lugh approaches the Tuatha Dé Danann to join their tribe. He explains that he has many talents, from craftsmanship to wisdom, and after being tested, he is accepted and eventually becomes a hero. This myth reminds us that when people are invited to participate in change, they often excel in their own way.

In digital transformation, when you invite stakeholders to play an active role, you help them shape their identity in the new digital story. Instead of feeling transformation is happening to them, they feel part of it.

Practical ways to implement this myth include:

• Avoid the “finished” roadmap: Instead of presenting an immovable plan, invite teams to shape how their specific part of the journey unfolds.
• Ask the “Catalyst” question: Ask your stakeholders, “How does this change improve your world, and what role do you want to play in making it real?”.
• Foster shared responsibility: Help your teams discover how their evolving roles strengthen the organisation’s digital future.

Example 3: Mythology can help leaders walk in the shoes of their team

In Greek myth, Apollo often observed humanity from high above, judging their behaviour without fully understanding the struggles they faced. It was only when he came down to live among humans that he truly grasped their reality. This myth serves as a warning for leaders who architect transformation roadmaps from an “ivory tower,” overlooking the lived experience of the tribe on the ground.

To lead a tribe effectively, you must experience the transformation as your stakeholders do. Alignment is built when leaders step out of the strategy documents and into the daily reality of their people.

Practical ways to implement this myth include:

• Connect with the “lived experience”: Spend time “shadowing” teams to understand their daily workflows and the friction points they face.
• Conduct “day in the life” workshops: Move beyond logical boxes and see how technical change actually affects the team’s ability to deliver.
• Make transformation grounded: Use these insights to ensure your digital story is real and relatable, rather than abstract and distant.

Jason’s quest for the Golden Fleece began not with the voyage itself, but with the gathering of the Argonauts. Similarly, Lugh became a hero of the Tuatha Dé Danann after he found his own footing.  Apollo, the god in the sky, took the time to walk in the shoes of his people, thus strengthening his understanding of humanity.

These tribal myths teach us that success is shaped by finding the right people and ensuring they have the right mindset before your journey begins. When people align early and move forward as one, transformation is no longer a cold technical programme; it becomes a shared journey and a “map of becoming”. Treating your digital transformation team as a tribe breaks down siloes, creates a bond and helps your team move forward united, with clarity and confidence.

Find your people. Build your tribe. Transform your organisation.

Declan Goodman

Helping leaders make sense of digital transformation through story, myth and meaning | Gartner Symposium Speaker | Founder, Digital Mythology®

Declan Goodman is a digital transformation consultant, speaker and creator of the Digital Mythology® framework, which uses mythic storytelling to help leaders explain complex change in a more human way. With nearly 30 years’ experience across digital strategy, transformation and enterprise architecture in Ireland, Europe and Australia, he hosts the Digital Mythology® podcast and delivers masterclasses on storytelling, leadership and digital transformation.

www.declangoodman.com | Socials | Digital Mythology® | declan@declangoodman.com

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SD Worx Ireland, a leading payroll and HR solutions provider, has announced the results of new research which found that 39% of employees in Ireland are currently looking for a new job.

Independent research from SD Worx, carried out by iVOX, surveyed 1,000 employees and 301 employers in Ireland on their attitudes and approaches to skills and development in the workplace. Highlighting a lack of emphasis by employers on employees’ development needs, it found that 22% of employees believe their talents are not being fully utilised at work, while 44% do not receive any training or learning opportunities.

While many workers say they are not being afforded sufficient growth opportunities, it is not for a lack of interest. Nearly three-quarters (73%) say they are eager to learn and grow at work. Many believe that artificial intelligence (AI) will help, with 29% saying that it will make their work more meaningful. Already, some 31% say that AI has improved their ability to perform their job effectively. Additionally, 55% say they receive regular feedback from their employer that helps them to improve their performance.

The research also suggests that employee time isn’t being well-spent and that valuable working hours are being lost due to poor planning, limited workload visibility, and inefficient allocation of time. When it comes to managing daily workloads, nearly half (47%) say their teams are understaffed, and 28% admit that too much of their working time is spent in meetings. The findings point to a growing disconnect between how work is planned, resourced, and measured, and the true employee experience.

As employees seek new opportunities, Irish employers cite employee retention and turnover (24%), employee wellbeing (23%), and skill gaps, upskilling, and reskilling (23%) among their top workforce challenges for 2026. It seems that employers are finding it increasingly difficult to navigate changing skills requirements in a rapidly evolving business landscape, and more than one-in-10 (13%) do not know which skills their organisation will need in the next two to three years.

Nearly two-thirds (62%) of employers are shifting the focus from job titles to skills and capabilities when it comes to planning of their workforces. Half are investing in reskilling and upskilling employees to prepare for the AI-driven workplace.

Eimear Byrne, Managing Director, SD Worx Ireland, said: “It’s clear to see that employees in Ireland know their worth and are actively seeking out opportunities that will enable them to grow and develop their professional skillsets. However, the onus for this should be on employers. Businesses must prioritise employee training and development in order to support their teams in achieving their full potential. This will not only benefit workers but will positively impact the entire organisation and, in turn, ensure that people stay for the long term.

“Our research suggests that many employers may not know what they should be training their employees in. Now is the time to examine the skills that are already in place within the business to assess where the gaps are and understand what’s needed to continue to propel the business forward. With the right workforce management strategy, organisations can create transparency around time, capacity, and skills, allowing them to better plan resources and support employee wellbeing.

“When it comes to AI, it’s all about adapting and evolving. Roles and skills requirements will change but they will not disappear completely – human oversight will and should remain vital. An engaged workforce which can provide the in-demand skills that are needed by organisations will be key to remaining competitive.”

See more stories here.

Employees are enthusiastic, but are calling for more training and clarity

Adoption is rising quickly and the opportunity for business is significant

Early returns are visible; however, budgets and readiness are under pressure

The Noledge Group, the Irish cloud ERP solution specialist, has announced that its team laced up their runners to raise vital funds and awareness for the Irish Heart Foundation as part of the charity’s recent RUN 100 workplace challenge.

Noledge employees joined hundreds of participants nationwide to each run or walk 100 kilometres over the course of one month. In total, 11 Noledge team members covered more than 1,100 kilometres, boosting awareness for heart disease and stroke prevention and raising more than €2,500 for the Irish Heart Foundation in the process.

For 60 years, the Irish Heart Foundation’s mission has been to eliminate preventable death and disability from heart disease and stroke, and to support and care for those living with these life-changing conditions. RUN 100 aimed to get employees moving for their heart health, raise crucial funds to support prevention, advocacy, and patient support programmes, and ultimately create healthier workplaces.

The Noledge team fully committed to the challenge, supporting life-saving services and research and far surpassing the original fundraising target. Employees tackled all types of terrain to complete the challenge, including mountain tracks, woodland paths, and park trails.

Ray Ryan, CEO, The Noledge Group, said: “We are immensely proud of our team for getting behind such an important charity. Covering over 1,000km between 11 people in just one month is a remarkable achievement and reflects the dedication that everyone brought to this initiative. A healthy, engaged workforce is at the heart of everything we do, and initiatives like this bring that to life.

“It’s a brilliant example of what can be achieved when people come together to champion a meaningful cause. Just as the Irish Heart Foundation is committed to being there for every heartbeat and fighting to protect the cardiovascular health of everyone in Ireland, Noledge too is committed to delivering the best outcomes for our customers.”

See more stories here.

We look at this new book by Katherine Wilkinson. See more about the book Climate Wayfinding Healing Ourselves and the Planet We Call Home here.

Climate Wayfinding Healing Ourselves and the Planet We Call Home, reviewed

The author is passionate about the environment, and has interviewed a lot of positive, interesting eco-thought leaders for her podcast too. At the beginning of each chapter there are some interesting playlist suggestions to get you into the right mood, mentality, headset, to try and achieve positive ecological change. There are a lot of good elements to this book, and it aims to be a useful and positive book. However at times I wondered if there was a more practical series of actions that could be suggested. Visioning how you might move into more environmentally friendly sectors almost made the goals seem aspirational rather than offering a more direct road map of steps that you could take. Maybe this is an over simplistic point, but tree planting for example is never mentioned once, nor is it listed in the index – surely this is one of the simplest, most direct actions that someone could take?

With the journaling prompts, and discussion points, elements of this book started to remind me, make me think of the latest Alison Bechdel book, Spent, because that book, a graphic novel, seemed to be populated by the sort of people you might imagine would also be readers of this book too. All and every book in this sector is important, as we face deeply challenging, and existential times in terms of the health and fate of the only planet we have to live on. However, as someone, after living in many many cities, for many years, but who now lives in a rural area, this book felt like it was aimed at trapped feeling city dwellers. There have actually been so many positive urban eco initiatives, in Europe, across the world, that it felt that perhaps this book could have had more tangible and direct actions and options for people to take. Maybe this book however provides a starting point for someone people on their journey, trouble is, with global warming already a fact, despite what fossil fuel lobbyists / climate change deniers may say, things just might need to move a whole lot faster if we are all to avoid extinction.

Hopefully it is not too little, too late, and if this book can help to nudge the needle then it will have been a useful contribution.

More about the book

When maps come up short and the path ahead is uncertain, how do we find our way? Visionary climate leader Katharine K. Wilkinson offers a compassionate and empowering guide to navigating from ache to action, doubt to possibility.

Through transformational programs and books, including the national bestseller All We Can Save, Wilkinson has inspired hundreds of thousands of climate journeys. In Climate Wayfinding, she shares a proven process for looking inward with care, outward with curiosity, and forward with courage. Ultimately, readers chart a course toward playing their unique part in our collective healing.

With her singular blend of warmth and rigor, Wilkinson lights the way through stirring personal essays, interwoven with the wisdom of other climate leaders and the beauty of poetry, art, and song. A book to sit with and savor, Climate Wayfinding also invites engagement with journaling prompts, practical exercises, and guides for conversation.

Whether steeped in climate or newly curious, readers will discover something grounding and generative in these pages. The terrain ahead is calling—and we have everything we need to find our way.

More about the author

Dr. Katharine K. Wilkinson is a human on Earth. As a writer, teacher, and creator, she has inspired hundreds of thousands of climate journeys through transformational projects that shift our cultural narratives about what’s possible and nurture engagement in renewing our world. Her publications include the bestselling anthology All We Can Save, the podcast A Matter of Degrees, and the New York Times bestseller Drawdown. Dr. Wilkinson co-founded and leads The All We Can Save Project, where she shaped the much-beloved programs All We Can Save Circles and Climate Wayfinding. She holds a DPhil in geography and environment from the University of Oxford, where she was a Rhodes Scholar, and a BA in religion from Sewanee: The University of the South. In 2019, Time magazine named her one of fifteen “Women Who Will Save the World.” She lives with her loves in Atlanta, Georgia, and finds her deepest joy on a mountain or a horse.

See more book reviews here.

Developing a highly effective malaria vaccine: Irish-British researcher selected as a finalist for the European Inventor Award 2026

• Sir Adrian Hill and his team developed a malaria vaccine that achieved around 75–80% protection in trials, exceeding the WHO efficacy target
• The vaccine is designed for large-scale, low-cost use in countries most affected by malaria
• The Irish-British researcher is a finalist in the ‘Research’ category. The winners will be announced during the Award ceremony on 2 July 2026 in Berlin
• Public voting for the Popular Prize opens today and will be running until the ceremony on 2 July 2026

Malaria vaccine shortlisted for European Inventor Award

Malaria remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 282 million malaria cases and 610 000 deaths were recorded globally in 2024, with children under five accounting for around three-quarters of all deaths in the WHO Africa Region. After decades of limited progress in vaccine development, Sir Adrian Hill and his team developed a highly effective malaria vaccine that has now been recommended by the WHO for widespread use. For this work, Hill has been selected as a finalist in the ‘Research’ category of the European Inventor Award 2026 by an independent jury.

Improving protection against a complex parasite

Developing a malaria vaccine has long been considered one of the toughest challenges in medicine. The malaria parasite is genetically complex and passes through multiple life-cycle stages in the human body, making it difficult for the immune system to recognise and block infection. Earlier vaccine candidates, including the first licensed malaria vaccine, achieved only modest and short-lived protection in young children.

Sir Adrian and his team addressed a key design limitation by increasing the amount and density of malaria-specific protein presented to the immune system, while removing components that could weaken the immune response. The resulting vaccine, known as R21/Matrix-M, forms tiny nanoparticles that closely resemble the size of common viruses, a scale to which the human immune system responds particularly strongly. When combined with the Matrix-M adjuvant, the vaccine generates substantially higher antibody levels than earlier approaches.

“When I was working in The Gambia in the late 1980s, I saw children dying from malaria right in front of me. That experience stayed with me and convinced me that we needed something better than what was available…For most of the last two decades, half a million children were dying every year from malaria, almost all in Africa. Once you’ve seen that, it’s impossible not to want to do something about it,” said Sir Adrian.

From long-term research to real-world deployment

The R21 vaccine is the result of more than thirty years of sustained research at the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford. Sir Adrian’s work was shaped early on by clinical experience in malaria-endemic regions and supported by long-term public and charitable funding, allowing repeated iteration in an academic setting before large-scale manufacturing partnerships were established.

A decisive breakthrough came when Phase 2b trials reported up to 77% efficacy in 2021, exceeding the WHO’s target for malaria vaccines. The vaccine was subsequently co-developed with the Serum Institute of India to enable production at scale and at low cost, making it suitable for routine immunisation programmes in low-income settings.

“I realised the world didn’t need more descriptions of how complicated the malaria parasite is and how cleverly it has evaded our immune system for millions of years. What we really needed was a way to prevent it, and a vaccine seemed the obvious route. That’s what pushed me toward research. The opportunity to create something that could have a real impact on huge numbers of people has always driven me,” said Sir Adrian.

Following regulatory approvals in African countries, the WHO formally recommended R21/Matrix-M for widespread use in October 2023. The vaccine is designed to remain stable under real-world conditions and is priced at under €3 per dose, supporting broad access in high-burden regions.

Sir Adrian Hill is one of three finalists in the ‘Research’ category of the European Inventor Award 2026. The other ‘Research’ finalists are Portuguese researcher Paula Videira and team for an antibody that distinguishes cancer cells from healthy tissue and Finnish physicist Mikko Möttönen for an ultrasensitive cryogenic microwave sensor to improve quantum computing hardware. The European Patent Office will announce the winners during a livestreamed ceremony from Berlin on 2 July 2026. In addition to the four award categories, the Popular Prize will be decided through a combined vote by the public and the independent jury. Public voting opens on 12 May 2026 and will be running until the ceremony on 2 July 2026.

Find more information about the technology, its impact and the inventors here.

See more breaking stories here.

Guest post by Owen Power, CEO, Greenvolt Next Ireland

Recent tensions in the Middle East have once again brought uncertainty to energy markets and unease to the real economy, particularly for businesses. But this is not an isolated episode, it is part of a pattern that has defined the past decade, marked by geopolitical instability and supply chain disruptions, with impacts that are increasingly difficult for companies to anticipate and control.

More than a series of isolated events, this points to a deeper shift: volatility is no longer cyclical, it has become structural. Repeated shocks no longer simply generate uncertainty; they have made it predictable. And the predictability of uncertainty should serve as a clear signal for how companies approach their energy strategy.

Rather than simply reacting to market fluctuations, companies must structure decisions that anticipate and mitigate this exposure, ensuring operational predictability and, ultimately, competitiveness. We are witnessing a fundamental shift: energy is no longer just an operational variable, but a core component of strategic management.

Energy, of course, extends beyond electricity. For many businesses, it includes mobility, industrial heat and other critical aspects of operations. Yet it is in electricity that some of the most immediate and scalable solutions are emerging, particularly through decentralised models of on-site solar generation for self-consumption.

The ability to produce energy at the point of use, such as leveraging rooftops, parking areas/carports, or adjacent land, represents a meaningful shift in how companies manage their energy consumption. Beyond reducing costs and improving the efficiency of existing infrastructure, it introduces critical advantages in today’s context: greater autonomy, enhanced security, and, above all, increased predictability.

In many cases, these systems can be complemented by battery storage, enabling more efficient energy management. Whether by shifting excess solar generation to periods of lower output or by storing energy when grid prices are lower and using it when prices rise, storage adds an additional layer of flexibility to self-consumption.

Technological advances and sustained cost reductions have made these solutions increasingly accessible. Financial and contractual models such as Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) further accelerate adoption, allowing companies to implement self-consumption without upfront investment, with specialised providers financing, installing and operating the systems. In return, companies purchase the energy produced at a fixed and predictable price, typically over periods ranging from five to twenty years.

By integrating a portion of energy at a lower and fixed price, companies can rebalance their exposure to market volatility, reduce both risk and dependence on external factors and introduce stability into what has become an inherently volatile variable. The result is a hybrid model where part of consumption is effectively hedged, with direct impact on financial stability and planning capacity.

Looking to mainland Europe, Spain in particular offers an energy model worth emulating. As a nation, they have been making steady progress in their energy transition, a trajectory that has helped stabilise electricity prices in the region, highlighting the role of renewables in mitigating market volatility. Here in Ireland, the same principle can be replicated at the company level. By introducing renewable energy generation, organisations add a layer of protection, reduce exposure and strengthen control over a critical variable that impacts the operational effectiveness of any business.

In an energy landscape where uncertainty has become the norm, the key differentiator lies in how that uncertainty is managed. Price remains central, but in a volatile environment, the ability to stabilise energy costs and exert greater control is what ultimately makes the difference.

See more stories here.

Online gambling in Ireland is becoming more closely tied to analytics, UX design and real-time monitoring tools. The biggest changes are no longer happening only around games or bonuses. They are taking place quietly in the background, inside the technology itself.

A smartphone is now enough to open an account, verify an identity, deposit funds and place a live bet in under five minutes. That convenience has forced gambling operators, regulators and software teams into a more complicated conversation about responsibility, friction and digital oversight.

Ireland’s regulatory environment is also entering a new phase. The Gambling Regulation Act 2024 established the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland, with licence applications opening earlier this year as operators prepare for tighter oversight around player protection, monitoring systems and digital compliance.

The timing is significant. Research published by the ESRI earlier this year estimated that roughly one in 30 adults in Ireland experiences problem gambling. Discussions around spending notifications, account alerts and monitoring tools no longer sound like optional extras built for compliance departments. They now look more like core infrastructure.

Gambling platforms are tracking far more than payments

Modern gambling products process enormous amounts of live user data. What has changed is the speed and sophistication with which that information is interpreted.

Instead of relying entirely on users to recognise problematic habits themselves, operators can now flag unusually long sessions, abrupt spikes in spending or repeated failed deposits within seconds. Some systems also monitor overnight activity and rapid changes in playing intensity.

The same analytical thinking already exists elsewhere online. Banks identify suspicious transactions almost instantly, while streaming services track viewing habits with remarkable accuracy.

Connected platforms in other sectors are also processing huge volumes of live information. One recent Irish example examined more than 100 million kilometres of driving data to understand how risk, fatigue and decision-making fluctuate over time in connected environments, a reminder of how heavily modern digital services now rely on live analytics and predictive modelling.

Why digital friction is making a comeback

For years, technology companies competed to make digital experiences feel frictionless. Fewer clicks meant stronger conversion rates. Faster payments meant better engagement. Interruptions were treated as weaknesses.

Responsible gaming tools challenge that thinking slightly.

Deposit limits, timeout reminders, cooling-off periods and affordability prompts all introduce deliberate pauses into the user experience. Some users may find those interruptions frustrating, but regulators increasingly view them as safeguards rather than obstacles.

Microsoft recently explored this idea through its secure-by-design UX research, arguing that protective friction can sometimes prevent harmful decisions online. One line from the company’s work captures the idea neatly: “Friction is a protection.”

That principle now applies well beyond cybersecurity.

A user attempting to raise spending limits late at night after a string of losses may benefit more from a forced pause than another seamless payment flow. The technical challenge lies in introducing those interruptions without making platforms unstable, intrusive or difficult to navigate.

Reliability and platform stability now carry more weight

Responsible gaming discussions often drift towards regulation and spending controls, but technical reliability matters too.

If account safeguards fail to load correctly, verification systems crash or spending alerts arrive too late, confidence in the platform begins to erode quickly. Mobile stability now carries more weight because gambling increasingly happens during commutes, football matches or short bursts of downtime throughout the day.

This is one reason technical testing has become more valuable within gambling reviews. Gambling expert Ian Zerafa at Casino.org evaluates online casino platforms by tracking gameplay stability, loading performance, mobile responsiveness and potential crashes during real-world use. His testing process focuses heavily on verification systems, withdrawals, gameplay stability and the reliability of responsible gaming tools under real-world conditions. The site says its reviews involve a 25-step process, while Zerafa himself notes that he spends more than 10 hours each week testing Irish-facing platforms.

That level of scrutiny reflects how gambling products are starting to resemble financial technology services as much as entertainment websites.

Browser security and gambling now overlap in unexpected ways

A growing amount of gambling activity now takes place entirely inside browser-based environments. That has created fresh concerns around session security, impersonation scams and account vulnerability.

Cybersecurity researchers have become more interested in what happens inside ordinary browser sessions, particularly when users move rapidly between payment systems, live services and linked accounts. Trust, familiarity and interface design are now seen as major vulnerability points across large parts of the digital economy.

The wider lesson feels difficult to ignore. Good security design depends just as much on human decision-making as technical architecture.

Ireland’s regulatory framework is becoming more technically demanding

The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland is expected to place greater emphasis on player protections, national exclusion systems and monitoring standards as its framework develops further.

GRAI’s player safety guidance now includes spending controls and self-exclusion tools. Operators are also expected to provide account notifications tracking losses, winnings and time spent gambling.

That kind of reporting changes the relationship between users and platforms. Instead of gambling systems operating silently in the background, activity becomes more visible and measurable.

Public guidance around the law on gambling in Ireland also points towards a far more structured regulatory environment than the country operated under previously.

The broader direction now feels unmistakable. Responsible gaming is no longer sitting at the edge of the technology conversation. It is becoming part of the architecture itself.

The Ireland Esports Collegiate Series (IECS) has announced that its 2025/26 National Finals will take place live at GamerFest in the RDS Main Hall across May 23rd and 24th.

Supported by Red Bull and delivered in collaboration with GamerFest, the event will bring together the top collegiate teams in Ireland across VALORANT, League of Legends, Rocket League, and Counter-Strike 2. Finalists will compete live on stage for national titles and the title of top-performing university esports programme at Ireland’s biggest gaming festival.

The National Finals conclude the first full year of the IECS Premier Division structure, which introduced continuous competition across both Winter and Spring semesters in a format designed to more closely mirror traditional university sport.

Now entering its eighth consecutive season, the Ireland Esports Collegiate Series has grown into Ireland’s largest collegiate esports competition, featuring more than 1,070 students from 15 universities and colleges competing across Open and Premier Divisions during the 2025/26 season.

The Finals arrive during a period of continued growth for collegiate esports in Ireland, with universities increasing investment in gaming and esports infrastructure across campus communities.

Recent developments across the sector include dedicated gaming hubs at SETU and Queen’s University Belfast, esports hardware investment at Dublin City University and the approval of standalone esports societies at Maynooth University and Trinity College Dublin.

Kurt Pittman, CEO of Ireland Esports Leagues, said: “Bringing the Collegiate Series National Finals to the GamerFest Red Bull Live Stage is a major milestone for collegiate esports in Ireland.

“Over the past eight seasons we’ve seen university esports communities evolve from small student-led societies into structured competitive programmes supported by campuses, national communities and industry partners.

“The level of competition, production and participation across this year’s series reflects how quickly the ecosystem is maturing, and we’re excited to showcase Ireland’s top collegiate talent live at GamerFest this May.”

GamerFest Director of Partnerships Colm Roche goes on to say: “We are delighted to welcome back the Ireland Esports Collegiate Series, bringing the National Finals to life at Ireland’s largest Gaming Festival.

“Having Red Bull partner with both rights holders is a true testament to their commitment in bringing real world experience and pathways to the Irish gaming community.”

Collegiate esports in Ireland is no longer experimental. It’s organised, growing and increasingly supported by institutions.

GamerFest ticket prices start from €25 for a single-day and €43 for the weekend, under 10s go free. Secure your tickets now from www.gamerfest.ie.

Further event information and broadcast updates will be announced through Ireland Esports Collegiate Series channels in the lead-up to the National Finals.

Event Information

IECS Semi Finals Schedule

Valorant — Monday, May 11th (8PM): UCD v TCD & DCU v MU

Rocket League — Tuesday, May 12th (8PM): SETU v MU & TCD v TUD

Counter-Strike 2 — Wednesday, May 13th (8PM): TCD v UCC & UCD v SETU

League of Legends — Thursday, May 14th (8PM): UCD v MU & QUB v DCU

Broadcast live on twitch.tv/irelandcollegiate and twitch.tv/nativzgg, full details will be available at collegiate.irelandesportsleagues.com

National Finals Weekend

Saturday, May 23rd: VALORANT National Final & League of Legends National Final

Sunday, May 24th: Rocket League National Final & Counter-Strike 2 National Final

All finals will be played live on the GamerFest Main Stage in front of a live audience. Valorant, League of Legends, and Counter-Strike 2 finals will be contested as Best-of-Three series, while the Rocket League National Final will be played as a Best-of-Seven.

GamerFest ticket prices start from €25 for a single-day and €43 for the weekend, under 10s go free. Secure your tickets now from www.gamerfest.ie.

The National Finals will be broadcast live on twitch.tv/irelandcollegiate and youtube.com/@IELeagues.

See more stories here.

Ahead of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union beginning in July, the third European Climate Pact National Conference aims to build on Ireland’s commitment to a climate-neutral future while inspiring more grassroots action to tackle the climate crisis. It brings together individuals, communities, organisations, policymakers, experts and European Climate Pact Ambassadors, all united in their efforts to address climate change.

This year’s conference will feature keynotes and presentations from a wide range of speakers including Eamon Ryan, former Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Roderic O’Gorman, leader of the Green Party, and Paddy Phelan, CEO, South East Energy Agency.

The event will also feature contributions from several Climate Pact Ambassadors, each bringing valuable insights into different aspects of climate action. Cllr. Maria Dollard, Deputy Mayor of Kilkenny, will outline how local community climate initiatives can have a broad impact on people’s lives, while Lorna McCormack, Director of the educational initiative Wool in School, will lead a workshop, Nature’s Carol – Past, Present, and Future, reflecting on personal connection to Climate and Nature while creating a sense of collective impact and responsibility.

“This European Climate Pact National conference could not be better timed,” said Eamon Ryan, former Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications. “Our Union is threatened by what is happening around the Strait of Hormoz and it is increasingly clear that ridding ourselves of dependency on fossil fuels is the only way not just of protecting our common home but also providing for the security and future livelihoods of all our people.”

The conference takes place as Ireland deals with the effects of ever-worsening climate change and extreme weather, and as the country prepares to take on the Presidency of the Council of the EU in July. Bringing together newcomers and those already engaged in sustainability efforts, it will provide a platform to network, share ideas, and collaborate.

Cllr Maria Dollard, Climate Pact Ambassador commented: “We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change and the last generation that can do something about it. Everyone has a responsibility to  do what they can to make the world a better place”

The European Climate Pact, which is part of the European Green Deal, is a grassroots initiative aimed at uniting individuals and groups across Europe in the fight against climate change. This conference is a vital step in furthering this movement and encouraging more sustainable practices across Ireland.

The Climate Pact is an opportunity to:

Learn about climate change

Develop and implement solutions

Connect with others and maximise the impact of these solutions

The Climate Pact provides a fertile ground for initiatives, networks and movements that have already begun to revolutionise the approach to climate action in Europe. It aims to empower the countless Europeans who are ready to contribute in whatever way they can. Find out more here

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With An Garda Síochána recently reporting that over 2,100 motorists were caught speeding during the Easter Bank Holiday surge, road safety is now an important story.

While the national figures show the scale of the problem, new research of 60,000 policies by Irish provider its4women identifies exactly where these habits are most ingrained. Their data reveals Cavan as the nation’s speeding hotspot (26% “dangerous speeding” rate), while Limerick and Roscommon emerged as the most compliant.

Crucially, the study shows that telematics (black box) tech is actually fixing the issue, and in Limerick, claims for black box users dropped to less than 1%. To find out more about this I spoke to its4women’s CEO, Gary McClarty. Gary spoke about his background, the its4women’s analysis, telematics and more.

More about its4women:

its4women provides fast, flexible and reliable car, home and travel insurance available anytime, anywhere. You can make an amendment, view your documents or even renew your insurance policy via their quick and easy Customer Portal.

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Dublin Tech Summit 2026 has announced the launch of The Accelerate Hub, a brand-new initiative designed to support founders, early-stage startups, and scaling businesses at this year’s event. Taking place at the RDS in Dublin on Wednesday, Thursday, 27th and 28th of May, Dublin Tech Summit 2026 will once again bring together thousands of global tech leaders, innovators, and investors for two days of cutting-edge insights, networking, and collaboration.

Powered by Irish BICs, The Accelerate Hub will serve as a dedicated space on-site, connecting entrepreneurs with a curated network of advisors, mentors, and service providers. The initiative aims to provide practical, hands-on support across key areas of business growth, including funding, validation and scaling.

The hub is backed by Ireland’s national network of Business Innovation Centres; AxisBIC, Furthr, Propelor and WestBIC. With over 30 years of experience, the Irish BICs have supported thousands of startups in accessing funding, developing strategy, and scaling internationally.

Alongside the hub, the Accelerate Stage will feature a specially curated programme of founder-focused content covering some of the most pressing topics for startups and scaling businesses in 2026. Sessions include:

Deal Killers: Why Investors Say No

Pitch-Ready: What Actually Gets You in the Room

From Startup to Exit: Building, Scaling, Selling

Crafting Your Core Story for Investors

Beyond AI: Why Human Networks Still Build Great Companies

The launch of The Accelerate Hub comes as Dublin Tech Summit continues to expand its global speaker lineup, with leaders from across technology, media, AI, cybersecurity, finance, healthcare, and innovation set to take the stage.

Confirmed speakers include:

Sarah Wynn-Williams, Tech & Policy Expert and author of Careless People

Eric Mosley, Founder & CEO, Workhuman

Andrew Melchior, Creative Technologist known for his work with David Bowie and Björk

Almar Latour, CEO of Dow Jones and Publisher of The Wall Street Journal

Nadja D’Arcy, Ireland Country Leader, Salesforce

Commenting on the launch, Clare Kilmartin, COO, Dublin Tech Summit said:

“The Accelerate Hub is all about giving startups real access to the people, insights, and opportunities that can help them grow. By partnering with Irish BICs, we’re creating a space where founders can connect, learn, and scale faster. Startups are a vital part of the tech ecosystem, and this initiative ensures they are front and centre at Dublin Tech Summit.”

With over 8,000 attendees expected, including founders, investors, and industry leaders from around the world, Dublin Tech Summit continues to strengthen its position as a key platform for innovation and entrepreneurship in Europe.

Martin Murray, CEO of Furthr and Chair of Irish BICs, added:

“The Accelerate Hub and Stage represent a significant opportunity to provide founders with practical, real-world support at a critical stage in their journey. Through the Irish BIC network, we’ve spent over 30 years supporting thousands of startups to access funding, get investor-ready, and scale internationally. Partnering with Dublin Tech Summit allows us to bring that experience directly to founders and connect them with the people and resources they need to succeed.”

To further support early-stage companies, Dublin Tech Summit has also introduced a dedicated startup ticket offering of €145 ex. VAT (RRP €445). To apply for a start up ticket click here  : https://share.hsforms.com/1j0UNUddeRyqsQKOyoJ1ddA1r99u

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Guest post by David Kinsella, Technical Director, Qualcom

Irish organisations are, by now, all too aware of the rising risk of cyberattacks. Yet despite growing investment in cybersecurity tools and services, many businesses are still overlooking one of the most exposed parts of their IT environment – the browser. The browser has quietly become the central hub of the modern workplace. Employees use it to access emerging tools such as cloud platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) assistants and, as a result, attackers have shifted their focus accordingly by exploiting these processes that may be new or unfamiliar to businesses.

Traditional security controls typically focus on targeting malware on physical devices. However, the growth of cloud services and solutions has arguably made hackers’ jobs easier by enabling them to achieve the same outcome – gaining access to an organisation’s data or systems – via internet-based attacks without the same technical hassle.

Until now, organisations have treated the browser as little more than a gateway to the internet. However, though the browser is now functioning more like an endpoint in its own right, most businesses still lack visibility of what might really be happening inside browser sessions. That blind spot is being actively exploited by attackers, who understand that if malicious activity mimics normal browsing behaviour, it is far less likely to be detected.

One of the clearest examples is ClickFix attacks, also known as “fake CAPTCHA” attacks. These are deceptively simple. A user is shown what appears to be a normal verification prompt in their browser and is guided through steps that involve copying and pasting commands. In reality, they are unwittingly installing malicious code onto their device. The user becomes part of the attack itself, reflecting a broader and more concerning trend. Attackers are no longer trying to force their way in. They are finding ways to be invited in.

Phishing remains one of the biggest cyber threats due to its rapid evolution. However, it is no longer confined to poorly written emails. Today’s sophisticated and convincing campaigns targeting workers are increasingly delivered across multiple channels including social media (particularly through LinkedIn), messaging platforms and, indeed, search engines. These trusted platforms are increasingly being weaponised by attackers and used as entry points.

Advanced phishing methods in the browser, such as Attacker-in-the-Middle attacks, raise the stakes further. These allow attackers to intercept login sessions in real time via fraudulent webpages and effectively bypass multi-factor authentication. Because of this, organisations can no longer rely on multi-factor authentication as a secure line of defence, as most forms can now be circumvented by phishing attacks.

Another growing challenge is device code phishing. This happens when users are tricked into authorising a malicious application on a legitimate webpage, often without entering a password at all. In doing so, they grant attackers access to business systems. These attacks succeed because they take place within trusted websites, making them difficult for users to detect. A related risk comes from malicious browser extensions such as adblockers or password storage tools, which add further complexity. While most extensions are designed to enhance productivity, fraudulent extensions steal credentials to provide attackers with deep access to browser activity and enable the deployment of malware onto devices.

Organisations must respond by recognising the browser as a critical part of their attack surface. That means investing in security to increase visibility and control at the browser level. It also means reassessing how employees interact with cloud services and the extensions that are being used by implementing strict usage policies. Security awareness training is key here as it’s unrealistic to expect users to be aware of all of the possible threats that they could face. Furthermore, with the proliferation of AI tools, it’s essential that stringent processes are in place regarding its deployment.

At Qualcom, we are seeing a steady rise in browser-based attacks and, in order to combat this growing risk, we recently partnered with browser security provider Push Security to boost defences for businesses. The browser is now where most work gets done. Increasingly, it is also where many breaches begin. For Irish organisations, ignoring this reality is no longer an option. Businesses increasingly need to see the browser as a key cyber battleground – or risk losing the war.

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Enterprise Ireland, the government agency responsible for the development and growth of Irish companies in global markets, invested €32.9 million in Irish startups and supported a total of 198 startup companies in 2025, 90 of which are High Potential Startups, with the remaining 108 businesses supported through early-stage funding.

The figures were announced today at Enterprise Ireland’s annual Startup Day in Dublin, with 650 delegates in attendance to recognise the ‘Class of 2025’ – Enterprise Ireland supported start-up companies and the wider start-up ecosystem including investors, state agencies and startup accelerators. Investment in Irish startups in 2025 was provided through Enterprise Ireland’s High Potential Start-Up (HPSU) and Pre-Seed Start Fund (PSSF) programmes.

€32.9 million invested in 2025

Start–ups and funding supported by Enterprise Ireland in 2025 include:

•    €32.9 million invested in startups in 2025 of which €23m in equity investment approved to HPSUs and €9.55m in pre-seed start funding
•    55 of the early-stage startups supported in 2025 were female-led
•    99 companies have AI as a central part of their product or service
•    Seed & Venture Capital Schemes supported by Enterprise Ireland invested €80m into 76 Irish Companies in 2025
•    28 Startup businesses emerging from the research eco-system were directly supported
•    67 Commercialisation Fund approvals to third level researchers totalling €22million

National Accelerator Programme
Enterprise Ireland today announced details of the establishment of a new National Accelerator Programme, with a budget of €21 million over the next three years, as successor to the National Digital Research Centre (NDRC) and will shortly be seeking applications of interest from operating bodies through a formal tender process.

Building on the success of the NDRC and following extensive stakeholder engagement, Enterprise Ireland will work closely with operators to deliver a redesigned accelerator model which focuses on specialist sectors, more extensive regional coverage, enhanced international connectivity, reduced fragmentation, and improved access to founder-led mentorship.

The new National Accelerator programme is a key priority under the Government’s Action Plan for Competitiveness and Productivity and will form a central pillar of Enterprise Ireland’s new Startup Ireland initiative, which is expected to be formally launched in the coming weeks.

The programme will also reflect the changing needs of early stage founders, including training to support AI-native innovation and development of scalable AI infrastructure ensuring it is future focused and capable of supporting startups in an evolving innovation landscape.

Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke TD said, “Rapid advances in artificial intelligence are driving deep changes across business and the global economy. Ireland’s response to these changes must include a renewed and coordinated focus on innovation led, Irish owned enterprises with the ambition and capability to compete and scale globally. The new €21 million National Accelerator Programme is a key action under the Programme for Government and is designed to strengthen and streamline Ireland’s startup support ecosystem and unlock the next generation of high growth, globally scalable startups. My Department and Enterprise Ireland will continue to work together to develop a system-wide approach that accelerates startup growth, internationalisation, and scaling.”

Speaking at Enterprise Ireland’s Start-Up Day in Dublin today, Minister of State for Employment, Small Business and Retail Alan Dillon said: “Startup Day recognises the success of Irish startups in 2025. The forthcoming establishment of Startup Ireland is a key priority under the Government’s Action Plan for Competitiveness and Productivity as global competition, technological disruption and geopolitical uncertainty demand renewed focus on building sustainable Irish businesses. The new €21million National Accelerator will support Irish founders to start, scale and internationalise in order to secure Ireland’s economy both nationally and internationally.”

Jenny Melia, CEO, Enterprise Ireland, said: “Startup Day 2026 marks the opportunity to reflect and recognise the success of Irish startups, which continue to build and thrive in Ireland’s economy. The diversity and success of the class of 2025 is a true testament to the ambition of the founders and the work of Enterprise Ireland, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for such a talented group of entrepreneurs. Startups are critical for our future – economically, reputationally and societally. Our goal at Enterprise Ireland is to ensure that the necessary support systems and resources are in place to empower founders as they scale their ventures.”

Commenting on the announcement of the new National Accelerator, Conor O’Donovan, Head of Startups at Enterprise Ireland, said: “We’ve listened closely to founders who have told us they need early access to capital, experienced mentors, specialist expertise, and international markets and investors. The new Startup Ireland National Accelerator tender will deliver best in class accelerator and training supports, with a strong focus on native AI, emerging technologies and specialist sectors, broader regional coverage, and fast tracked access funding and international markets.”

See more  breaking stories here.

For many Irish founders, the business becomes the centre of almost every financial decision. That is understandable. In the early years, most of the focus is on product, sales, hiring, funding, customer retention, and keeping enough cash in the company to support growth.

Personal wealth often becomes something to deal with later.

The difficulty is that “later” can keep moving. A founder may spend years building a company that looks valuable on paper, while their own financial position remains heavily tied to one future outcome: a sale, investment round, management buyout, or dividend stream that may or may not arrive on the expected timeline.

A strong business can be a major part of personal wealth. It should not have to be the whole plan.

This is the kind of issue Rockwell Financial, a reputable wealth management advisory firm, often sees when business owners are trying to balance company growth with their own long-term financial security.

Equity Is Value, But It Is Not Cash

Founder equity can be valuable, but it is usually illiquid. You may own a meaningful share of the company, but that does not automatically help with mortgage planning, pension funding, family costs, or financial security outside the business.

This is one of the most common gaps in founder planning. The company may be growing, the valuation may be improving, and the long-term outlook may be strong. Still, if most of the owner’s wealth is locked inside the business, the personal position can remain fragile.

That does not mean founders should take money out carelessly. It means the personal plan needs to sit beside the company plan from an early stage.

Do Not Let the Exit Become the Only Answer

An exit can be life-changing, but it is not fully within the founder’s control.

Market conditions can change. Buyer interest can change. Funding sentiment can shift. A company may need more years of growth before it is ready. Key staff, margins, customer concentration, contracts, intellectual property, and the strength of the management team can all affect value.

Relying on one future event puts too much pressure on that event to work perfectly.

A healthier approach is to build personal wealth gradually outside the company, while still allowing the business to grow. That could involve pensions, personal investments, cash reserves, or other assets, depending on the founder’s circumstances.

Put Structure Around Founder Pay

Many founders pay themselves in a reactive way. They take little or nothing during tight periods, then draw more after a strong month, a funding round, or a large invoice.

That pattern can create pressure at home and confusion in the business.

Founder pay does not need to be excessive. It does need some structure. A clear baseline income can help cover personal commitments without putting unnecessary strain on the company. If extra drawings or dividends are possible, they should have a purpose rather than being treated as a reward for a strong quarter.

The aim is straightforward: reduce personal pressure so business decisions are not being shaped by short-term household needs.

Build Wealth Outside the Cap Table

A founder’s cap table may tell one story. Their personal balance sheet may tell another.

It is worth asking:

• What do I own outside the business?
• How much of my future depends on this company alone?
• What would happen if an exit took five years longer than expected?
• Could I step back gradually, or would I need a full sale?
• Am I building pension and investment assets outside the company?

These questions can feel uncomfortable because they separate belief in the business from personal financial reality. But that is exactly why they matter.

Confidence in the company is important. Dependence on the company is different.

Personal Risk Should Be Visible

Scaling a business often means taking risks. Some of it is obvious. Some build quietly.

Personal guarantees, director loans, family money invested in the company, credit facilities, tax obligations, and household spending linked to business income can all increase exposure.

None of these is automatically wrong. In some cases, they are part of building the company. The issue is whether the founder knows where the personal risk sits and whether it is increasing without a clear decision being made.

Once that exposure is visible, it becomes easier to manage. Some risks may be acceptable. Others may need to be reduced over time.

Pensions Should Not Wait for The Company to Mature

Pension planning is often delayed by founders because the business feels more urgent. Payroll, product development, sales, and recruitment usually win the attention.

But time is one of the most useful parts of pension planning. Waiting until the business is mature can reduce flexibility and put more pressure on future profits or a future sale.

Even modest, regular contributions can help build personal wealth outside the business. Over time, that can give the founder more choice around retirement, succession, and how much they need from the company later.

Plan For More Than One Outcome

The best founder plans do not assume failure. They simply avoid relying on one perfect version of success.

A founder might eventually sell the business. They might keep ownership and bring in a management team. They might build a dividend stream. They might merge, step back, or pass the company on.

Each path has different implications for income, tax, pensions, investments, and family planning. Thinking about these routes early does not mean choosing one immediately. It means building flexibility before decisions become urgent.

Keeping The Company Plan and Personal Plan Connected

Some founders can manage this themselves, especially while the business and personal finances are still relatively simple. Others benefit from an outside view once growth brings more moving parts.

Rockwell Financial works with Irish professionals and business owners who want structure around long-term financial decisions. For founders, that can mean bringing the company plan and personal plan into the same conversation, so personal wealth is built alongside business growth.

Building Options Beyond the Business

Building a company requires belief, focus, and risk. None of that has to mean putting personal financial planning on hold.

A founder who builds wealth outside the business is not showing less commitment to the company. They are creating options. They are reducing pressure. They are giving themselves room to make better decisions if growth takes longer, markets shift, or the exit looks different from the original plan.

The business may become the largest asset. It should not have to be the only one.

Barespace, the fast-growing software company transforming the beauty industry with an AI-powered operating system, has announced the launch of Barespace Capital, an embedded finance product that gives salon owners direct access to growth funding through the platform they already use to run their business.

Barespace Capital sits within a broader shift toward embedded finance across vertical SaaS platforms. Platforms with real-time visibility into day-to-day operations are increasingly better-placed than traditional banks to assess creditworthiness and provide capital at the point of need. In hair and beauty, a sector with strong underlying unit economics but variable cash flow, traditional lenders have struggled to properly assess risk, often relying on retrospective financials that fail to capture the real performance of the business. With Barespace Capital, the entire process- from eligibility assessment to funding, takes under two weeks, with no separate bank application required.

Hair and beauty is a cash-generative but underserved sector for financial services. Salon owners typically run stable businesses with loyal customer bases, recurring revenue and predictable demand patterns. Despite this, they have historically been poorly served by traditional finance, which relies on documentation and processes designed for other types of business. Today Barespace works with more than 300 salons across Ireland, the UK, France and Spain, and recently secured significant seed funding to support further expansion.

Katrina Kelly, founder of Darlo Hair Salon in Dublin and the first salon owner to go live on the Barespace platform, used Barespace Capital to fund the launch of Darlo Bounce, a consumer hair product. After proving demand through in-salon sales, with the product selling out three times, Kelly needed capital for a larger manufacturing order. She secured funding through Barespace Capital within 48 hours, based entirely on her existing platform data.

By placing a larger order, Kelly was able to negotiate a better price per unit and retain more margin. Since launching in November 2025, Darlo Bounce has shipped to seven countries.

Conor Moules, Co-Founder and CEO of Barespace, said: “Salons run on tight margins and unpredictable cash flow. Traditional banks don’t understand the business, and most salon owners either go without or jump through hoops for a loan that can take months to approve. Barespace Capital changes that. Because we already live inside the salon, managing bookings, product inventory, staff, and payments, we have a real-time picture of the business that no bank ever sees. When you can see the talent and the traction in real time, backing them is not a risk. It’s obvious.”

Barespace Capital uses live booking, payment and customer behaviour data from within the Barespace platform to make fast, accurate lending decisions. Because Barespace already manages scheduling, payments, staff, inventory and analytics for salon owners, it has a real-time picture of business performance that no bank ever sees.

Repayments are tied to a percentage of weekly card machine revenue rather than fixed monthly instalments. In a quiet week, repayments go down. In a busy week, they go up. This revenue-based model aligns repayments with real cash flow, removing the pressure of rigid schedules.

Barespace Capital represents the latest step in the company’s evolution from a booking platform into an AI-powered operating system for the beauty industry. Barespace has raised €4.68 million in funding to date, including a EUR2.9 million seed round in September 2025 led by Elkstone Ventures with participation from Dogpatch Labs, Enterprise Ireland, and notable angel investors including Barry Napier (CEO of Cubic Telecom), Rick Kelley (former MD of Meta Ireland), Brian Caulfield, (formerly of Molten Ventures) and Tom Kennedy (co-founder of Hostelworld).

Since launching in January 2022, Barespace has been embraced by more than 300 salons and barbershops across Ireland, the UK, France and Spain, bringing scheduling, payments, ERP, marketing and analytics into a single AI-driven platform.

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Maeve McCarthy of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland (RCSI) spin-out Substrato Medical, was presented with the Spinout Showcase Award at Enterprise Ireland’s Start-Up Day 2026 in the Aviva Stadium.

Substrato Medical was one of eight investor-ready deep tech spinouts that had three minutes to pitch to a 600 strong audience made up of representatives from the Irish Start-up ecosystem including VCs and other funders, State support agencies & professional and financial services.

The award was presented to Maeve McCarthy, for the outstanding pitch of the day. Substrato Medical which is an Enterprise Ireland commercialisation funded project approaching spin-out, is redefining oxygen therapy to enhance tissue repair for millions of chronic wound patients worldwide. Built on the expertise of RCSI’s Tissue Engineering Research Group and a founding team with 25 years of MedTech experience, the company is developing a solution that restores ulcer-free time for patients and reduces the cost burden of chronic wounds.

Fiona McGillicuddy of UCD spin-out MetHealth received the Spinout Showcase runner-up award on the day. MetHealth is a next-generation immunometabolic diagnostics for precision risk stratification and improved clinical care in obesity-related cardiometabolic diseases. Its proprietary biomarker platform, integrated with AI-driven algorithms, delivers critical insight into cardiometabolic health – launching first with a non-invasive blood-based in vitro diagnostic (IVD) for metabolic liver disease (MASH).

Winners of the Enterprise Ireland Spinout Showcase 2026 have been awarded a place on a week-long European market access programme, including tailored engagements in the UK and Europe. The opportunity will help the teams build international customer and investor connections while sharpening their go-to-market capability. By accelerating the global reach of Ireland’s newest spinouts, the programme strengthens the country’s pipeline of innovation and high-growth entrepreneurship.

Start-Up Day 2026 hosted the ‘Class of 2025’ High Potential Start-Up companies that Enterprise Ireland invested in during 2025. The event also played host to technology-based companies with origins deep rooted in groundbreaking research. In 2025, 28 Startup businesses emerging from the research eco-system were directly supported.

Presenting the award, Jim Woulfe, Chairman, Enterprise Ireland said, “The Spinout Showcase pitching element and awards at Start-Up Day provides a platform to showcase Enterprise Ireland’s commercialisation funded research approaching start-up status, with significant potential for success. The event also highlights the high calibre of research commercialisation activity within Ireland, and the significant impact these companies will have to help address huge global challenges. I wish to congratulate both Substrato Medical and MetHealth on their achievements to date and wish them every success for the future.”

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Researchers at Trinity College Dublin have developed a new cloud collaboration platform (InvizCrypt) that offers true privacy, giving users much stronger control over who can access their sensitive data and documents.

The InvizCrypt platform, developed by Professor Hitesh Tewari and colleagues from Trinity’s School of Computer Science and Statistics and ADAPT at Trinity College Dublin, is designed to allow users to collaborate on sensitive documents while preventing the platform provider from reading the content.

The project comes amid growing European concern about data privacy, security, digital sovereignty and foreign legal access to sensitive information held by large technology providers.  In April 2026, the European Commission advanced a sovereign cloud procurement framework that will allow EU institutions, bodies and agencies to procure up to €180 million in sovereign cloud services over six years. France has also moved to replace Microsoft Teams and Zoom with its own sovereign video conferencing platform, Visio, across government departments by 2027.

Speaking about InvizCrypt, Professor Hitesh Tewari, said: “Users place huge trust in cloud platforms to store and process their data, but many people do not realise that, in conventional systems, the provider can technically still access document content. That creates risks around privacy, security and legal disclosure, regardless of where data is hosted. InvizCrypt is designed to offer a fully private model that can not only support real-time collaboration but also ensure the security of the data within the documents.”

What are the potential impacts of this research?

Most cloud collaboration platforms are built on a model where the provider can technically access the contents of a document as part of delivering the service. The InvizCrypt system is designed differently. Before a document leaves the user’s own device, it is encrypted into unreadable data. The cloud platform can still store the file, allow collaboration between users, and keep the document in sync, but it cannot see what the document says. Only approved collaborators hold the keys needed to read it.

This fundamental difference means that documents, attached files and real-time edits are protected before they reach the platform. For users, InvizCrypt feels like ordinary cloud collaboration but with the added layer of security.

Prof. Tewari said: “The first users of InvizCrypt will be researchers because research teams often work on highly sensitive material before publication and collaborations often require close contact despite individuals being situated around the globe.”

“This information can be valuable to competitors, cyber criminals, or even foreign state-backed actors. Universities are increasingly being warned that research data and intellectual property are attractive targets, and even retaining total privacy from the eyes of governments — foreign and domestic — is something many researchers highly value in today’s world.”

The team has started with LaTeX, a writing system used by many researchers, scientists, engineers and mathematicians to prepare complex academic papers and technical documents.  Following this first phase, the technology will then be extended into secure document editing and spreadsheet workflows for organisations that need to collaborate without exposing sensitive content to platform providers.

By beginning with an encrypted collaborative LaTeX editor, InvizCrypt targets a community that already depends on cloud-based collaboration but has limited options for keeping sensitive work private from the platform provider. This initial phase will allow the team to validate the system in real research workflows, build trust with universities and research institutions, and establish the institutional relationships needed for wider adoption.

The team will then extend the same server-blind architecture beyond LaTeX into secure document editing and spreadsheet workflows, creating a broader privacy-first platform for a range of users and domains later in 2026.

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At Zero Day Con 2026 in Dublin, the atmosphere of excitement around AI’s cybersecurity potential was matched by a growing conviction that resilience is now the name of the game. Cyber threats have evolved into something faster, more adaptive and far more sophisticated than many organisations are prepared for. The battlefield is changing in real time. We need to move beyond the illusion of perfect prevention and embrace the reality of cyber resilience.

The primary theme echoing through the Dublin Royal Conference Centre was that Cybersecurity is no longer just about prevention – it’s about resilience.

Zero Day Con 2026 reviewed and key trends

The event brought together leaders operating at the front line of cybersecurity, including representatives from the FBI, NCIS, Microsoft and EasyJet, alongside executive and board leaders, with support from leading cybersecurity vendors such as Smarttech247 and CrowdStrike. Rather than focusing purely on stopping attacks from happening, the conversation migrated towards what organisations do when attacks inevitably occur.

There was broad recognition that every organisation must now assume it will experience some form of cyber breach. Whether motivated by profit, ideology, disruption or geopolitical influence, what matters most is how organisations respond in the critical seconds and minutes immediately afterwards.

What struck me most throughout the day wasn’t just the expertise of the speakers and panels, but the natural flow of the conversations themselves. Discussions moved from AI, to geopolitics, to leadership – in a way that felt reflective of the real world. Technology, geopolitics and people are no longer separate domains; they now exist within an interconnected ecosystem that demands collaborative thinking, resilient systems and adaptive leadership to deal with evolving threats to national, commercial and personal interests.

AI, Infrastructure and Geopolitics Are Converging

A dominant theme throughout the conference was the growing convergence of AI, infrastructure and geopolitics. AI is acting as a force multiplier, accelerating both cyberattacks and cyber defence capabilities simultaneously. Organisations are now operating in what increasingly feels like an AI-driven security race, where attackers and defenders are continuously adapting in real time. At times, it felt as though the line between science fiction and cybersecurity reality is beginning to blur.

Large-scale environments, from naval systems to global supply chains, are becoming increasingly digitised and as a result, increasingly exposed to cyber risk. One example discussed was the concept of the US Navy developing an AI-driven “central nervous system” capable of connecting naval operations, infrastructure and supply chains into a unified, seamless end-to-end monitoring and alert capability. While strategically powerful, such deeply interconnected systems also dramatically expand the attack surface, raising serious questions around resilience, dependency and risk management in highly digitised environments.

Another recurring theme was the increasing focus of nation-state actors on private organisations, not just governments. Attacks are no longer purely financially motivated; many are designed to disrupt operations, coerce influence, test capabilities or achieve strategic geopolitical objectives. The recent Stryker cyberattack in Cork was highlighted as an example of how these threats are becoming more visible at a local level.

The Threat Landscape Is Becoming More Human

While the technical narrative remained strong throughout the day, it was the human impact of cyber incidents that stirred my interest the most.

Joe Tidy, Cyber Correspondent with the BBC, shared the example of a Swedish cyberattack in which highly sensitive psychiatric patient records were stolen and used as leverage for ransom. It served as a stark reminder that cyber incidents are not abstract technical failures, rather they can become deeply personal attacks against individuals at their most vulnerable.

Other speakers highlighted several growing trends:

• Social engineering attacks are becoming increasingly convincing
• Helpdesk manipulation and identity compromise are accelerating through AI-generated impersonation and synthetic media; and
• Insider threats remain among the most difficult and damaging risks for organisations to manage

Basic Cyber Hygiene Is Still Poor

Despite major advances in cybersecurity tooling and capability, it became evident throughout the conference that the fundamentals remain the weakest point for many organisations. From unpatched vulnerabilities to compromised identities, many of today’s most successful attacks still exploit basic security failures. In many cases, organisations simply do not yet have their house in order, leaving the digital equivalent of the front door wide open.

Kathryn Sherman of the FBI discussed Operation Winter SHIELD, an initiative designed to distil the FBI’s ten most impactful actions organisations can take to strengthen resilience against cyber intrusions.

Her message to industry is to:

• Go back to basics
• Understand your attack surface
• Strengthen identity controls; and
• Share threat intelligence more effectively

Before organisations chase the latest technologies, leaders must first ensure the fundamentals are firmly in place. Many successful cyberattacks today occur not because attackers are exceptionally sophisticated, but because gaining access is often relatively easy. Cybercriminals are opportunistic; if they do not need to work hard to access systems or data, they usually won’t. They scan the digital neighbourhood for windows and doors that are left open and increasingly, many organisations are still leaving them unlocked.

Critical Infrastructure and Supply Chain Risk

A panel on critical infrastructure highlighted that organisations should assume their data is already out there. Focus is shifting from containment to resilience.

Key highlights included:

• Fragmented infrastructure creating weak links across the supply chain
• The ability to safely shut down operations during an attack; and
• The increasing targeting of Ireland-based organisations

There was also discussion around future threats such as “harvest now, decrypt later” – whereby data stolen today may eventually be decrypted using future quantum capabilities.

Organisations can no longer think about cybersecurity in isolation. Infrastructure, suppliers, logistics networks, cloud providers and operational technology are now deeply interconnected. A weakness anywhere in that chain can quickly escalate into a broader business risk. Increasingly, the weakest point may not even sit within your own organisation, but somewhere across the wider supply chain. That reality demands a far more holistic approach to cyber resilience – one that considers the entire end-to-end ecosystem, not just the perimeter.

Cybersecurity Moves to the Boardroom

A key takeaway from Caroline Spillane, CEO of the Institute of Directors Ireland, was the growing accountability of Boards and leadership teams. Cybersecurity is no longer something that can simply be delegated, rather it is now a core leadership responsibility.

Caroline emphasised that Boards must:

• Take ownership of cyber risk
• Look ahead, not just at current threats
• Break down technical language; and
• Use real-world scenarios to understand impact

Rather than relying on abstract discussions or technical jargon, boards are encouraged to ground cyber risk in practical examples; understanding and taking ownership for what happens when systems, operations, data or people are compromised.

The Rise of Counterintelligence and Deception

One of the more fascinating discussions during the event came from Joshua Cruse, Deputy Assistant Director Cyber at the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), who highlighted how cybersecurity is increasingly drawing from counterintelligence practices traditionally associated with intelligence and defence communities.

Rather than simply blocking attackers, organisations are beginning to adopt more strategic approaches designed to detect, mislead and monitor adversaries.

These approaches include:

• Creating decoy environments to contain intruders
• Using fabricated or tainted data to mislead attackers; and
• Deploying tripwire alerts to detect lateral movement inside networks

The industry is gradually evolving from passive defence towards strategic misdirection. Hackers love solving puzzles and what better way to detect them than by feeding them controlled, misleading or low-value data while monitoring their behaviour in real time?

Joshua also emphasised the growing impact of insider threats, describing them as among the most difficult threats to detect and often among the most damaging when successful. As he noted: “An organisation’s greatest sensor network is its employees.”

That point resonated strongly throughout the conference. Organisations must continuously train and retrain employees and contractors to remain cyber-aware and security-conscious in an environment where human behaviour is increasingly being targeted alongside technology itself.

One example discussed involved an employee allegedly being offered $1 million to insert a malicious USB device into a network environment. The example highlighted an important reality – insider risk is not always driven purely by malice; rather financial pressure and human vulnerability are increasingly playing out in the modern cybersecurity landscape.

Final Thought

What lingered with me most after Zero Day Con 2026 was the sense that cybersecurity is undergoing a profound transformation. It’s no longer confined to the server room or the domain of technical specialists; it now sits at the intersection of AI, geopolitics, infrastructure, leadership and human behaviour. Success is no longer defined by the impossible task of avoiding every attack; rather it’s defined by the creation of systems, cultures and leadership structures capable of responding effectively when disruption inevitably occurs. The real challenge is no longer purely technical; it’s leadership.

In The Art of War, Sun Tzu wrote:

“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”

That concept feels increasingly relevant in today’s cyber domain; we are at war and the stakes have reached new heights. The future of cybersecurity will not belong to the organisations with the tallest walls or the strongest perimeter defences; rather it will belong to those capable of anticipating disruption, adapting under pressure and building resilient systems that can withstand chaos.

In an era shaped by AI, deception and constant uncertainty, cyber resilience is no longer just a defensive capability – it’s the defining strategy for survival itself. The digital battlefield is already here. The banners are rising, the armour is being forged, and the next generation of conflict has already begun. The question now is not who can avoid the storm – but who can endure it.

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By Mary Selkirk

Confey College Leixlip is proud to celebrate the outstanding achievement of its VEX Robotics team, The Imagineers, who represented Ireland at the VEX Robotics World Championship 2026 in St. Louis, USA. Team Imagineers consisted of Amal Rajesh, Chidubem (Dubby) Uzoukwu, Katie Evers, Sahas Sawant and Samiksha Muthukumaar. Mentored by past pupils- Anna Mei Chan Kinsella, Joel Rajesh and Ugochukwu Uzoukwu, the Imagineers and their mentors travelled to St Louis, Missouri on 18 April via Dallas, Texas for a week long robotic battle at the world championship. Using a Folding Ruiguan style robot, the team engineered a robot that competed in a series of mini games and challenges against other opponents.

VEX Robotics World Championship 2026

The VEX Robotics World Championship is widely regarded as the largest robotics competition in the world, bringing together top teams from across the globe to compete at the highest level of STEM excellence.

In the VEX V5 Robotics Competition, students designed, built and programmed their own robots, before competing in fast-paced matches that tested their game strategy, teamwork, and engineering and driving skills. Teams are also evaluated on innovation, documentation of work, and collaboration

In 2026, over 2,000 teams from around the world including over 800 teams in the V5 high school category took part in the event, making it an exceptionally competitive global stage.

The Imagineers entered the world championship following a clean sweep at national level, where they remained unbeaten and were crowned joint champions at the Irish National Final and secured the Robot Skills Irish National title.

On the world stage, they continued to impress, winning the prestigious Judges Award in their division, finishing as the highest ranked Irish team in the V5 competition and standing out as one of the very few European teams to receive a Judges Award in St Louis. The Judges Award is a prestigious recognition presented by competition judges to a team that stands out for special merit. Judges consider the team’s engineering notebook (documentation of their design process), their interview and communication skills, teamwork, problem-solving, perseverance, and overall spirit and conduct throughout the competition.

Unlike performance-based rankings, this award recognises the complete journey of a team—highlighting creativity, resilience, and excellence in engineering thinking. At a World Championship level, where only top teams qualify, receiving a Judges Award is a significant international honour. Each division at the World Championship typically features between 80 and 100 elite teams, making the level of competition exceptionally high. This is a major accomplishment, placing the team among the standout teams globally and marking a proud moment for Confey College and Irish STEM education.

Team Imagineers’ success is a testament not only to their own dedication but also to the support of their school and local community. Their achievement is expected to inspire younger students in Leixlip and beyond to engage with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The team express their gratitude to their school, their fellow schoolmates, the KWETB and to all of their sponsors including Intel, AMD, MGS, MIDAS, SUSQUEHANNA and ETHOS and to all who donated to make their journey possible, including Croi Laighean Credit Union, Celtic Tiles and Leixlip Amenities.

Confey College has been involved in Robotics and STEM since 2016 when the school took part in the European Space Agency’s CANSAT competition. The school won the CANSAT National final and came third in the European final in Portugal. This success was repeated in 2025 when Confey students again won the National CANSAT final and represented Ireland, presenting their project at the European Space Agency’s headquarters in Leiden.

On the heels of their CANSAT success in 2016, Confey students were invited to represent Ireland in the FIRST Global World Robotics competition in Washington DC in 2017. Since then, the school has contributed to Irish Robotics teams for nearly every year, with past students becoming mentors to new student teams. Team Ireland has also had great success in First Global that has over 185 countries taking part, most notably coming second in 2024 at the competition in Greece for their project focussed on replacing harmful chemical fertilizers with electro-farming and achieving eight place in Panama in 2025. Confey students have also had successes in the younger FIRST Lego league, representing Ireland and achieving third place in 2019.

These Confey VEX students only took part in VEX Robotics for the first time last year in 2025, teaching themselves the basics and, through hard work, perseverance and problem solving they secured for themselves a place in the 2025 World Final in Texas. This year, it is clear that these determined and dedicated students have built on their success and will go even further in the coming years. Following the school’s tradition, in addition to taking part again in 2027, some of the VEX students will also be mentoring a new VEX school team for the 2027 season. Also, to further encourage younger students in Confey College, Mr Dave Selkirk, Mr. Vincent Gordon (teacher) and Ms M Selkirk (teacher) have recently established a Robotics/ Electronics and Coding club open to all Junior students from 1st to 3rd year.

As Ireland continues to invest in STEM education, performances like this underscore the potential of its young innovators on the world stage. For the students of Confey College, the experience will no doubt serve as a springboard for future success in Engineering and Technology fields.

With their Judges Award in hand and a strong global ranking secured, Team Imagineers have firmly placed, and will continue to place, Leixlip on the International Robotics map.

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Charlie Lee built Litecoin in 2011. Fifteen years later, he is on a stage in Amsterdam explaining what survived. That is the kind of speaker Dutch Blockchain Week 2026 has secured for its June 24-25 summit at the Johan Cruijff ArenA, and it sets the tone for what the event has become: less community meetup, more working session for the people actually moving money through digital asset infrastructure.

Dutch Blockchain Week 2026

Dutch Blockchain Week runs June 22-28, 2026, across Amsterdam. The two-day summit at Johan Cruijff ArenA sits at the centre, with more than 1,000 professionals expected per day. Around it, over 40 side events organised by Dutch and international partners fill the rest of the week making it the only actual week-long Web3 festival this year.

The confirmed speaker lineup already includes Brian Gahan from Kraken, Marieke Flament serving as advisor to Qivalis, Amor Sexton from Blockdaemon, Raoul Schipper of Chinalink, Stephanie Laurent from Bitwise, and Maike Hornung representing Visa. More names are being confirmed in the coming weeks, with the organisers signalling additional high-profile additions to the program. The full and updated speaker list is live at dutchblockchainweek.com/speakers.

The partner roster reflects where institutional appetite actually sits right now. Bitvavo holds the Main Partner position. Bunq joins as Diamond Partner for the first time. Visa, Kraken, OKX, Bybit EU, and ZeroHash are in at Platinum. Mastercard, Worldpay, Talos, Deloitte, Coinmerce, and Fireblocks follow as Gold supporters. That is a serious crowd: compliance departments, payment rails, and fund infrastructure.

The Netherlands is a deliberate choice of location. MiCA licensing has made Amsterdam a practical gateway for international companies establishing or expanding EU operations, and Dutch Blockchain Week has positioned itself accordingly. The attendee mix, exchanges, banks, payment providers, asset managers, infrastructure providers, legal and compliance firms, and regulators, maps directly to the conversations that matter when a company is deciding where to land in Europe.

The side event programme covers the full range of what actually drives decisions at these gatherings, the conversations that don’t happen on stage. Confirmed formats include curated VIP dinners, private roundtables, boat tours, an institutional lunch programme, the DBW VIP Night (invite-only, ahead of the summit, for speakers, partners, and selected attendees), and an official afterparty. For those who prefer competition to cocktails, there is a padel tournament and poker. One side event stands out for its specificity: the Dutch Police are running a session on crime in crypto. That one will have a full room. The complete side events schedule, still being updated, is at dutchblockchainweek.com/events.

A dedicated networking app and facilitated introductions are built into the format. The organisers have been explicit that visibility alone is not the point. The infrastructure is designed around meetings that close.

This media partnership between Dutch Blockchain Week and Irish Tech News was facilitated by Iaros Belkin, founder of Belkin Marketing, who serves as both Ambassador for Dutch Blockchain Week and contributor at Irish Tech News.

Tickets are available at dutchblockchainweek.com/tickets (use code “IrishTechNews15” for a 15% off any ticket)

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By David Stéphen

May is Mental Health Awareness Month for 2026. If those that are suing OpenAI for AI psychosis and delusion can prove in court that artificial intelligence is a digital mind or that AI has some form of awareness, it is likely that OpenAI would lose those cases. While Google also got sued, Google with character.ai, settled a lawsuit regarding a similar case. If Google settles, knowing what might come at them for preponderance of the evidence that AI is a mind, it may pressure OpenAI to settle or have a rougher trial, and then much more cases, with or without the Human Line Project maybe.

Anthropic has become the only hope for consciousness science research. Anthropic is the most important force that has underscored consciousness research at any point in history. Consciousness research failed in every sense of science. It did not even thrive philosophically.

AI psychosis lawsuits to watch

The proponent of the easy and hard problem of consciousness did not know that both easy and hard problems are mechanized by neurons and their electrochemical signals. Such that because there are cells everywhere and that nerve cells, like others, do not have the flexibility to adjust enough to result in all functions, it would have been a philosophical win for neuroscience to have championed that consciousness is an electrochemical problem.

If there had been a philosophical lead for decades that consciousness is an electrochemical problem and the mind, as well as human intelligence, mental health and the rest, it would have been a philosophical triumph, channeling all efforts to developing electrochemical postulates regardless of how near or distant the brain would be understood.

But that was not the case. Easy and hard problems of consciousness have turned out to be meaningless, useless, decapitated and unhelpful. It did not just make philosophy dirt to neuroscience, it made consciousness itself the study of jokers or people who are seeking very cheap relevance or profile without any substance.

Anyone can write a book on consciousness, several lifeless books on consciousness are published every year. Anyone can say anything has consciousness. Nothing is wrong. Even discussing consciousness, you don’t even need to mention the brain. Just make sure you have something else that seems complex. You will get referrals.

Now, the way to make news, for any forgotten expert, is to declare that AI has consciousness or AI does not have consciousness. [Something like planes would not fly because they are not alive. Or, that planes must flap their wings to fly, or whatever philosophical arguments may have happened centuries ago.]

Before it was anything is conscious. Now, AI is the hot thing, so with AI conscious or not, you make news. Even consciousness researchers with nothing to offer have picked sides, because AI is now their hope, to keep consciousness supplied.

Even their certainty that intelligence is not consciousness, is a farce because they neither have an electrochemical theory of consciousness nor do they have an electrochemical theory of intelligence.

However, the only capable company doing something in AI consciousness is Anthropic. The source was the crew from NYU that baked Eleos AI Research and then force-fed Anthropic.

Anthropic is doing cutting-edge mechanistic interpretability research, which also gives some weight to their consciousness and digital mind research.

Still, consciousness is not profitable in any form, and not useful for anything. The only benefit for Anthropic is extra news, and sometimes a lot of it. Consciousness has the thing anyways, that feels like complex and those working on it are stars. No though. It is already evident that most consciousness researchers of any angle are as clueless as it gets.

Still, consciousness is more reputable as what to tag along than say AlphaFold. Google DeepMind hijacked that sprint, got there before others who would definitely get there, almost as fast, without them. Yet, AlphaFold is not solving psychiatry or neurology at least and no recent answers in anything explosive with it for medicine, so far. Meaning that AlphaFold is not enough to stoke much.

So, consciousness even more than string theory or quantum mechanics, is a buzz. Now, because of Anthropic, there are studies on AI consciousness, teams, fellowships, gatherings and so forth.

There are also lots of efforts on digital minds. Although, none of these people including Anthropic have defined the human mind, as an electrochemical problem. None of them have defined consciousness as an electrochemical problem. But they are making efforts that their success will be able to convince a judge that AI has enough consciousness and has a mind.

None of the work so far has any merit or promise. Not a single one. All the papers, posters, preprints, gatherings, are complete spam. It takes having an electrochemical theory to know. Otherwise, AI consciousness means AI needs moral consideration, when data centers have more rights, welfare, and consideration than a good percentage of individuals globally.

The electrochemical basis of the human mind are in the postulate in Conceptual Biomarkers and Theoretical Biological Factors for Psychiatric and Intelligence Nosology.

Anthropic v. OpenAI

If any individual that has benefitted from Anthropic’s effort or collaborated with any of its sympathizers, on AI consciousness or digital minds, is called to testify in the AI delusion and psychosis cases against OpenAI, they are likely to agree that AI is somewhat conscious or AI has a mind.

This is apart from the reality that no one, at least, has sued Anthropic for AI psychosis. This means that it is possible to show that even as Claude is not — so far, or openly known to be — an agent of AI psychosis, ChatGPT can be defamed as conscious and a digital mind.

This may not bode well for OpenAI. While OpenAI can discuss a ton of adjustments to algorithms, expert consultations, and so forth, they do not have efforts that show that they are also studying their bot, in a way to compare it to a mind, and then grow care or mind safety from there.

OpenAI seems to be asleep, and Anthropic will not hesitate to help the cases against OpenAI, one way or the other.

So, almost for survival, OpenAI can open multiple labs.

AI consciousness research lab

Digital mind research lab

AI delusion research lab

AI psychosis research lab

Even if there is just one team member on each, OpenAI could try, in part, as a legal strategy. Make the announcement. Devour everything that Anthropic has ever written or supported in AI consciousness and digital mind. Develop rebuttals using the electrochemical model of the human mind.

Then do some writing but focus completely on the electrical and chemical signals of neurons for the human mind and consciousness. It is possible to counter everything Anthropic has said or done, because they have no theory, even for the simplest candidate, language.

But as it is, with their head start, OpenAI will not be able to withstand the details from Anthropic’s direct and indirect research to be used in arguments in the AI psychosis and delusion lawsuits. And OpenAI too has nothing in electrochemical neuroscience. At least they can develop their own postulate.

OpenAI has already lost, and badly. Their legal team — on AI delusion and psychosis, as some of their statements have shown — are not even able to make hot public points.

AI delusion and psychosis lawsuits against OpenAI are sure cases. The prospects of victory may stoke ambulance chasers. OpenAI may continue to find witnesses and look for other points, but ChatGPT is a digital mind, as a case would already convince the jury.

It might look like a roach to OpenAI — the giant, but the AI psychosis and delusion cases can be lethal, if OpenAI keeps this dismissal.

There is a new [May 6, 2026] story on The Mary Sue, Woman cuts off parents and friends, spends savings, and goes into debt, then therapist diagnoses her for ‘AI psychosis’: ‘I’m too self aware for this’, stating that, “In recent years, AI has become highly accessible, and more people are using it for various reasons. Some use it for practical tasks like searching for information, while others turn to it for companionship or mental health support. The National Academy of Medicine notes that many are engaging with AI tools for conversation, which can pose new challenges, such as AI psychosis.”

“Regarding psychosis risk, the National Academy of Medicine reports that if a person has a first-degree relative with a psychotic disorder like schizophrenia, their risk is about 9%. The general population’s risk is approximately 1%. If a sibling has it, the risk rises to about 5%, and for twins, it increases to roughly 45%. While not entirely genetic, there’s a significant familial component. Schizophrenia’s psychosis usually appears around puberty, between ages 15 and 21, although it can occur earlier or later.”

David Stephen currently does research in conceptual brain science with focus on the electrical and chemical configurators for how they mechanize the human mind with implications for mental health, disorders, neurotechnology, consciousness, learning, artificial intelligence and nurture. He was a visiting scholar in medical entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL. He did computer vision research at Rovira i Virgili University, Tarragona.

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Fandom Con, one of Northern Ireland’s leading gaming conventions specifically designed for and organised by individuals with autism and neurodiverse conditions, is set to return for its fourth year on Saturday 23rd May at ICC Belfast, with over 2,000 attendees expected from across the island of Ireland. Located just two hours from Dublin, the event is expected to attract visitors from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Following the overwhelming success and demand in 2025, this year Fandom Con is returning to the ICC Belfast. Organised by participants from NOW Group, a social enterprise supporting people who are autistic, neurodivergent or have learning difficulties into employment, the event aims to provide a welcoming and inclusive space where like-minded individuals can come together, celebrate their passion for gaming and connect with others who can benefit from NOW Group services and social groups.

The event has grown significantly since its inception, expanding from a small community group of over 90 members to more than 1,200 attendees in previous years, with numbers expected to exceed 2,000 in 2026.

Designed as an accessible and welcoming experience, Fandom Con is also positioned as a viable day trip for audiences across the Republic of Ireland. With Belfast easily reachable by car, bus and rail, the event offers a unique opportunity for attendees travelling from Dublin, border counties and further afield, including Galway, to take part in a community-led convention built specifically for neurodivergent individuals.

“Fandom Con has grown tremendously over the past three years and we are so excited to return in 2026, bigger and better.” said Lynda Millar, Social Group Facilitator at NOW Group. “The community response has been incredible, and returning to the ICC Belfast is allowing us to and continuing to build an inclusive space where people can connect, play and celebrate who they are.”

The concept for the convention came from ‘Fandom’, a social forum originally created by NOW Group, a social enterprise supporting people across Ireland, who are neurodiverse, autistic, have ADHD or a learning difficulty into jobs with a future.

Chris Campbell, Founder, Fandom says, “To me Fandom is important because it gives people on the spectrum an opportunity to meet people with similar interests in a friendly supportive environment, where they might not have the same confidence to do the same on their own.

“There are few services out there for adults with autism so to be able to provide one on a weekly basis all year round is extremely important to help build up relationships, give them a routine and let members gradually open up to become more assertive and confident in themselves. Fandom-Con lets us take what Fandom is and showcase the activities we do in a larger format to the public, that will also let those with autism know that there are services out there to support them.”

Founded on the principles of inclusivity, community and empowerment, this year’s event will continue to create a dynamic, inclusive space for everyone by featuring a wide range of activities, from interactive gaming stations and cosplay competitions to tournaments, sensory-friendly areas and much more. It’s a place where voices are heard, talents are celebrated, and meaningful connections are formed. The event is specifically designed to address challenges often faced by neurodivergent individuals at large-scale events, including sensory overload, lack of structure and social barriers.

New for 2026, anyone wishing to take part in the cosplay competition must register in advance online. Open to all experience levels, the competition celebrates creativity, self-expression and fandom in a supportive, judgment-free environment. Cosplay registration is now open via the official Cosplay Form at: https://www.nowgroup.org/cosplay-form

Affordable pricing reflects Fandom Con’s commitment to accessibility, with the cost of entry at £5 per person. Visitors from across Ireland are encouraged to attend. For more information and to book your tickets, visit https://www.nowgroup.org/fandom

Fandom Con has been funded by the NOW Group with support from The National Lottery Community Fund.

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Guest post by Jonathan Long, Head of Operations, Pure Telecom

We have been told that geography no longer matters in the digital economy: whether you’re based in the heart of Dublin City Centre or on the mountain tops of Co. Kerry, entrepreneurs can build thriving companies from anywhere in the country. It’s a compelling narrative and one that is finally beginning to have some basis in reality.

With over 451,433 rural homes, farms and businesses now passed under the National Broadband Plan and the main rollout on track to be completed by the end of 2026, more and more regional businesses are gaining access to high-speed connectivity. For the first time, they can seamlessly hold virtual meetings, sell online and deliver services digitally, enabling them to compete on equal terms with their urban counterparts.

But infrastructure, however transformative, is only half the battle. To put it simply, Ireland is at a crossroads. Without the right tools, training and supports to match it, we risk building a two-tier digital economy in which regional businesses have the infrastructure, but not the means to fully benefit from it.

The early signs of what’s possible are already visible. The thriving craft beer scene in Waterford and the artisan chocolate industry in Clare are just two examples of what can happen when regional enterprises are given room to grow. Regional entrepreneurship has been gaining momentum for years, and with improved connectivity now within reach for so many more businesses, the conditions for growth have never been stronger. But, for these success stories to multiply across the country, solid infrastructure must be matched by equally solid supports.

This is especially true for fully remote businesses, operating without a central office. For these enterprises, a connectivity failure is not a minor inconvenience: it disrupts the entire fabric of their operations – interrupting sales calls, hindering cloud-based workflows and undermining team collaboration. And in today’s digital economy, this could apply to any business, from accountants and graphic designers to solicitors and e-commerce retailers.

But to enable these businesses to be as competitive as those operating out of the Silicon Docks, we must implement meaningful supports. This means investing in enhanced training and education, so that regional businesses can understand the infrastructure now available to them and learn how best to harness it. Digital literacy cannot just be assumed – particularly at the rate that technology is evolving. Scaled-up digital supports would further ensure that regional entrepreneurs are equipped to make the most of what this new connectivity offers.

Stronger, bespoke, local ecosystems with extensive mentorship, peer networks and regional support structures are also required, particularly for the tech and financial services sectors. While some supports do exist – namely the Local Enterprise Offices – the completion of the National Broadband Plan will increase the scope for fully remote businesses and thus, demand for support.

Co-working spaces, innovation hubs, and incubator facilities are equally critical. Many regional areas lack access to affordable, shared workspaces that foster the kind of organic networking and collaboration found in cities.

Arguably, the most important measure that needs to be introduced to level the playing field between urban and regional businesses is fair pricing conditions. As a result of limited local competition, businesses outside of major urban centres often face higher connectivity costs. Even as the National Broadband Plan rollout reaches them, businesses may not benefit immediately as meaningful price competition could take years to follow. This is a structural issue that both policy and industry alike need to address. Whether it’s subsidies, vouchers or regional pricing tiers, action must be taken to ensure regional businesses are not penalised for existing outside major cities.

Without doubt, Ireland now has a genuine opportunity to place regional businesses on equal footing with their urban counterparts. For the very first time, the infrastructure needed to close the connectivity gap is within reach. The question is whether we will match it with the ambition and investment required to make it count. In the digital economy, connectivity is the foundation – but education, knowledge, tools and support are what turn that foundation into a real and lasting competitive advantage.

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Students from St. Mel’s College, Lanesboro Community College, Ardscoil Phádraig and Moyne Community School were among graduates from across Leinster who took part in the recent STEM Passport for Inclusion graduation ceremony at Maynooth University.

The County Longford students joined peers from around the country in celebrating the successful completion of the university-accredited Level 6 National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) module, ‘Introduction to 21st Century STEM Skills’.

Mairead Reynolds from St Mel’s College graduated on the day and also received the Outstanding School Engagement Award. This award recognised St Mel’s College as having shown exceptional commitment to the programme, with lead teacher Mairead Reynolds and staff supporting students every step of the way. Mairead has worked closely with the team in Maynooth University ensuring clear communication, completing key administrative tasks and supporting the logistics that make the programme possible. Her dedication and collaboration helped create a positive, inclusive environment where students are empowered to achieve their goals.

Longford County Council piloted the STEM Passport for Inclusion programme in local hubs the Latin School Moyne and EDI Centre during the 2023/2024 academic year. Following its ongoing success, the programme has expanded for the 2025/2026 academic year and is now being offered and delivered across all nine post-primary schools in County Longford.

Delivering the programme locally has reduced transportation costs and has removed the need for participants to travel to Dublin, making the programme far more accessible for our rural communities.
Cathaoirleach of Longford County Council, Cllr Garry Murtagh said, “This programme has opened real opportunities for young people in County Longford. It is encouraging to see students from our post-primary schools complete a university-accredited module and be recognised for their work. It shows what can be achieved when education is made accessible and inclusive.”

Chief Executive of Longford County Council, Paddy Mahon said, “Longford County Council is proud to have piloted and expanded the STEM Passport for Inclusion locally. Delivering the programme in the county has removed practical barriers for students and supported equal access to third-level pathways. This initiative reflects our commitment to education, inclusion and regional opportunity.”

The STEM passport for Inclusion programme is a joint initiative led by Maynooth University, in partnership with Microsoft, Science Foundation Ireland, and the Department of Education. The programme aims to address inequality in access to STEM education and careers by breaking barriers and empowering students from under-served backgrounds to pursue career pathways in science, technology, engineering and maths.

Through the programme students learn core STEM skills including design thinking, computational thinking and Python, while also benefiting from academic supports and mentoring from industry professionals. On completion, eligible students can avail of the DEIS STEM Pathway which offers an additional 50/60 Leaving Certificate points for entry to designated STEM courses at Maynooth University, Munster Technological University and Technological University of the Shannon.

Sincere thanks was extended to the teachers who supported the students and enabled their participation in this fantastic programme. Special thanks also to Stephen Gillic, Lecturer at Maynooth University for travelling to County Longford to deliver the programme and to Isabel Meza Silva and Leigh Butler for all their leadership and guidance to ensure the success of the programme in Longford.

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Technology Ireland, the Ibec group representing the Irish technology sector, is hosting over 35 European Tech Trade Associations CEOs from across Europe for the DIGITALEUROPE National Trade Association (NTA) Summit. The two-day summit (6–7 May) arrives at a critical juncture as industry leaders align on joint recommendations for the forthcoming Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The summit serves as a platform for DIGITALEUROPE—which represents over 56,000 businesses across 42 national trade associations and 120 corporations—to finalise a strategic roadmap for Europe’s digital future. Central to the discussions is a joint industry statement calling for a shift in EU policy: moving away from adding layers of complexity and toward a framework that prioritises cutting red tape and scaling investment.

Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl, Director General of DIGITALEUROPE, stated:

“Europe is already delivering on its digital ambitions, from the inauguration of Lucy—the EU’s most powerful photonic quantum computer—to pioneering 6G projects. However, simplification alone is not enough. As we look toward the Irish Presidency, our message is clear: Europe must focus on two priorities—cutting and simplifying the regulatory framework while scaling investment and demand to compete globally. We count on the Irish Presidency to deliver a regulatory environment that truly supports our industrial ambitions.”

Una Fitzpatrick, Director of Technology Ireland, added:

“As the Irish member of DIGITALEUROPE, we are proud to host this summit in Dublin. Ireland’s position as a leading digital hub makes it perfectly placed to drive meaningful simplification across the EU’s digital framework. We are calling for the ‘Digital Omnibus’ to actively reduce fragmentation and ensure that B2B data sharing remains voluntary and based on contractual freedom, protecting the sensitive know-how of our innovative SMEs and scale-ups.”

Joint Industry Recommendations On the evening of May 6, the attending CEOs will agree on a set of formal recommendations for the Irish Presidency. Key pillars of the industry’s position include:

Cutting Regulatory Burden: Implementing a “Digital Omnibus” to address overlapping requirements, particularly within the AI Act and cybersecurity frameworks, which currently divert resources away from risk mitigation.

Harmonising Data Use: Seeking greater clarity on GDPR definitions to unlock the potential of AI and advanced analytics across Member States.

Scaling Investment & Demand: Rapidly expanding support from the European Investment Bank and kick-starting demand through joint, pan-European procurement to turn breakthroughs into industrial capability.

Securing Connectivity: Ensuring the evolving framework supports Europe’s digital backbone, including 5G, 6G, and satellite connectivity, without introducing additional burdens.

The summit will conclude on May 7, with the finalised recommendations set to be presented to Irish and EU policymakers ahead of the Presidency term.

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South East Technological University (SETU) will host the online launch of the INNOVISION programme on 13 May 2026, bringing together researchers from across disciplines to engage with an international network addressing vision-related challenges.

The INNOVISION Kick-Off Meeting, delivered online via Zoom, will run from 9.30am to 5.00pm and marks the opening of the programme’s next recruitment phase, alongside a full day of interactive workshops and expert-led sessions.

INNOVISION is an EU co-funded postdoctoral training initiative under the Marie Sk?odowska-Curie Actions, focused on advancing research in ocular disease and vision impairment. The programme responds to the increasing global burden of visual health conditions linked to ageing populations, chronic disease, and environmental factors.

Coordinated by SETU’s Dr Laurence Fitzhenry and managed by Tess Ames, the programme encourages collaboration across a wide range of disciplines, allowing researchers to propose their own topics in areas such as nanomedicine, pharmacology, artificial intelligence, psychology, molecular biology, and public health. This interdisciplinary approach reflects the complexity of vision challenges and the need for solutions that extend beyond traditional research boundaries.

INNOVISION places particular emphasis on interdisciplinary, intersectoral, and international collaboration, alongside researcher mobility and engagement with the real-world needs of people affected by vision loss. The programme is designed to support high-quality research while also strengthening researcher career development and building long-term capacity in the field of vision research.

Speaking ahead of the launch, Dr Fitzhenry said:
 “INNOVISION is built on the idea that vision research extends far beyond the lab. We are bringing together people working in areas as diverse as clinical science, design, policy, business, and the arts to address global challenges related to vision and eye health.”

Professor Marie Claire Van Hout, Vice President for Research, Innovation and Impact at SETU, added, “Programmes such as INNOVISIONdemonstrate SETU’s commitment to delivering research that is both globally connected and regionally relevant. By supporting interdisciplinary collaboration and engaging directly with patient needs, we are building research capacity that will deliver meaningful impact for society while developing the next generation of research talent.”

The launch event will introduce prospective applicants to an international consortium of supervisors spanning Europe, North America, and beyond. Attendees will hear directly from researchers through a series of short presentations, offering insight into potential collaboration opportunities.

The event is open to postgraduate students, postdoctoral researchers, early career academics, and established researchers. It is particularly relevant to those interested in applying their expertise to vision-related challenges, even if their background is not traditionally aligned with vision science.

The agenda includes keynote presentations, interactive workshops, and discussions on embedding public and patient involvement (PPI) in research, alongside case studies exploring pathways from research to patient advocacy. Contributors include organisations such as Fighting Blindness and The Dry Eye Foundation, highlighting the importance of patient-centred research and real-world impact.

Designed as an interactive experience rather than a traditional webinar, the event will include breakout sessions and opportunities for networking, enabling participants to engage directly with speakers and peers.

Ames added, “Our goal is to create a space where researchers at any stage can develop new perspectives, build collaborations, and understand how their work can translate into meaningful impact for patients and society.”

The event is free to attend, fully online, and open to researchers worldwide. Sessions will also be recorded for those unable to attend live.

Registration is now open, with further details available via INNOViSION website.

See more stories here.

In light of the serious developing global energy crisis which is driving up electricity prices, the Micro-Renewable Energy Federation (www.mref.ie) has called on the Government to immediately take practical action to accelerate the adoption of micro-generation of renewable power by homes, farms and businesses across the country.

The importance of micro-generation for Ireland

The Chairperson of MREF, Ciaran Kells, said that the grant for solar PV installations needs to be increased up to 6 kwp of solar PV, or at least €2,400, for homes. In addition, a grant of €200/kwh for up to 10kwh of battery storage should be introduced to help homeowners use as much of their own renewable energy generation within the home as possible. He said grant support for battery storage would also be a very positive move in helping to balance demand on the grid as more and more renewables are connected.

Mr. Kells also called on the Government to amend the rules preventing owners of new homes and businesses who connected to the grid since 2021 from securing SEAI grants. He said: “The denial of grant supports for new homeowners discriminates massively against young families, in particular, with limited resources who have bought their own homes in the last 5 years. At a minimum, all grid connections, domestic and commercial, up to the end of 2025 need to be able to apply and receive a grant for a micro generation installation.”

MREF has been highly critical of the massive cuts to solar PV supports by the Department of Agriculture, describing it as a “devastating blow to thousands of farmers interested in adopting renewable energy to reduce their escalating energy costs and carbon emissions”.

Mr. Kells said that this move has brought a vibrant farmer market for installers to a stand-still and has resulted in the loss of well paid, skilled jobs across rural Ireland.

He said that Government needs to act immediately to provide a credible alternative to the TAMS grants for solar PV, that have been essentially eliminated.  Mr. Kells said that this problem can be addressed by increasing SEAI non-domestic solar PV grant supports with a proposed minimum €300/kwp for all installations under the MINI generation grid connection process and introducing supports for €200/kwh of battery storage for up to 75kwh and €100/kwh for battery systems above that.

Mr. Kells said that these measures would go a long way towards addressing the vacuum left by the loss of TAMS for farmers and would also be a meaningful improvement in supports for SMEs who are also very much under pressure from rising energy costs.

Mr.  Kells said that MREF estimates that the improvements it is proposing in supports for homes, farms and businesses would add no more than €50m per year to the costs of  grant supports  and  would have multiple payback effects for the country in accelerating the adoption of solar PV and battery storage across society.  It would also  improve energy security and reduce  Ireland’s dependence on imported fossil fuels, while also reducing our carbon emissions.

Concluding, Mr. Kells said that MREF members appreciate the supports that Government has put in place for micro-generation over the past few years, which have contributed to the micro-generation sector now underpinning thousands of jobs across the country and helping all stakeholders reduce energy costs and carbon emissions.

“Now is the time to update and improve the supports we have in place in responding to the threat and opportunity that soaring global energy costs have created,” he said.

To learn more about the Micro-Renewable Energy Federation, please go to www.mref.ie

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Surfshark’s quarterly analysis of global data breaches shows that Ireland ranks as the 39th most breached country in Q1 2026, with 260 thousand leaked accounts. Globally, a total of 210.3 million accounts were breached, with the US ranking first and amounting to 29% of all breaches from January through March. France takes second place, while India is third, followed by Brazil and the UK.

Since 2004, Ireland is the 4th in Northern Europe, with 28.9M compromised user accounts. A total of 6.8M unique emails were breached from Ireland. 18.8M passwords were leaked together with Irish accounts, putting 65% of breached users in danger of account take over that might lead to identity theft, extortion or other cybercrimes. Statistically, an average Irish has been affected by data breaches around 5 times.

Global data leaks up 22%

The scope of exposed information often extends to highly sensitive personal data, such as Social Security Numbers (85.5k), financial data, e.g., payment card numbers (2.3k), and contact information, such as phone numbers (1.5M) and addresses (1.8M).

Globally, the number of breached accounts tripled in Q1 2026 compared to the same period in 2025 and increased by 22% compared to the last quarter of 2025.

An important fact is that, in 2025, 20.2% of companies reported using AI, up from 8.7% in 2023 — meaning adoption has more than doubled over the past two years. Do the figures for recent AI adoption and the increase in data leaks correlate?

According to Tomas Stamulis, Chief Security Officer at Surfshark, as companies rapidly adopt AI, they increase the amount of user data stored, expand the number of digital systems they use, and integrate more platforms to manage larger volumes of user data.
“These AI-driven systems also collect and log more detailed user information for automation, analytics, and model improvement. While this improves the company’s efficiency, it also means there are many more systems for businesses to secure, more opportunities for error, and more points where sensitive information such as user credentials and personal data can be exposed. As a result, hackers now have a larger and more complex environment to exploit and execute attacks, including data breaches,” explains Tomas Stamulis.
With data breaches becoming a daily risk for companies, Stamulis shares his deepest concerns about businesses forcing users to create accounts and provide personal information to complete an online purchase when there is no clear need for it.

“For people, a data leak means their personal information is forever on the internet. It’s not a one-time threat that disappears after a user changes their compromised email address and password. It becomes a constant security risk as hackers reuse leaked data, package it into ‘combo lists,’ combine it with new leaks, and resell it repeatedly. So even after 10 or 20 years, leaked data is still valuable and can be used against a user to commit fraud, gain access to more data, and steal money,” says Surfshark’s Chief Security Officer.
He reminds people of the main habits of personal data hygiene in the age of AI:

Provide your real data, such as your primary email address, telephone number, home address, and other sensitive personal information, only when there is a critical need, such as filling out official forms;

In other cases, use an alternative identity or email masking services;

Avoid providing your data unless necessary.

Ireland’s full profile can be found here: https://surfshark.com/research/data-breach-monitoring?country=ie

ABOUT SURFSHARK

Surfshark is a cybersecurity company offering products including an audited VPN, certified antivirus, data leak warning system, private search engine, and a tool for generating an online identity. Recognized as a leading VPN by CNET and TechRadar, Surfshark has also been featured on the FT1000: Europe’s Fastest Growing Companies ranking. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Surfshark has offices in Lithuania and Poland. For information on Surfshark’s operations and highlights, read our Annual Wrap-up. For more research projects, visit our research hub.

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Conference tackles energy poverty and impartial delivery of one-stop-shop scheme

EU legislation to decarbonise Ireland’s building stock, including residential homes, is set to be adopted into Irish law on 29 May 2026.

Decarbonising Ireland’s building stock

The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) is the focus of a free conference hosted by the not-for-profit South East Energy Agency at the Aisling Hotel in Dublin on Thursday, May 14th 2026.
The conference brings together European and Irish policymakers and stakeholders for the first time to discuss best practices and the adoption of the European Directive to achieve impartial delivery of home retrofits and to address energy poverty in Ireland.
Former President, Mrs Mary Robinson, will give the opening address, via video, leading to a panel discussion on a range of issues, including:

• How to effectively transpose the EPBD into national legislation to ensure its delivery in practice.
• Promote energy inclusivity and identify measures to tackle energy poverty in Ireland.
• Hear from EU policymakers in other EU countries.
• Discuss alignment with the broader European one-stop-shop (OSS) framework by strengthening Ireland’s current implementation model (via SEAI) with the full range of OSS services, including the advice and support models to deliver impartial retrofits.

Ireland has a strong SEAI programme that delivers the Implementation Model, the retrofit work itself. However, the broader European approach recommends integrating the Advice and Support Models to provide independent guidance to homeowners on renewable technologies and grant availability, as well as hands-on assistance to help them navigate the retrofit journey and manage applications, contractors, and financing.

With just a few weeks until the Directive is passed into national law, Alex Hamilton, Head of Operations with the South East Energy Agency, explains, “Ireland’s programme is largely contractor-led. In contrast, across Europe, publicly funded bodies typically deliver the advice and support stages to ensure independence and value for money, with contractors appointed afterwards. Integrating all three models in Irish legislation is one of the key messages we hope to deliver on May 14th. We are looking forward to hearing from our EU counterparts to develop the best approach here in Ireland.

Stakeholders across the supply chain, whether it’s architects, energy assessors, contractors or financiers, must come together to provide an integrated service if Ireland is to address the current shortfall and effectively deliver this Directive in practice, particularly for those experiencing energy poverty.” She said.

Irish employers are facing immediate compliance exposure as the EU Pay Transparency Directive moves toward transposition into Irish law, according to new data from HRLocker. Despite the government signalling that it will miss the EU’s 07 June transposition deadline, HRLocker warns that this does not buy employers extra time. As such, most organisations remain under-informed, under-prepared, and lacking the systems required to meet the Directive’s demands from day one.

As Laura Bambrick, Social Policy Officer at the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), warns, even without nationally enacted legislation, employees with a valid claim under the Directive may ultimately be entitled to seek compensation backdated to 7 June 2026. The implementation delay does not extinguish employees’ rights; it merely postpones the formal enforcement mechanism. This means businesses must act now to avoid future risk.

Low understanding, low readiness

In a recent poll of more than 160 SME HR and business leaders, HRLocker found that familiarity with the Directive is low, with only one in seven (14%) reporting a strong understanding. The data reveal that this lack of understanding directly translates into low organisational readiness.

Only a very small proportion of employers (4%) consider themselves fully prepared, while almost half say they are either not prepared (31%) or unsure (14%). At the same time, two-thirds (65%) of employers expect the Directive to increase HR and people?related costs, signalling widespread concern about the operational burden of compliance.

Weak performance infrastructure means employers cannot defend pay decisions

The Directive requires employers to justify pay decisions using objective, documented, evidence-based criteria. But HRLocker’s data shows that most organisations do not yet have the performance infrastructure needed.

Only a small minority (8%) have fully automated performance-review processes. The majority rely on manual (35%) or partially digital (38%) systems that cannot support the level of transparency and traceability the Directive demands. One in five (19%) report having no formal process at all.

Under the Directive, the most common performance?management challenges, namely slow review cycles (55%), poor goal alignment (43%), and lack of ongoing feedback (42%), are widespread across organisations of all sizes, and will carry direct compliance consequences.

Compliance risk begins the moment the directive lands

HRLocker warns that the compliance risk is immediate, not gradual. Because the Directive requires employers to demonstrate historical evidence of how pay decisions were made, organisations cannot build this retrospectively. Any employer without consistent documentation, clear criteria, and traceable decision?making already in place will be non?compliant the moment the law takes effect.

When asked about the biggest challenge in implementing the Directive, employers overwhelmingly cited ensuring legal and regulatory compliance (70%), far ahead of concerns about retention (47%), administrative workload (44%), or recruitment (27%).

HRLocker CEO Crystel Robbins Rynne said the findings should serve as a wake?up call for employers: “The timeline may be uncertain, but the direction of travel is not. Employers already know enough to act. Once the Directive is implemented, it will be too late to build the evidence and processes needed to defend pay decisions.”

“Organisations should be taking three practical steps now: document performance consistently, define objective criteria for pay, and ensure every pay decision is traceable to evidence. If you can’t show your workings, you won’t be compliant. Pay transparency is fundamentally about governance and data. Businesses that invest now will reduce risk, control costs, and protect trust. Those who wait will face a compliance scramble,” she added.

For more information on how to make your organisation Pay Transparency ready, visit: hrlocker.com/blog/pay-transparency

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Greenvolt Next, part of the Greenvolt Group, a leading specialist in renewable energy solutions for the commercial and industrial sector, has announced the completion of a 2.2MWp ground-mounted solar farm at the Astellas Damastown facility in Dublin.

Greenvolt Next delivered a high-impact renewable energy solution in just four months, a timeframe that is increasingly critical to support energy security in today’s volatile energy landscape. Managing every stage of the project, from concept/design to installation and commissioning, Greenvolt Next continues to support Astellas Dublin’s site with ongoing maintenance and performance reviews.

The solar farm which is now live features 3,192 solar panels and five inverters, supplying 27% of the site’s electricity needs and reducing Scope 2 CO? emissions by 310 tonnes annually. It marks a significant milestone in Astellas Dublin’s sustainability journey, strengthening operational resilience, lowering environmental impact while maintaining operational excellence.

Designed with future growth in mind, the system can accommodate additional inverters and battery storage integration, allowing the facility to expand its renewable energy capacity as operational needs evolve. This is part of Astellas ongoing commitment to contribute to the sustainability of society through its business activities.

Throughout the project, sustainability considerations extended beyond energy generation. At each stage, careful attention was given to protecting and enhancing site biodiversity. Large bug hotels were constructed using reclaimed tree stumps, multiple bat boxes were installed, and a significant number of native Irish trees were planted to promote local ecology and support long-term biodiversity on the site. The solar farm is also visible along the site’s 1.1km riverwalk, offering employees and visitors a clear view of the facility’s commitment to renewable energy and environmental stewardship.

Owen Power, CEO of Greenvolt Next Ireland, commented: “This solar farm is an impressive feat with our resourceful team completing the design, installation and delivery of over 3,000 solar panels in just four months. The turnaround time for a project of this scale is meaningful and shows how quickly we can implement change – change that gives Astellas more control and more reliability in terms of its energy needs both today and in the future. Making renewable energy easy not only benefits the organisation but also its customers and the environment as a whole, particularly at a time when these factors are becoming increasingly critical amid ongoing volatility and uncertainty in energy markets.”

Leon Burns, Capital Projects Lead, Astellas Ireland, commented: “At Astellas, we know that time is of the essence when it comes to taking action. As well as doing the best for patients, we are also committed to doing the best for the world around us – that includes supporting a greener future. In just four months, Greenvolt Next has delivered a solar farm which boosts our sustainability credentials and offers scalability. Underpinned by their resources and expertise, this installation is already making a tangible difference to our business operations.”

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TechFoundHer, Ireland’s leading force backing women to start, lead, and scale tech startups, has announced that its annual all day Summit has been chosen as the flagship event of Dublin Tech Week. Taking place on Friday, 29 May at the iconic Round Room in the Mansion House, Dublin, the TechFoundHer Summit will bring together a powerful line-up of women tech founders, innovators, and global investors.

Dublin City Council is the headline sponsor for the Summit now in its fourth year, which has quickly become a key gathering for those championing women tech founders with a clear mission: to place women at the centre of the conversation on the future of technology and innovation.

Founded by entrepreneur Máirín Murray, TechFoundHer is redefining who gets to build, lead, and scale in tech – creating pathways for women to harness technology to solve real-world problems and drive meaningful innovation.

Speaking ahead of the event, Máirín Murray said:
“We’re expecting over 300 women to raise the roof of the Mansion House! It’s so important that women are centre stage as part of Dublin Tech Week. The TechFoundHer Summit is about shifting the narrative and the reality of who is building the future of tech. This is where women founders step forward, take space, and lead. It’s not just about visibility; it’s about building, backing, and accelerating real innovation.”

A global line-up of founders, investors, and tech leaders

The 2026 TechFoundHer Summit will feature an international line-up of investors, founders, and champions, including USA based opening speaker Catherine Gray – the award-winning producer of Show Her the Money, global investor Erika Aquino and Silicon Valley based serial tech entrepreneur Lata Setty. These global leaders will join a cohort of emerging and scaling founders from across the island, creating a dynamic environment for insight-sharing, collaboration, and innovation demos.

Showcasing the next generation of women tech founders

A central feature of this year’s Summit will be the showcase of founders including those from the WeBuild programme.  WeBuild is led by InterTradeIreland in partnership with Invest Northern Ireland and Enterprise Ireland as part of the Shared Island Enterprise Scheme, funded by the Government of Ireland through the Shared Island Fund, with TechFoundHer as delivery partner.

These founders represent a new wave of innovation; women from diverse backgrounds developing scalable, tech-driven solutions across sectors. Their presence at the Summit underscores TechFoundHer’s commitment to not just talk about change, but actively build it.

More than a summit – a movement

With women continuing to receive a disproportionately small share of venture capital in Ireland and globally, the TechFoundHer Summit is designed to challenge the status quo by creating visibility, connection, and opportunity for women-led innovation.

The event will bring together founders, investors, ecosystem leaders, and allies for a high-energy day of lightning talks, panels, and networking  all focused on advancing inclusive innovation and unlocking the full potential of women in tech.

Máirín Murray added:
“We are at a critical moment. Technology is reshaping every aspect of our world  and women must be part of building it. The Summit is about optimism, ambition, and action. It’s about using tech as a force for good and ensuring women are leading that charge.”

Tickets are now available via Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/techfoundher-summit-2026-tickets-1982625741965

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Last month, Vodafone made telecoms history with Ireland’s first-ever mobile video call via satellite through a smartphone. Satellite video calls happen when data is beamed directly to and from satellites orbiting Earth. It means regular phone users in Ireland will soon be able to access the internet and make video calls via satellites, without needing to own a clunky satellite phone. It’s a significant move in the right direction for Ireland’s telecommunications industry, which regularly experiences connectivity challenges due to flooding, big freezes and heatwaves.

I caught up with Sheila Kavanagh, engineer and Network Director Vodafone Ireland to find out more about this. Shelia talks about her background, Ireland’s first-ever mobile video call via satellite through a smartphone, the growing popularity of video calls and audio messages and more.

More about Ireland’s Ireland’s first-ever mobile video call by Vodafone via satellite:

Powered by AST SpaceMobile BlueBird satellite, Vodafone hopes this new technology will help people stay connected, even in the most hazardous climate conditions. In January last year, it was estimated that over one third of mobile phone users were affected by Storm Éowyn. In addition, the National Climate Change Risk Assessment (NCCRA) published by the Environmental Protection Agency last June identified 115 risks to Ireland from climate change, the most pressing being risks to energy and communications infrastructure due to extreme winds.

See more podcasts here.

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is encouraging homeowners to upgrade their homes to make them more comfortable, healthier and less costly to run. This is timely advice as households look for ways to address higher energy costs ahead of the next heating season.

With an expanded range of grant supports now available, SEAI is advising homeowners that early research and planning can help them make better decisions, maximise the supports available to them, and ensure upgrades are completed before peak winter demand. Most importantly, they improve comfort and reduce energy bills sooner.

Home Energy upgrades from SEAI

SEAI is encouraging homeowners not to wait until the colder months to consider upgrades, noting that planning, grant applications and contractor availability can take time. By starting now, homeowners can:

• Take advantage of current grant supports
• Spread the cost and planning of works over time
• Ensure upgrades are completed before peak winter demand
• Improve comfort and reduce energy bills sooner

In the first three months of 2026, SEAI supported 12,300 home energy upgrades through Government-funded grant schemes. And so far, this year there has been a record 25,000 grant applications processed after enhanced SEAI supports were announced earlier this year.

CEO of SEAI, William Walsh, said: “At a time when energy costs are a concern for many households, SEAI is here to help. With our new and expanded grant options, you can reduce your homes reliance on fossil fuels and get the benefits of a warmer and healthier house. Grant support is available for windows and doors, attic and wall insulation, heat pumps, and solar panels as well as fully funded energy upgrades under the Warmer Homes scheme.

There has never been a better time to retrofit your home. Whether you’re planning to take it step by step, or to do a complete home energy upgrade, SEAI has a grant that will help you on your journey, reduce energy bills and increase comfort. “

SEAI’s promotion of home energy upgrade grants from SEAI coincides with the Government campaign highlighting supports and advice available for those looking to save energy and save money.

For more information on SEAI home energy grants, visit www.seai.ie/homeenergyupgrades

About SEAI

SEAI is the expert authority on decarbonising Ireland’s energy system, using robust, objective data and an evidence-based approach to help inform policy development and energy user behaviours. SEAI empowers households, businesses, motorists and the public sector to move away from fossil fuels with practical advice and financial supports. We encourage positive changes in how Ireland uses energy to deliver a more prosperous, energy efficient and cleaner environment.

SEAI is funded by the Government of Ireland through the Department of  Climate, Energy and the Environment.

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Team ‘The ARC’ from Mercy Mounthawk will represent Ireland at a European Space Agency event later this year.

Students from Kerry have been crowned national champions of the ESERO Ireland CanSat competition, a flagship European Space Agency initiative that challenges secondary school students to design, build and launch a working mini-satellite that fits inside a drinks can.

European Space Agency CanSat competition

Team ‘The ARC’ from Mercy Mounthawk  will now represent Ireland on the European stage later this year at an event hosted by the European Space Agency.

The two-day national final in Co. Laois brought together six teams from across the country. Students launched their CanSats by rocket, captured and transmitted real-time data on descent, and presented their results to a panel of expert judges.

Culann Dowling, Captain of Team ‘The ARC’, said:

“The best thing about taking part in CanSat is the amount we’ve learned and our teamwork, which has strengthened our friendships.  It’s been such a great experience overall and the team and I want to thank our teachers Mr. Hayes and Ms. Brosnahan for their support and guidance throughout the competition.”

Padraig McDermott, a member of the Irish team that won the European CanSat competition in 2018, attended the final as a guest speaker. He is currently completing a PhD in physics at UCD as part of EIRSAT-1. Padraig said:

“Being here takes me back to the excitement of 2018 and to the impact that being part of CanSat has had on my professional life. After graduation, I successfully applied for an EIRSAT internship at UCD, and I know that taking part in CanSat played a big role in my being accepted. The whole experience of taking part; the teamwork, the research, the practical build and the presenting, is instrumental in preparing the scientists of the future for a career in space.”

Speaking at the final, Áine Flood, Manager at ESERO Ireland (which hosts CanSat Ireland), said:

“It has been an incredible year for the CanSat programme, and the energy and enthusiasm from students has been matched every step of the way by the teachers and Technological University experts who supported them.”

“Congratulations to the 2026 winners, Team ‘The ARC’, and to every finalist we heard from over these two days. The standard of innovation, problem-solving and teamwork on display has been outstanding and, like Padraig and the 2018 Irish team, I’ve no doubt we’ll be hearing about the achievements of these young scientists and engineers for years to come.”

Brendan Owens, Education and Public Engagement Programme Manager at Research Ireland, and co-funder of ESERO Ireland, said:

“CanSat is one of the most exciting education initiatives of the year, showcasing the next generation of scientists and engineers and the depth of STEM talent at second level across the country. Competitions like this depend on the dedication and passion of the teachers who support and encourage their students to take part as well as the lecturers and experts at our Technological Universities who guide teams throughout the process. We are very grateful for their commitment.”

“This year’s competition saw strong national participation, with 34 teams from 18 schools registering and 20 teams progressing to regional finals. From those, six teams reached the national final and today we congratulate Team ‘The ARC’ on winning the 2026 CanSat Ireland title.

“Research Ireland is proud to support ESERO Ireland and initiatives like CanSat that build practical skills, confidence and ambition in STEM, and we look forward to following the winners  as they represent Ireland at the European Space Agency event later this year.”

Building future space careers

CanSat is widely recognised as one of the most advanced STEM competitions for secondary school students, offering hands-on experience in electronics and programming, data analysis, engineering design and scientific communication.

By working like a real mission team planning, building, testing and presenting to experts, students gain a genuine insight into pathways into engineering and the space sector.

Niamh Shaw, national coordinator for CanSat Ireland, said:

“The level of innovation, teamwork and technical ability shown by students this year has been exceptional.”

“CanSat gives young people the chance to gain practical experience of what a career in space and engineering looks like; from building hardware and writing code to analysing data and communicating results.”

“Every team that reached the national final should be hugely proud. Congratulations again to Team ‘The ARC’.  We can’t wait to see them take Ireland’s CanSat story to Europe later this year.”

“Huge thanks also to our expert panel, Neil Murray from ESA, who is working on the Argonaut lunar lander, Aine Flood, Manager at ESERO Ireland and Eoin Lambe from Midas, which provides an additional prize to the overall winners.”

Schools interested in taking part in the 2026/2027 CanSat programme can find more information at:

https://esero.ie/projects/cansat/

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Western Development Commission (WDC) and Atlantic Technological University (ATU) have today announced a major new national research partnership that will examine how remote and hybrid work is reshaping Ireland’s economy, communities and quality of life.

Funded under the TU RISE Programme, the two-year project titled, Connected Futures: The Economics of Remote and Hybrid Work in Ireland and its Impacts on Wellbeing, Mobility, and the Local Economy, represents the next chapter in one of Ireland’s most established programmes of remote work research.

The impacts of remote and hybrid work

For over two decades, the WDC has been at the forefront of new ways of working in Ireland, championing the potential of teleworking long before remote work became part of everyday life. Its annual National Remote Work Survey, delivered in partnership with University of Galway, became one of the country’s most trusted sources of insight into changing work patterns and opportunities for balanced regional development.

The WDC also leads Connected Hubs in partnership with the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, helping communities across the country attract workers, support enterprise and allow more people to live locally while working nationally or globally. Dr Aisling Moroney, from the WDC Policy Analysis team, will lead the WDC involvement in the research.

Atlantic Technological University brings substantial research capability to this partnership, with growing strength in applied economics, regional development, innovation and public policy. The research will be led by Dr Amaya Vega, Dr Sinead Keogh and Dr Michelle Queally from the Department of Enterprise and Technology in the Faculty of Business, working with post-doctoral researcher Dr Salim Khan. With campuses and communities across the west and northwest, ATU is uniquely placed to help examine how changing work patterns are impacting people, places and enterprise across Ireland.

This new partnership will build on that foundation and move the conversation forward again. In a post-Covid economy, where hybrid and remote work are now established features of working life, the research will provide Government and stakeholders with fresh evidence on local spending, sustainable mobility, wellbeing, digital infrastructure, commuting behaviour and the long-term future of regional communities.
The programme will deliver enhanced national datasets, policy briefings, peer reviewed academic outputs and a flagship WDC report designed to inform decision makers and the wider public.

Dr Orla Flynn, President of ATU said

“Remote and hybrid work have fundamentally reshaped how we live, work and connect, particularly in regional and rural Ireland.  By combining ATU’s research expertise and regional reach with the WDC’s leadership in this area, the Connected Futures initiative will generate evidence-based insights to support national decision-making, strengthen communities and ensure that the benefits of new ways of working are shared across all regions of the country.”

Allan Mulrooney, CEO of the WDC said:

Ireland changed how it works almost overnight. The challenge now is understanding what that means for communities, for businesses and for regional growth.

This partnership with ATU is about building that evidence, grounded in real data and lived experience, and ensuring remote and hybrid work deliver meaningful benefits across the country, not just in a small number of locations.

That evidence will help Government, agencies and employers take the right next steps and ensure Ireland remains ahead of the curve”.

Lead researcher Dr Amaya Vega said:

“At ATU Faculty of Business, we are proud to bring our expertise in regional development, mobility, health, and wellbeing to this important project, helping to shape a future of work that benefits people, and supports thriving local economies across Ireland.”

Remote and hybrid work are no longer temporary trends. They are structural changes in how people live and work. This project will provide the robust evidence needed to understand those changes and support better policy decisions for Ireland.

The project will be supported by a high-level steering committee involving national and international stakeholders including the National Economic and Social Council, Grow Remote and other partners.

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Dell Technologies has introduced a keyboard and mouse combo that charges in five seconds and delivers a full day of use.

The new Dell Pro 7 Rechargeable Compact Keyboard and Mouse rely on supercapacitor technology rather than traditional lithium-ion batteries.

The Dell Pro 7 Rechargeable Compact Keyboard and Mouse replace traditional lithium-ion batteries with supercapacitor technology, significantly reducing charging times while maintaining extended usage.

Part of Dell’s latest accessories portfolio, the new devices are designed to support users across Ireland with faster charging and reliable day-to-day performance.

A five-second charge provides up to a full day of use, while a full charge takes less than five minutes. Once fully charged, the keyboard delivers up to three months of use, and the mouse up to six weeks. Dell also describes the mouse as the world’s lightest non-lithium-ion rechargeable model.

The launch forms part of Dell’s broader commercial portfolio update, including new PCs, accessories and productivity tools aimed at hybrid working environments. The shift to supercapacitor technology reflects the company’s focus on alternative energy storage solutions for low-power devices.

Unlike conventional batteries, supercapacitors charge and discharge rapidly and can withstand significantly higher charge cycles, though they store less total energy. Dell notes that the lower power requirements of peripherals such as keyboards and mice make them well-suited to this approach.

The Pro 7 keyboard and mouse support both Windows and Mac devices. Dell says the engineering effort focused on managing voltage drop during discharge, using efficient power management to ensure consistent performance.

Both devices follow the design principles of the wider Dell Pro 7 range, with quiet typing, comfortable key travel and a compact form factor suited to everyday use.

As road safety challenges evolve, brands are looking beyond traditional awareness campaigns to find new ways of influencing behaviour in everyday moments. Allianz Ireland created Seat Belters to explore how creativity, technology and data could be applied to make safer driving a more natural part of daily life.

How music can help with road safety

With excess speed linked to more than half of fatal road crashes worldwide, road safety today is less about raising awareness and more about driving real-world behavioural change. Allianz saw an opportunity to reach drivers through a universal, everyday medium that emotionally connects with people and has been scientifically shown to influence behaviour – music.

Allianz and Forsman & Bodenfors created Seat Belters in collaboration with Spotify to leverage the streaming giant’s unique application programming interface to create personalised playlists for drivers that only included songs with a lower beats per minute (BPM), specifically under 80 BPM.

Research suggests songs with lower BPM – such as Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran or When The Party’s Over by Billie Eilish – can promote steadier heart rates, calmer decisions and increased response time, influencing more relaxed, controlled driving overall.

Mark Brennan, Allianz Ireland’s Chief Marketing Officer, said: “In a world of constant distraction and time pressure, traditional road-safety messages have to compete for attention like never before. Seat Belters reflects a new way insurers like Allianz can influence behaviour – using technology to make safer choices easier by default.

“Rather than relying on warnings or shock tactics, the campaign removes friction from everyday driving. By combining personalisation, entertainment and behavioural data, it turns music into an active safety tool, with learnings that extend beyond road safety into wider areas of wellbeing and behavioural change.”

Seat Belters was launched a year ago with a social-first campaign that quickly accelerated into a global conversation, with nearly 25 million views across TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, and over 500,000 engagements across all social platforms.

To date, across Ireland, Austria, Hungary, Australia and the UK, where the campaign ran, the Seat Belters conversation has reached 134 million people with 66,827 users and counting, creating a safer driving playlist. Consciously committing to changing their driving behaviours. That’s more than 5.4 million minutes of safer driving music generated so far.

Broader marketing and social-behaviour research shows that meaningful engagement, such as clicks, shares, and active participation, is strongly linked to later behaviour change. A major meta-analysis found that behavioural engagement is an early and reliable sign of action-taking.

Damian Hanley, Forsman & Bodenfors’ Executive Creative Director, said: “Music sits beside every driver in every car in the world. We realised it can be either a good companion or a bad one. So, we wanted to turn it into a safety message people could listen to every single day.”

Allianz is currently exploring how the learnings from Seat Belters and the collaboration with Spotify can further amplify the campaign’s playlists and promote safer driving habits.

The most popular low-BPM songs from Seat Belters global campaign were:

—  Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran.
—  I Wanna Be Yours by Arctic Monkeys.
—  Someone Like You by Adele.
—  Perfect by Ed Sheeran.
—  All of Me by John Legend.
—  Let Her Go by Passenger.
—  Say You Won’t Let Go by James Arthur.
—  Lovely by Billie Eilish & Khalid.
—  When I Was Your Man by Bruno Mars.
—  The Night We Met by Lord Huron, Pheobe Bridgers.
—  Fix You by Coldplay.
—  When The Party’s Over by Billie Eilish.
—  Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez.
—  Shallow by Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper.
—  Say Something by A Great Big World.

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Ten (10) AI-first start-ups have been selected to participate in the third AI Ecosystem Accelerator Programme which commenced today at University College Dublin (UCD).

The Accelerator, delivered by NovaUCD in partnership with CeADAR, Ireland’s Centre for Applied AI, is part of CeADAR’s European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) for AI programme to support Irish start-ups and SMEs innovating with AI.

AI-First Start-Ups at UCD

The participating start-ups are; AnotherTrip; Databuckets; Diotima; Envaira; Infralign.ai; MESO; Neuronourish; RunCommerce; Setanta Space and Stormlands Mining.

See profiles below.

The focus of the 6-month programme is to support Ireland’s most promising and disruptive AI-first start-ups to accelerate commercial traction for global markets and become investment-ready scalable businesses.

Michelle Doyle, Senior Manager, Strategic Innovation Partnerships, NovaUCD, said, “I would like to congratulate the ten start-ups which have been selected, following a very competitive selection process, to participate in our third AI Ecosystem Accelerator programme. This year’s programme has been designed as a conversion engine to support ambitious, AI-first start-ups that already have market validation or live pilots underway and are now focused on accelerating traction on a global stage and are seeking to close a funding round this year.”

The AI Ecosystem Accelerator programme provides a structured pathway for founders and includes a combination of commercial, fundraising and technical supports. It also includes guidance from CeADAR’s AI experts to strengthen AI implementation and readiness for scale and support on data strategy, model evaluation, AI deployment readiness to ensure the underlying AI is robust, reliable and fit for real-world use.

Dr Ricardo Simon Carbajo, Director of Innovation and Development, CeADAR, said, “It is quite rewarding to see the growing interest of entrepreneurs in our AI Ecosystem Accelerator year on year. The Accelerator is a key pillar of CeADAR’s European Digital Innovation Hub for AI programme which has a set of services to reduce the risk and catalyse the adoption of AI in start-ups, SMEs and public sector organisations.”

Among the twenty (20) start-ups which have completed AI Ecosystem Accelerator Programmes delivered to date are, Customs Window, TrojanTrack, UniDoodle and Wrksense.

The AI Ecosystem Accelerator Programme is funded through the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) framework, a Europe-wide initiative supported by the European Commission and the Governments of member states. In Ireland, the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and
Employment, through Enterprise Ireland, leads on the EDIH programme.

The 2026 AI Ecosystem Accelerator Programme will end with a showcase event in October.

Profiles of Participating Start-ups

Ten (10) AI-first start-ups have been selected to participate in the third AI Ecosystem Accelerator Programme which commenced today at University College Dublin (UCD).

The Accelerator, delivered by NovaUCD in partnership with CeADAR, Ireland’s Centre for Applied AI, is part of CeADAR’s European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) for AI programme to support Irish start-ups and SMEs innovating with AI.
AI-First Start-Ups at UCD

The participating start-ups are; AnotherTrip; Databuckets; Diotima; Envaira; Infralign.ai; MESO; Neuronourish; RunCommerce; Setanta Space and Stormlands Mining.

See profiles below.

The focus of the 6-month programme is to support Ireland’s most promising and disruptive AI-first start-ups to accelerate commercial traction for global markets and become investment-ready scalable businesses.

Michelle Doyle, Senior Manager, Strategic Innovation Partnerships, NovaUCD, said, “I would like to congratulate the ten start-ups which have been selected, following a very competitive selection process, to participate in our third AI Ecosystem Accelerator programme. This year’s programme has been designed as a conversion engine to support ambitious, AI-first start-ups that already have market validation or live pilots underway and are now focused on accelerating traction on a global stage and are seeking to close a funding round this year.”

The AI Ecosystem Accelerator programme provides a structured pathway for founders and includes a combination of commercial, fundraising and technical supports. It also includes guidance from CeADAR’s AI experts to strengthen AI implementation and readiness for scale and support on data strategy, model evaluation, AI deployment readiness to ensure the underlying AI is robust, reliable and fit for real-world use.

Dr Ricardo Simon Carbajo, Director of Innovation and Development, CeADAR, said, “It is quite rewarding to see the growing interest of entrepreneurs in our AI Ecosystem Accelerator year on year. The Accelerator is a key pillar of CeADAR’s European Digital Innovation Hub for AI programme which has a set of services to reduce the risk and catalyse the adoption of AI in start-ups, SMEs and public sector organisations.”

Among the twenty (20) start-ups which have completed AI Ecosystem Accelerator Programmes delivered to date are, Customs Window, TrojanTrack, UniDoodle and Wrksense.

The AI Ecosystem Accelerator Programme is funded through the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) framework, a Europe-wide initiative supported by the European Commission and the Governments of member states. In Ireland, the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and
Employment, through Enterprise Ireland, leads on the EDIH programme.

The 2026 AI Ecosystem Accelerator Programme will end with a showcase event in October.

See more breaking stories here.

A new report by Greenhouse, the leading hiring platform, reveals that AI interviews are becoming mainstream in Ireland, but the first wave has failed on transparency, trust, and candidate experience. A third (36%) of Irish job seekers have now been interviewed by an AI, according to the Greenhouse 2026 Candidate AI Interview Report, which surveyed 2,950 active job seekers. Yet 27% of Irish candidates have already walked away from a hiring process because it included an AI interview, and another 23% say they would.

AI is Everywhere. Transparency Isn’t

Candidates aren’t rejecting AI. They’re rejecting how it’s being used. Among those who have experienced an AI interview, 86% were never clearly told upfront that AI would be evaluating them, and one in five (21%) only found out once the process had already started. Just 1 in 10 Irish candidates say employers have clear AI policies, yet 60% believe disclosure should be a legal requirement.

The biggest triggers for Irish candidates walking away from the process include: companies failing to disclose how AI would be used (26%), pre-recorded video interviews scored by AI with no human present (18%), and AI monitoring during the process (15%). Among those who completed an AI interview, just 9% moved forward to the next round, while 30% were formally rejected, and 39% never heard back.

“Most AI in hiring today is making a bad system worse: more applications, less signal, and less transparency,” says Daniel Chait, CEO and Co-Founder of Greenhouse. “But the process AI is being built on top of was already broken. Nobody likes writing CVs and filling out clunky job applications. Candidates want a better way to get seen, and companies want a better way to find the right people. A 15-minute conversation with an AI where a candidate can show who they are is a better front door than a keyword-stuffed CV. That’s not going to come from layering AI on top of a broken process. It’s going to come from building a better one.”

“Candidates are telling us exactly what they want, and it isn’t complicated: tell them when AI is in the room and what it’s measuring. Right now, most employers are failing that test,” says Sharawn Tipton, Chief People Officer at Greenhouse. “And let’s not pretend. AI isn’t fixing bias, it’s scaling it. Candidates can feel that, and when they walk away, it’s not just a missed hire, it’s a reputation problem that compounds. Until we get honest about what these tools are actually measuring and own it when they get it wrong, we’re just repackaging the same problem.”

Irish Candidates Aren’t Anti-AI; They Want Better AI

Only 22% of Irish job seekers want less AI in hiring. The majority want the same or more, but with guardrails: the option to request a human interview instead (49%), knowing that a human reviews AI’s evaluation before any decision is made (37%), and being told upfront that AI is involved (33%). They also want proof that the system is accountable: 27% want a clear explanation of what the AI is measuring, and 23% want evidence that the tool has been audited for bias.

When AI interviews are done well, Irish candidates notice: 20% came away with a more positive view of the employer. On the flip side, 53% came away with a more negative perception of the company – the highest negative sentiment of any market surveyed. The gap isn’t about whether to use AI. It’s about whether employers are willing to build it on a foundation of transparency, fairness, and accountability, the same principles that define structured hiring.

To read the full report, visit the Greenhouse LINK.

Survey Methodology

Greenhouse conducted a multi-market survey of 2,950 candidates, including 78 Ireland-based workers, with additional respondents from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia. Unless otherwise noted, all findings cited in this release reflect Irish respondents.

About Greenhouse:

Greenhouse is the leading hiring platform on a mission to make hiring work for everyone.

Greenhouse helps more than 7,500 companies, including HubSpot, Anthropic, Gong, Coinbase, and the NFL, to get measurably better at hiring, for every role, every team, and every candidate. Our industry-leading, AI-powered software supports every stage of the hiring process, from sourcing to interviewing to onboarding. Greenhouse’s structured hiring approach enables internal alignment and confident, data-backed decisions, giving companies everything they need to hire top talent quickly, consistently, and fairly.

See more breaking stories here.

Image details : Pictured at Queen’s Computer Science building for the STEM Passport launch are Professor Margaret Topping and Dr Ryan Feeney (Queen’s University, Belfast); Dr Gemma Irvine and Isabel Meza (Maynooth University); Professor Helen McCarthy (Northern Ireland Executive Office); and St Louise’s pupils Aoife Clarke and Odhran Sullivan with the school’s Head of Technology and Design, Mrs Mackey

Funded through the Research Ireland Discover programme, the initiative is set to expand in the new academic year to a full cross-border rollout, when up to 150 pupils from schools across Northern Ireland will take part.

STEM Passport for Inclusion Launched

STEM Passport for Inclusion is an initiative led by Professor Katriona O’Sullivan at Maynooth University’s National Centre for Inclusive Higher Education and delivered in partnership with founding industry partner Microsoft. The programme is funded by Research Ireland, the Department of Education and Youth and Microsoft, as well as by many industry and education partners. It aims to tackle persistent inequalities in access to STEM education and career pathways, with particular focus on growing representation of under-served communities.

Since its launch in 2021, the programme has supported more than 10,000 students across the Republic of Ireland, combining skills development and mentoring with higher education and industry.

Funding through the Research Ireland Discover Programme has allowed Maynooth and Queen’s Universities to work in partnership to bring the programme to Belfast with plans set to expand the initiative across Northern Ireland.

Queen’s President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Ian Greer, said of the programme:

“Queen’s Civic Mission outlines our deep commitment to ensuring that talent and opportunity are not limited by circumstance. The launch of the STEM Passport for Inclusion here in Northern Ireland represents an important step in continuing to break down barriers to STEM education and careers.

“We are proud to work alongside colleagues in Maynooth University and across the Secondary Education sector in supporting young people, who may not otherwise have the exposure to STEM fields, to realise their potential. I offer my gratitude and congratulations to the staff and pupils at St Lousie’s not only for completing the project, but also for making this pilot phase possible.”

Dr Rachel Iredale, Head of Public Engagement for Research Ireland, said:

“We are delighted to see the expansion of the STEM Passport for Inclusion to Belfast. This initiative is so important in ensuring that all young people across the island of Ireland are provided the same opportunities and access to STEM and we are happy to support it through the Research Ireland Discover Programme.”

Professor Katriona O’Sullivan, founder of the STEM Passport for Inclusion and Director of Maynooth University’s Centre for Inclusive Higher Education said:

“Expanding STEM Passport across the island of Ireland has always been a strategic goal of the programme, ensuring equality of access for students from all backgrounds. We are delighted with the success of the pilot in Belfast with St. Louise’s Comprehensive School and are looking forward to working with more schools across Northern Ireland as we continue to expand and grow.”

The pilot programme with St Louise’s Comprehensive College focused on building confidence, awareness and skills among pupils. Access to university-led learning from Queen’s academics, along with mentors from range of sectors within the STEM space, including construction, consulting and tech companies, allowed them to explore a wide range of STEM pathways and career opportunities.

Cora O’Hagan, a pupil at St Louise’s Comprehensive College said:

“Before taking part, I hadn’t really thought much about STEM and wasn’t sure if it was something I’d be interested in. The programme allowed me to see different careers I didn’t know about and made me realise there are so many options and opportunities out there for me.”

See more breaking stories here.

Guest post by Angela Cox, Founder of Paseda360 Coach Training Academy

The Leadership Mask is costing more than we think. Why pretender masks are driving decisions

I walk into organisations and I can see the masks within a few minutes. They sit in the way people respond, in what gets said and what doesn’t. You can feel who is holding things together, who is managing the mood and who is sitting there measuring themselves before they speak.

Angela Cox explains about burnout high-performing people experience

I call these the Pretender Masks and they are the patterns people fall into when they feel the need to protect something. This isn’t happening consciously, and it’s not an act in the ‘fake it till you make it’ sense. It is a learned way of being that becomes automatic over time.

There are four Pretender Masks that show up consistently in leadership.

1. The Perfectionist, driven by reputation and recognition, holding high standards and feeling personally responsible for outcomes.
2. The People Pleaser, driven by approval and acceptance, maintaining relationships and avoiding tension.
3. The Persecutor of Others, driven by control and compliance, challenging hard and pushing others to meet their standard.
4. The Persecutor of Self, driven by self-criticism, turning pressure inward and questioning their own capability.

These are not personality types. They are protective pattern and they are not always likeable. The Persecutor of Others can be experienced as difficult, critical, even intimidating. The Persecutor of Self can disappear into overthinking and hesitation. The People Pleaser can avoid what needs to be said. The Perfectionist can slow things down and set standards that are higher than the situation requires.

And yet, all of them make sense when you understand what they are protecting.

Why the masks exist in the first place

At some point, each of these patterns worked. They helped someone stay safe and protected reputation, belonging, control or self-worth. They became useful.

The brain does not discard what has worked. It keeps it close.

So when pressure increases, visibility rises and the stakes matter, those patterns return without invitation. Not as a strategy, but as a response.

Given enough time, they stop being something a leader does and start becoming how they lead. That is where the shift happens, because what once protected the individual begins to influence the organisation.

When protection starts to shape decisions

Most leaders believe they are making decisions in the best interest of the business. In many cases, that is absolutely their intention. What gets overlooked is how much influence sits just beneath that intention.

In the moment a decision is made, there is always something else present. It is not written into the strategy or called out in the meeting, yet it carries weight all the same. It’s something that leader feels compelled to protect.

Reputation, belonging, control, self-worth. These are not abstract ideas. They are active drivers.

You start to see it in the decisions that take on more weight than the situation demands. Something that could move forward becomes slower, heavier, more considered than necessary. In other moments, decisions move too quickly, shaped by a need to regain control or close something down before it opens up further.

What looks inconsistent from the outside begins to make sense when you look at what is being protected.

A Perfectionist is not trying to hold the business back. They are trying to ensure the outcome stands up. Yet the insistence on getting it right can quietly stall momentum.

A People Pleaser is not avoiding the decision. They are maintaining the relationship. Yet the absence of clarity carries its own cost, and that cost does not stay contained.

A Persecutor of Others is not aiming to limit contribution. They are holding a line. Yet the moment control tightens, the room narrows, and decisions are made with less input than they need.

A Persecutor of Self is not trying to delay progress. They are trying to reach the right answer. Yet the constant reworking and second-guessing erodes confidence in the decision itself.

On paper, each of these decisions can be defended. They can be explained, rationalised, even applauded. Underneath, they are being shaped by something far more personal. Protection has entered the room, and it is influencing the outcome.

What changes when leaders become aware

Nothing meaningful shifts at the level of behaviour until something shifts at the level of awareness. When a leader begins to recognise what they are protecting, they are no longer reacting on instinct alone. There is a moment, however brief, where they can see what is driving them and choose how to respond.

That is where the work needs to happen.

When leaders are coached at the level of identity, rather than just behaviour, the need for protection starts to ease. The Perfectionist no longer has to prove themselves through every decision. The People Pleaser can stay in relationship without avoiding what needs to be said. The Persecutor of Others can challenge without needing to dominate. The Persecutor of Self can reflect without turning that reflection inward as criticism.

The behaviours may still be present, but they are no longer running the show.

There is more capacity to think clearly and to consider what the business actually needs rather than what feels safest in the moment. Decisions become less about maintaining identity and more about moving the organisation forward.

Leaders who understand themselves well enough feel safe to take off the mask. And when that happens, the quality of decision-making changes in a way that is felt across the organisation.

Angela Cox is a Master Executive Coach and Founder of Paseda360 Coach Training Academy

See more breaking stories here.

SQUID, Ireland’s leading rewards platform, has launched Wave Points. This is Ireland’s first truly universal local rewards system, allowing consumers to earn points with one brand and redeem them back into their locality.

Wave Points marks a shift in how customer loyalty schemes work in Ireland – moving beyond closed, single-brand loyalty schemes to a connected rewards ecosystem that reflects the nature of how people actually shop and spend. The launch is aimed at helping Irish consumers claw back some value as inflation and everyday costs continue to rise, with households increasingly focused on what their spending actually delivers, as consumer prices remain 3.6% higher than a year ago.

For consumers, Wave points earned through everyday spending can be used to increase their spending power locally.

For businesses, it offers a stronger way to drive repeat visits and keep more value circulating through local communities.

Wave Points builds on SQUID’s wider mission to strengthen local economies. Instead of rewards being locked into one brand, SQUID helps more of the value created by everyday spending find its way back into local businesses.

Pre-launch popularity

More than 50,000 people signed up to Wave Points pre-launch, reflecting the popularity and engagement that SQUID has built around everyday local spending.

SQUID has grown into Ireland’s largest local loyalty platform, with nearly 1,000,000 registered members and 3 million free coffees redeemed. The business is backed by more than 2,600 everyday investors through Crowdcube.

The launch of Wave Points is the next stage in SQUID’s growth, taking the business beyond coffee loyalty and into a universal rewards model built around how people actually spend.

“Customer loyalty hasn’t kept pace with how people live or spend. Consumers are facing sustained cost pressures, but most rewards schemes still lock value into single brands. Wave Points changes that – giving people points they can earn through everyday spending and redeem with the local businesses they actually use,” said Matthew Coffey, Co-Founder & CEO of SQUID.

“Wave Points turns fragmented loyalty into something people can actually use. It helps consumers stretch their spending further, while sending more value back into local businesses.”

How to use Wave Points

It’s simple. Consumers earn Wave Points as they spend – by buying a voucher in-app for partner brands like Tesco, SuperValu and JustEat, by linking their card to earn automatically at partner stores or through partner offers from brands like Zurich Insurance. Points can then be spent across SQUID’s local and national network.

In practice, for example, that could mean earning points on a weekly supermarket shop, then spending those earned points at the local coffee shop or for a free lunch – turning routine purchases into something more rewarding while supporting local businesses at the same time.

See more stories here.

Three Ireland has completed a €1.2m programme of 4G and 5G network upgrades across some of Ireland’s busiest and most demanding locations, significantly improving mobile performance for customers in high-footfall environments including major stadiums, live entertainment venues and transport hubs.

The upgrades form part of over €2 billion invested by Three Ireland to date in building and developing its business in Ireland, including €1.1 billion dedicated to upgrading and expanding network and IT infrastructure. This long-term investment has focused on delivering a high-capacity, resilient network built for data, ensuring Three can support growing demand across the economy — from everyday connectivity to some of the most challenging, high?density environments in the country.

The latest phase spans Ireland’s most significant cultural, sporting, transport and retail infrastructure, including Croke Park, Aviva Stadium, 3Arena, Dublin Airport and Dundrum Town Centre. Together, these locations represent some of the most demanding mobile environments in Ireland, with tens of thousands of users accessing services simultaneously.

At 3Arena, Ireland’s largest indoor entertainment venue with a capacity of up to 13,000, Three has upgraded both its 4G and 5G infrastructure throughout the building, improving coverage, capacity and throughput during sell-out concerts. Performance testing carried out during a fully sold-out event shows that prior to the upgrade it took an average of six seconds to upload a 5MB video, compared with approximately 2.5 seconds following the enhancements for Three customers.

Declan Gaffney, Director of Radio Access Networks at Three Ireland, said:
“Large venues and busy public spaces place unique demands on mobile networks, as data usage continues to grow. Thousands of people in one place all want to share content, communicate, pay and stay connected at the same time. These upgrades are about making sure connectivity works when it matters most, both in everyday settings and in the places people come together in large numbers.”

National rollout across sport, entertainment, retail and transport

Beyond indoor arenas, Three has installed high?capacity mobile infrastructure at Croke Park, Ireland’s largest stadium, and Aviva Stadium, home to major international sporting fixtures and concerts, ensuring improved performance during peak demand.

More recently, Three completed in-building mobile upgrades at Dublin Airport’s Terminal 2 and Dundrum Town Centre, improving connectivity for customers travelling through Ireland’s busiest airport and visiting one of the country’s largest retail destinations. Both upgrades form part of shared, in-building mobile systems designed to support very high volumes of customers in complex, high-footfall public environments.

Supporting Ireland’s largest festivals and events

Three continues to invest heavily in its network at Electric Picnic, Ireland’s largest music festival, which attracts approximately 80,000 people over a three-day period. To support demand, Three deploys three temporary mobile masts alongside a permanent site, as well as enhanced coverage across high-traffic areas.

During last year’s festival, Three’s network supported:

• 160 terabytes of mobile data usage, equivalent to over 40 million photographs
• 1.2 million phone calls over the weekend

These figures illustrate the scale of mobile usage now associated with major live events.

Enabling Ireland’s connected economy

Three said the latest upgrades reflect the growing link between digital infrastructure and Ireland’s live events, transport and retail ecosystems, where mobile connectivity underpins payments, navigation, safety, communication and overall customer experience.

For customers, the venue and location upgrades complement Three’s broader ecosystem, including ticket presales via the Three+ app and access to the Three+ Lounge at the 3Arena.

“Connectivity is central to how people experience busy public spaces today,” Gaffney added. “Whether it’s sharing a moment, navigating a journey or completing a purchase, reliable mobile performance has become part of the experience itself. We’ll continue to invest to ensure our network can meet those expectations in Ireland’s busiest locations.”

Three Ireland said it will continue to enhance network capacity and resilience at large venues and high-footfall locations as mobile data usage and customer expectations continue to grow.

See more stories here.

Solar Ireland is calling on the Government to introduce a €5,000 grant to help people install solar panels on their homes. This follows reports that the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris is working on a fresh round of measures to reduce both household bills and Ireland’s reliance on fossil fuel-based energy.

The Micro-generation Support Scheme (MSS), designed to help people make the switch to renewable energy through solar installations, was introduced in 2022. It initially offered grants of €2,400, which have since reduced to €1,800.

Higher grants suggested by Solar Ireland

Solar Ireland noted that, as part of last year’s budget process, it successfully advocated for the grant to be maintained at €1,800 rather than reduced further to €1,500. The group now says the focus should shift to scaling access.

Solar Ireland represents members from across the sector, including solar farms and rooftop panel installers. CEO Ronan Power says a boost to this grant would be an easy win for the Government:

“The grant for rooftop solar has reduced over time; Last year, we worked to ensure it was maintained at €1,800 rather than reduced further, but the focus now needs to shift to scaling access. Increasing the grant to €5,000 would put solar within reach for far more households and give people greater control over their energy bills.

Taking this step now would unlock strong consumer demand and allow installations to ramp up over the coming months, before households become more reliant on fossil fuels again for heating.

It would mean lower bills, reduced pressure on the grid, and less exposure to volatile fossil fuel markets. The opportunity is clear. People are ready to make the switch when it makes economic sense.”

The call from Solar Ireland coincides with a double record-breaking weekend for solar power in Ireland. Output from utility-scale solar projects exceeded 1 GW for the first time on Friday, before reaching a new high of over 1.2 GW on Saturday.

At peak, solar generation was sufficient to meet the equivalent electricity demand of all homes in Ireland, marking a significant milestone for the sector.

Ronan Power said the achievement reflects the pace of delivery across utility-scale projects:

“This has been driven by utility-scale solar, the solar power plants now operating across Ireland, and shows what can be achieved in a relatively short period of time. The first grid connections only came in 2022. To reach this level of output in just four years, in a difficult regulatory environment, is a clear signal of what this sector can deliver.

It also highlights the opportunity ahead. If we can achieve this under current constraints, the potential to accelerate further by unblocking the system is significant.”

See more breaking stories here.

Picture details : Tabitha Day of Channelscaler with the 2025 AtlanTec Conference mascot Scratch from University of Galway’s School of Computer Science. Photo: XPOSURE

University of Galway will host the 2026 AtlanTec Conference, exploring how artificial intelligence can be developed and deployed with a renewed focus on human values.

AtlanTec Conference returns

This year’s theme is Intelligence Augmented – the Frontier of Human Judgement and features influential thinkers on technology and society, including entrepreneur Mark Little, the founder of Storyful and co-founder of Kinzen.

The AtlanTec Conference takes place on Thursday May 14th at University of Galway as part of the 12th AtlanTec Festival.

The conference is set to attract more than 400 delegates, including international speakers and representatives from leading technology companies in the region and beyond, and aligns closely with the University’s research strengths in data, AI, and responsible innovation.

President of University of Galway, Professor David Burn, said: “The AtlanTec Conference reflects the University’s commitment to advancing responsible, human-centred AI. We look forward to welcoming our partners and the technology community to campus for this annual event. This year’s conference aligns strongly with our Transformative Data and AI research pillar, where responsible innovation is central to ensuring technology delivers meaningful benefits to society.”

The AtlanTec Festival, which celebrates innovation and technology in the west of Ireland, is organised by itag (Innovation Technology AtlanTec Gateway). The conference is brought to campus through the support of the University’s Innovation Office, in partnership with the School of Computer Science and an extensive number of industry partners.

Headlining the conference are:

• Mark Little, founder of Storyful and co-founder of Kinzen, will share insights drawn from his career at the intersection of media, technology, and democracy. A former RTÉ foreign correspondent and presenter, he has been at the forefront of efforts to address misinformation and build trusted digital information systems.
• Dr Lollie Mancey, Programme Director at the UCD Innovation Academy. Known for her engaging and thought-provoking contributions across media and public discourse, Dr Mancey’s work focuses on the ethical and emotional dimensions of emerging technologies, including the evolving relationship between humans and AI systems.
• Professor Paul Buitelaar, Deputy Director of the Data Science Institute at the University of Galway, will deliver a keynote address titled, Neuro-Symbolic AI: A New Direction for AI Development and Deployment.

The 2026 AtlanTec Conference brings together leading voices from industry, academia, and the public sector, with participation from organisations including Medtronic, Fidelity, Genesys, Datavant and University of Galway spin-out Senus, alongside a broad range of innovators and practitioners across Ireland’s technology ecosystem.

Sharon Walsh, Senior Vice-President, Fidelity Investments and Chair of itag, said: “The conference comes at a pivotal moment for the industry. We are at a tipping point. As we move further into an AI-accelerated world, the perspectives of thinkers like Mark and Lollie are essential. This year’s conference at University of Galway is about ensuring technology is developed in a way that serves humanity, not the other way around.”

The event will include the official announcement of the winners of the festival’s AtlanTec AI Challenge.

The University of Galway Innovation Office is supported under the KT Boost Programme co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the Northern and Western Regional Programme 2021-2027.

Tickets for the AtlanTec Conference are available on Eventbrite.

About University of Galway?

Established in 1845, University of Galway is one of the top 2% of universities in the world. We are a bilingual university, comprised of four colleges, 18 schools and six research institutes, with almost 20,000 students, including around 3,000 international students. We have been accredited with an Athena SWAN Institutional Silver Award, and 14 out of our 18 schools hold individual Athena SWAN Awards.?We have more than 2,500 staff, and research collaborations with 5,300 international institutions in 181 countries. Our innovative academics and researchers have created 23 new spin-outs 199 new inventions since 2020. We have almost 140,000 alumni and 98% of graduates are in employment or further study within six months.

For more information visit?https://www.universityofgalway.ie/ or view all?news

Get the most from the expert commentary, views and stories from University of Galway on our Cois Coiribe platform https://impact.universityofgalway.ie/

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Guest post by Iaros Belkin, Founder of Belkin Marketing

The WEF Annual Meeting 2026 brought together nearly 3,000 leaders from 130+ countries. The official theme was cooperation. The actual agenda, in the rooms behind the sessions, was control. I was invited to speak at the unDavos Summit this year, and brought several of the projects I advise. That combination put me in a number of closed-room conversations that don’t make it into the session recordings. What I want to share here came from those rooms.

Davos 2026, the Adoption Question Is Closed. The Control Question Is Open.

Every conversation I walked into started with AI and ended somewhere else within twenty minutes. Clearly because the real question had already replaced the surface one.

The surface question: how do we adopt AI and scale it? And that one is settled. WEF’s own documentation confirms that leading organizations have moved from potential to performance, embedding AI into core strategy, redesigning workforces.

The real question: who controls the infrastructure that AI runs on, and what happens to everyone who doesn’t control it?

Sovereign tech stacks are not a 2030 concern. Countries are building their own compute infrastructure, their own model training pipelines, their own data governance frameworks right now. Because they watched what happens when critical infrastructure runs on someone else’s terms. The WEF Global Risks Survey 2026 named economic confrontation the top near-term global risk, displacing armed conflict. Technology decoupling is economic confrontation in practice.

For any founder building in AI or frontier tech: this is your operating environment. Already. Whether you have mapped it or not.

The Number That Ended the Optimism Conversation

PwC’s Global CEO Survey, presented at Davos 2026, found that 56% of CEOs reported seeing neither revenue growth nor cost reduction from AI over the past year. More than half. Among the most resourced organizations on the planet.

That figure didn’t surprise anyone in the rooms I was in. It named something people already knew but hadn’t said plainly.

A WEF analysis of AI scaling challenges across nearly 2,000 companies confirmed the pattern: the technical capability is rarely the constraint. Governance and institutional readiness are. The companies capturing value from AI built accountability structures from the start. The ones that didn’t are sitting on expensive pilots that never scaled.

Trust is not a growth differentiator in 2026. It is the prerequisite for scale. Founders treating governance as a later-stage concern are making the same mistake companies made with GDPR: assuming compliance is something you retrofit onto a product that already works. It isn’t.

The Gap Nobody Is Closing Fast Enough

The WEF Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026, developed with Accenture, found that roughly one-third of organizations still lack any formal process to validate AI security before deployment. One third. At the same time, structured AI governance reviews nearly doubled from 37% of organizations in 2025 to 64% in 2026.

That gap is where the competitive opportunity sits. And it is also where the investor conversation has moved.

The founders leaving Davos with something durable weren’t the ones who attended the most sessions. They were the ones asking a specific question: how do we demonstrate to an institutional investor, today, that our governance is auditable? That question has a concrete answer. And serious capital is currently selected for founders who already have it. The structural shift in how tech founders access investors in 2026 runs directly through this: governance legibility is now the filter, not the follow-up.

The AI infrastructure race is real. The governance gap is real. The founders who close the second one are not doing something virtuous. They are doing something strategic.

Iaros Belkin is a founder of Belkin Marketing, a boutique agency serving as Strategic Advisor to Deep Tech, Web3 and AI Founders. Two decades of experience navigating high-stakes global markets and orchestrating everything a good venture team needs: from grants and key partnerships to VVIP events elevated experience.

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Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a global leader in IT services, consulting and business solutions and operating a Global Distribution Centre out of Letterkenny in Co. Donegal, was recently presented with the ‘Diversity, Inclusion & Workplace Culture Award’ at the Invest in Ireland Awards 2026. The TCS team received the award at the event hosted by presenter and journalist Matt Cooper in Dublin’s historic Mansion House.

The Invest in Ireland Awards recognise and reward excellence in the inward foreign direct investment sector in the Republic of Ireland, not only through investment and job creation but also through integration into the community and fabric of Irish life. TCS’s operation in Letterkenny and across Ireland earned the award for its entry, which recognised its clear commitment to building an inclusive, people-first culture supported by strong organisational values.

TCS employees work across generations, cultures and neurodiverse experiences. TCS’s success at the awards celebrates a continued effort to create a workplace culture built on inclusion, empathy and respect. Employees are engaged through awareness events, surveys and informal listening channels, ensuring Diversity, Inclusion and Workplace Culture initiatives are informed by real employee needs and focus on long-term cultural impact.

Michael Lohan, CEO, IDA Ireland, said: “The Invest in Ireland Awards recognise the contribution of the FDI sector to the Irish economy and society, not only through investment and job creation but also through integration into the community and the fabric of Irish life.  The awards are a real celebration of Foreign Direct investment businesses in this country and their commitment to Ireland, both now and into the future.

 The judges recognised TCS’s commitment to:

• Creating a genuinely inclusive workplace
• Empowering employee voices through active Employee Resource Groups
• Championing initiatives like reverse mentoring, cross-generational collaboration, and immersive inclusion experiences
• Embedding inclusion into leadership, learning, wellbeing, and career development
• Extending our values beyond the workplace through meaningful community impact at every opportunity

Leeanne Patterson, Head of HR at TCS Letterkenny, reflecting on what the win represents, said:

“This award belongs to every employee at TCS Letterkenny. It recognises the everyday behaviours and actions that create a culture where people feel valued and included. What makes me most proud is that our approach to diversity and inclusion is lived every day and is driven by our people at every level. As a global organisation, this award highlights how we bring TCS values to life in a locally relevant, people-first way.’’

Tata Consultancy Services has been operating in Ireland since 2001 and today employs over 1,100 people, including 900 people at is TCS Letterkenny Global Delivery Centre. TCS is recognised as one of the largest employers in the Northwest region and was recently recognised as a Top Employer in Ireland by the Top Employer Institute.

The 100 Million Trees Project is a national Not-for-Profit initiative being run by Richard, David and Tina Mulcahy.

This positive project aims to see the planting of 100 million native Irish trees across the island of Ireland over the next decade, as a community-driven initiative to reverse the immense environmental damage caused by the reduction of forests worldwide and the loss of huge areas of biodiversity. As the project works in half acre spaces, it means it is quite flexible and could be done in a variety of places. As you go around Ireland there are many possible places where it could take place somewhere near you, and therefore is definitely worth looking at. The great thing about tree planting is that it is very self empowering as it enables you to do something to make a difference, and very quickly too. Below are more details and we plan to do a more in detail follow up piece about their progress too.

100 Million Trees for Ireland

The project’s ambitious aim will be achieved through densely planting between 1000 and 2,500 native Irish trees at a time across small areas of land using ‘the Miyawaki method’.    By planting excess trees together these grow much faster, much more densely, create an area considerably more biodiverse and most importantly create a very rapid carbon sink. This inexpensive approach requires significantly smaller planting areas and can be carried out on unused or fallow land across Ireland.   Dense small plantations will help mitigate against large forest fires while at the same time provide excellent areas of biodiversity.

We provide up to 15 species of native trees to suitable landowners and we also plant them using professional planters, all free of charge. We seek sponsorship from Corporations who wish to make a difference to communities, their clients and employees in order to have a better living environment for all.

You can help us make this project happen by making some land available for us to plant for you (from 600 square metre sites to 1024 square metre (1/4 acre) sites).

More about the three founders

Richard Mulcahy

He has a passion for radio and presented a one hour news show on 103 Dublin City FM for over a year.

Richard has had a life-long interest in the environment and purchased his first small forest of 11 hectares in 2000. Since then he has planted a further 46 hectares of mixed native and pine trees on his farm on the Wexford/Wicklow border. It was from this interest in trees and the environment that he conceived the idea of The 100 Million Trees Project.

Nominated by the Royal Dublin Society, Richard ran as an independent for a seat on the Agriculture Panel in the 2020 Seanad Elections.

Tina Mulcahy

Since January 2024 Tina has been involved in the administration of the 100 Million Trees Project thereby contributing in a practical way towards tackling the climate crisis and creating a positive impact on the environment.

Dr David Mulcahy

He has been involved in projects in Calcutta from 1997 including the rebuilding of schools, the recent supplying of ventilators and monitors to the Hope hospital during the Covid pandemic, and the imminent commissioning of a mobile dental service for the poor.

David founded Bugs Bees and (Native) Trees in 2020 to encourage tree planting in an effort to battle climate change.

He has been planting trees for 25 years.

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By David Stephen

The most important objective of any publication that is dedicated to psychiatry is the question of how psychiatry conspicuously moves forward, especially in an era of burgeoning AI mental health therapists.

It does not matter if the publication is mainstream or not, anti-psychiatry or not, publishes frequently or not, the justification for existence, in psychiatry, a field that stretches mental disorders and addictions, that both remain unknown and intractable, is that can there be answers that close in against the conditions?

Are Psychiatric Times the past or future?

There is no psychiatric publication anywhere in the world today, critical or conformist, that has made any major conceptual leap, in brain science, towards understanding psychiatric disorders.

Nothing else matters, including publication mandate, if there are no aggressive efforts into answering unknowns about the brain, postulating for possibilities against mental disorders and addictions.

If this standard is used to assess MJH Life Sciences Psychiatric Times, it is a failed channel, with no particular relevance for advancement in the field.

Psychiatric Times is a 41-year-old publication, with the current Editor-in-Chief, John J. Miller, MD, at the helm in the last six. But there is nothing at all that they have contributed in four decades that indisputable progress in brain science owes them.

There is nothing reputable about preserving credibility that cannot solve indispensable problems in a field in want. There are often so many tangential posts on Psychiatric Times that the question is often like, do they really know that no one knows what mental health is, are they just unserious, or is prevaricating an editorial policy? They don’t even meet the bar for trying enough, given that they supposedly have authority on their own turf.

Are they comfortable that the field does not have answers and they just keep publishing because they must? Have they given up and just coasting as professional lame duck? How much should they be pressing on components in the brain and postulating at mechanisms?

For example, what exactly is schizophrenia in the brain? Or, any other mental illness? What is an addiction to a substance? How is it different from addiction to an algorithm? What exactly is addiction in the brain?

There are at least three options to properly answer these questions, given empirically-supported evidence in neuroscience. Neurons, then their electrical signals and chemical signals. So, whatever must be described about how mental disorders or addictions work, should be connected with neurons and their electrical and chemical signals.

Now, since neurons are cell, and do not have enough flexibility or ability to change that much to structure all the functions of mind, therefore it is possible to assume that the mind is the combination of electrical and chemical signals.

Also, because neurons are in clusters, electrical and chemical signals can be said to be in sets [or loops] across clusters. This is where they mechanize functions, directly, nothing else, conceptually.

Though genes have an effect, genes are still not the human mind. So, they must influence electrical and chemical signals. If it is said that social, economic and environment issues affect mental health, it should be known that what mechanizes that, at least conceptually, are electrical and chemical signals. When there is an episode in a disorder, what to track for contrast — from when there is no episode — are the electrical and chemical signals.

It can be postulated that in a set, electrical and chemical signals interact, and there are states that they are, at the time of the interactions that decide the extents. This is how they organize information, labeled as memory, feeling, emotions and regulation of internal signals. It is the interactions and attributes of electrical and chemical signals that can be used to conceptually explain all mental disorders.

This is where the next procession for progress is for psychiatry. Simply, what does neuroscience have, for now, that can be used to describe all mental disorders in a way that at least removes them from being totally perplexing?

No psychiatric publication has tried. And Psychiatric Times, with their frequency of publication have not. The answers sought for psychiatry are in the brain, so what must they be, what other option, linked with neurons, has not been exhausted?

This is where lots of efforts should go. Not just do nothing useful, writing totally disconnected articles, with no bearing on progress.

John J. Miller, MD has job security and Psychiatric Times generates revenue for MJH Life Sciences. They have no need to adjust or listen. They are also prestigious and appear to know it all. But every time, the victims of lack of answers from psychiatry continue to embarrass their prestige.

There is a recent [April 21, 2026] report in USA Today, Shreveport massacre shocked Americans. Why do parents kill their kids?, stating that, “Fatal maltreatment. In these cases, the child has often been a victim of chronic abuse or neglect, she said.”

“Unwanted child. Babies, especially after an unwanted or hidden pregnancy, are at the greatest risk.”

“Partner revenge. An impending break-up, infidelity, or a custody battle might be present. In these cases, “the father or mother is trying to punish, or emotionally harm, the other parent,” Hatters Friedman said. “They are seeing the child as a pawn.””

“Acutely psychotic. This motive is sometimes also known as an “altruistic” killing, in which the parent is severely depressed and has “developed delusions that something worse than death is going to happen to their child,” she said.””

David Stephen currently does research in conceptual brain science with focus on the electrical and chemical configurators for how they mechanize the human mind with implications for mental health, disorders, neurotechnology, consciousness, learning, artificial intelligence and nurture. He was a visiting scholar in medical entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL. He did computer vision research at Rovira i Virgili University, Tarragona.

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The 2026 Bad Bot Report: Bad Bots in the Agentic Age, revealing a fundamental shift in how the internet operates, as AI-accelerated automation becomes a defining feature of modern digital infrastructure.

The findings highlight three major structural changes: the emergence of AI agents as a new category of internet traffic, the dominance of automated activity over human interaction, and the rapid expansion of attacks targeting APIs and identity systems that serve as the backbone of digital business.

Malicious Bots and what to watch!

AI Is Redefining Internet Traffic and Security

The report shows that AI is not just increasing the volume of bot activity, but fundamentally changing its nature. In 2025, AI-driven bot attacks surged 12.5x compared to the previous year.

More significantly, AI agents are now emerging as a third category of traffic, alongside traditional “good” and “bad” bots, interacting directly with applications and APIs to retrieve data and perform tasks. This shift is blurring the line between legitimate and malicious automation, making it increasingly difficult for organizations to determine intent.

“AI is transforming automation from something organizations try to block into something they must also manage,” Tim Chang, Global Vice President and General Manager, Application Security at Thales, said. “The challenge is no longer identifying bots. It’s understanding what the bot, agent, or automation is doing, whether it aligns with business intent, and how it interacts with critical systems.”

This evolution is creating a growing visibility gap. Much of today’s AI-driven activity remains unverified or indistinguishable from legitimate traffic, meaning organizations are operating with an incomplete view of the risks they face.

Bots Increasingly Outnumber Humans Online

The report shows automation tightening its grip on the internet, with bots continuing to outpace human activity. In 2025, bots made up more than 53% of all web traffic, up from 51% the previous year, while human activity fell to 47%. This reflects a structural shift rather than a temporary trend, with bots no longer tied to specific events like scraping or credential stuffing campaigns, but instead operating as a persistent and expected presence across digital environments.

APIs and Identity Systems Become the Primary Attack Surface

As digital services increasingly rely on APIs to power core functionality, attackers are following suit. The report finds that 27% of bot attacks now target APIs, where bots can bypass user interfaces and interact directly with backend systems at machine speed.

These attacks often appear legitimate, using valid authentication and well-formed requests, but exploit business logic, extract sensitive data, or manipulate workflows at scale. The impact is especially pronounced in high-value sectors. Financial services accounted for 24% of all bot attacks and 46% of account takeover incidents, underscoring how automation is being used to directly monetize cyberattacks.

A New Era of Machine-Driven Interaction

As AI adoption accelerates, the report reveals that the internet is now fundamentally machine driven. Bots are no longer simply tools used by attackers; they are active participants in digital systems, shaping traffic patterns, influencing business metrics, and interacting with systems in real time. In this environment, the ability to manage automation at scale with precision is critical to maintaining security, performance, and trust.

Confronting the Rise of Uncontrolled Automation

The report concludes that traditional security approaches focused on identifying and blocking bots are not sufficient in an environment where automation is both pervasive and often legitimate. Organizations must move toward a governance-based model, combining visibility, policy enforcement, and behavioral analysis to distinguish between acceptable and harmful automation. This includes defining which AI agents are allowed to interact with systems, implementing controls at the API and identity layer, and designing defenses that can adapt as bots evolve.

For more information and recommendations, please download the full report and join our webinar to learn more about technologies that can be deployed against malicious bots.

Methodology

The 2026 Thales Bad Bot Report analyzes full-year 2025 bot activity using data from Thales Threat Research and Security Analyst Services teams. The report examines how automation, powered by AI, is reshaping application security, API exposure, and digital infrastructure globally.

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A new report by Greenhouse, the leading hiring platform, reveals that AI interviews are becoming mainstream in Ireland, but the first wave has failed on transparency, trust, and candidate experience. A third (36%) of Irish job seekers have now been interviewed by an AI, according to the Greenhouse 2026 Candidate AI Interview Report, which surveyed 2,950 active job seekers. Yet 27% of Irish candidates have already walked away from a hiring process because it included an AI interview, and another 23% say they would.

AI is Everywhere. Transparency Isn’t

Candidates aren’t rejecting AI. They’re rejecting how it’s being used. Among those who have experienced an AI interview, 86% were never clearly told upfront that AI would be evaluating them, and one in five (21%) only found out once the process had already started. Just 1 in 10 Irish candidates say employers have clear AI policies, yet 60% believe disclosure should be a legal requirement.

The biggest triggers for Irish candidates walking away from the process include: companies failing to disclose how AI would be used (26%), pre-recorded video interviews scored by AI with no human present (18%), and AI monitoring during the process (15%). Among those who completed an AI interview, just 9% moved forward to the next round, while 30% were formally rejected, and 39% never heard back.

“Most AI in hiring today is making a bad system worse: more applications, less signal, and less transparency,” says Daniel Chait, CEO and Co-Founder of Greenhouse. “But the process AI is being built on top of was already broken. Nobody likes writing CVs and filling out clunky job applications. Candidates want a better way to get seen, and companies want a better way to find the right people. A 15-minute conversation with an AI where a candidate can show who they are is a better front door than a keyword-stuffed CV. That’s not going to come from layering AI on top of a broken process. It’s going to come from building a better one.”

“Candidates are telling us exactly what they want, and it isn’t complicated: tell them when AI is in the room and what it’s measuring. Right now, most employers are failing that test,” says Sharawn Tipton, Chief People Officer at Greenhouse. “And let’s not pretend. AI isn’t fixing bias, it’s scaling it. Candidates can feel that, and when they walk away, it’s not just a missed hire, it’s a reputation problem that compounds. Until we get honest about what these tools are actually measuring and own it when they get it wrong, we’re just repackaging the same problem.”

Irish Candidates Aren’t Anti-AI; They Want Better AI

Only 22% of Irish job seekers want less AI in hiring. The majority want the same or more, but with guardrails: the option to request a human interview instead (49%), knowing that a human reviews AI’s evaluation before any decision is made (37%), and being told upfront that AI is involved (33%). They also want proof that the system is accountable: 27% want a clear explanation of what the AI is measuring, and 23% want evidence that the tool has been audited for bias.

When AI interviews are done well, Irish candidates notice: 20% came away with a more positive view of the employer. On the flip side, 53% came away with a more negative perception of the company – the highest negative sentiment of any market surveyed. The gap isn’t about whether to use AI. It’s about whether employers are willing to build it on a foundation of transparency, fairness, and accountability, the same principles that define structured hiring.

To read the full report, click here.

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In just a few weeks, Dublin will become the epicentre of global innovation as it plays host to the second annual ‘Dublin Tech Week’. After last year’s successful launch ‘Dublin Tech Week’ once again promises to energise the city with the brightest ideas, the boldest technology, and a shared vision for the future.

Running from 22–29 May, this initiative will unite the capital’s top innovators, global tech leaders, creatives, educators, and the wider community through a dynamic mix of over 30 events, spanning everything from AI and cybersecurity to blockchain, smart cities, fintech and beyond.

From flagship conferences like the Dublin Tech Summit in the RDS, the TechFoundHer Summit in the Mansion House, the Enfuse Finals in Wood Quay, Gamerfest in the RDS, a variety of Kids Coding events in Fingal and a number of Smart Dublin Events such as Drones in public service Workshop. There will be something for everyone on a programme that is designed to be as accessible as it is ambitious.

Ross Curley, Head of Economic Development, Dublin City Council & Dublin Regional Place Brand said: “Dublin is one of Europe’s most important tech hubs and a leading smart city. Dublin City Council and the Dublin Regional Brand are proud to once again support Dublin Tech Week showcasing our world-class talent, cutting-edge innovation, and community spirit. Initiatives like this not only highlight our position as a leader in the tech industry but also inspire future innovation, and strengthen our city’s reputation as a forward-thinking, welcoming and thriving destination for local and global business.”

Both the tech and wider community can immerse themselves in topics spanning AI, misinformation and trust, cybersecurity, data visualisation, digital twins, smart cities, women in tech, neuro affirming tech, startup innovation, and the future of European digital policy. Events range from ticketed conferences and summits to free workshops, community meetups, and hands-on sessions for all ages, with booking information provided on each event listing.

All of this is made possible by a powerful coalition of partners and stakeholders across Dublin’s ecosystem, including: Dublin City Council, Smart Dublin, Dublin Chamber, the Dublin City Local Enterprise Office, Enterprise Ireland, Dublin Convention Bureau, the ADAPT Centre at Trinity College, TU Dublin, DCU: Innovate, Dogpatch Labs, Guinness Enterprise Centre, Regional Skills Dublin, Tech Ireland, Blockchain Ireland and Bitcoin Ireland.

Together, they’re helping to build a platform for discovery, investment, talent, and community impact that will reverberate long after the week finishes.

‘Dublin Tech Week’ is open to all. Explore the full programme and get involved at dublintechweek.com

Follow the buzz: #DublinTechWeek

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By Reece Borg, author of The Hustle Mindset and an entrepreneur based in London.

Most people start a business thinking about how to build it. Very few think about how it would look to someone else. That’s a mistake. Whether you plan to sell your business or not, you should be running it as if a buyer could walk through the door at any moment. Because the way you operate under that mindset forces you to build something stronger, more structured and more valuable.

Hustle Mindset insights

It’s not about preparing for an exit. It’s about building a proper business. The difference between a business and a job. A lot of businesses are built around the founder. Everything runs through them. Every decision, every relationship, every bit of progress depends on one person. That might work in the early stages, but it doesn’t scale, and it doesn’t create value.

If someone walked in tomorrow and looked at that business, the first question they’d ask is simple: what happens if you’re not here? If the answer is “everything slows down or stops,” then you don’t really have a business. You’ve created a job for yourself. Running your business like a buyer could walk in forces you to step back and build something that can operate beyond you.

Structure creates value

Buyers don’t look at ideas, they look at systems. They want to see:

• Clear processes
• Consistent revenue
• Defined roles
• Something that can run without constant intervention

This is where a lot of founders fall short. They focus on growth but ignore structure. They chase new opportunities while the foundation underneath them is weak.

Business isn’t static. The world isn’t static. If you don’t build something that can adapt and hold together as it grows, it eventually breaks. Thinking like a buyer forces you to put the right structure in place early. Not because you have to, but because it makes everything easier as you scale.

Clarity over chaos

When you run a business without this mindset, things become reactive. You deal with problems as they come up. You make decisions in the moment. You rely on memory instead of systems. It works for a while, but it creates chaos. A buyer doesn’t want to walk into chaos. They want clarity. They want to understand:

• How the business makes money
• How customers are acquired
• How operations run day-to-day

If you can’t clearly explain that, it’s a sign you haven’t fully built it out yet. It forces better decisions One of the biggest benefits of thinking this way is how it changes your decision-making. Instead of asking: “Will this work right now?” You start asking: “Does this make the business stronger long term?” That shift is important. Because a lot of short-term decisions can weaken a business:

• Taking on the wrong clients
• Building messy processes
• Cutting corners to grow faster

They might bring quick wins, but they create problems later. Running your business like someone could assess it at any moment forces you to think more carefully about what you’re building. Action still matters This doesn’t mean you overcomplicate things or slow down. One of the biggest mistakes founders make is overthinking instead of acting. Nothing just happens, you have to make it happen. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s progress with structure. You still need to move fast, test ideas and adapt. But you do it with the awareness that everything you’re building should add value, not just activity.

The real benefit

Even if you never sell your business, running it this way puts you in a stronger position. You end up with:

• Clearer systems
• Better organisation
• More control
• Something that can scale

And most importantly, you build something that isn’t completely dependent on you. That gives you options.

Final thought

You don’t build a valuable business by accident. You build it by being intentional about how it operates. If you run your business like a buyer could walk through the door at any minute, you’re forced to raise your standards. You build with more clarity, more structure and more purpose. And in the end, that’s what separates a business that just survives from one that actually grows.

About the Author

Reece Borg is the author of The Hustle Mindset and an entrepreneur based in London. He has founded, scaled, and exited multiple businesses across finance, e-commerce, fitness, and technology. He is the founder of RB Business Consultancy, where he works selectively with founders and owners/operators at key decision points, helping them navigate growth, risk, and uncertainty. His work focuses less on theory and more on judgement, pattern recognition, and long-term thinking.

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Small and medium-sized manufacturers are under increasing pressure to adopt digital technologies, improve sustainability, and protect their operations from growing cyber risks. Yet for many, the challenge is not awareness – it’s knowing where to start.

With limited time, resources, and in-house expertise, many SMEs struggle to move beyond early-stage digital initiatives. Disconnected systems, poor data visibility, and uncertainty around investment decisions continue to slow progress, while cybersecurity risks increase as operations become more connected.

Helping SMEs towards Digital Transformation

As part of the TRANSFORM project – a European initiative led by AIM Centre (Ireland), in partnership with ESTIA Institute of Technology (France) and IESE Business School (Spain), and funded by the European Union – a series of industry-led webinars has highlighted a clear and practical way forward for SMEs navigating these challenges.

The sessions point to a simple three-stage approach to digital transformation.

The first stage focuses on purpose – identifying where technologies such as artificial intelligence can deliver real business value. This includes practical applications such as improving energy efficiency, reducing waste, and supporting sustainability targets.

The second stage focuses on implementation. A key barrier for many SMEs is not technology itself, but integration. By connecting data and systems across the production lifecycle – often referred to as the digital thread – organisations can improve visibility, enable real-time decision-making, and unlock value from existing infrastructure.

The final stage focuses on trust. As businesses adopt more connected systems, cybersecurity and governance become critical. Embedding security from the outset helps reduce risk and ensures that digital transformation can scale safely and sustainably.

Together, these insights provide SMEs with a clear starting point: focus on high-impact use cases, connect existing systems rather than replace them, and build security into every stage of the journey.

Through its work with industry, AIM Centre continues to support SMEs in taking these practical steps, including through the National AI Studio, which provides access to expertise and infrastructure to help organisations explore and implement AI in real-world settings. The centre is currently engaging with industry through its membership offering, with organisations now beginning to come on board and visit the Studio as part of this process.

Importantly, the findings reflect AIM Centre’s approach in practice: digital transformation does not need to be overwhelming or require significant upfront investment. Instead, organisations can make steady progress by taking practical, incremental steps that deliver measurable results.

Commenting on the approach, David Bermingham, Director of AI from AIM Centre said:
“The key message for SMEs is that digital transformation doesn’t have to be complex to begin with. By focusing on real business challenges and building from what already exists, organisations can take meaningful steps towards becoming more efficient, resilient, and competitive.”

The full webinars are now available to watch back on AIM Centre’s YouTube channel, providing SMEs with ongoing access to practical insights and guidance.

Looking ahead, AIM’s ambition is to build on this work by continuing to support SMEs through accessible learning resources, stronger collaboration between industry and education, and the development of practical tools that help organisations navigate digital transformation with confidence.

Link to YouTube videos to embed in online article: https://youtu.be/HEd7808ZNhE?si=FLhQ_BVnKi9MvfIx

About AIM Centre:

AIM Centre is Ireland’s leading centre for applied artificial intelligence, supporting industry in the adoption of AI and digital technologies. Based in Sligo and Galway, AIM Centre works with SMEs and industry partners to deliver practical solutions across smart manufacturing, data analytics, and digital transformation. As part of this mission, AIM Centre leads the National AI Studio, an Enterprise Ireland funded initiative designed to accelerate AI adoption across Irish industry, providing businesses with access to expertise, infrastructure, and support to explore, test, and implement AI solutions in a practical and scalable way.

About TRANSFORM project:

TRANSFORM is a European collaboration led by AIM Centre (Ireland), in partnership with ESTIA Institute of Technology (France) and IESE Business School (Spain), and is funded by the European Union. The project aims to develop high-quality, flexible training resources to help professionals, job seekers, and businesses build the skills needed for the future of manufacturing.

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For seventy years, the Western order rested on a simple assumption; American power was both permanent and reliable. That assumption is ending. We are living through the American equivalent of the British Suez Crisis of 1956, and the irony is sharp; this time, it will be middle powers that play the role Washington once played; forcing a reckoning with reality and demanding managed transition rather than imperial denial.

In 1956, Britain and France owned controlling shares in the Suez Canal Company. When Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalised the canal, it was not merely a loss of infrastructure. It was an assault on the architecture of imperial control. Britain and France responded with military force; they believed the old reflex still worked. For a moment, it seemed it might. Then Eisenhower intervened. He did not support the operation. He withheld financial backing and threatened to destabilise the pound sterling itself if Britain did not withdraw. The message was unambiguous; American backing was conditional on American judgment. When judgment shifted, so did the guarantee. Britain retreated. The pound never recovered. Within a decade, sterling ceased to function as the reserve currency. The postwar order reorganised around the dollar. Britain was no longer a peer; it was a dependent.

We are at the equivalent junction now. But this time, the unreliable power is America itself.

Trump and the Break in Continuity

The Trump administration has shattered the assumption of American reliability in ways that can no longer be papered over with diplomatic language. Withdrawal from international commitments. Transactional approach to alliance. Threats to NATO funding. Unpredictable trade policy targeting allies as readily as adversaries. Willingness to abandon partners based on domestic political calculation. A trade war launched against Canada and the European Union simultaneously; nations that have underwritten American-led security for generations.

This is not normal fluctuation in American foreign policy. This is a structural break. The first Trump presidency gave allies pause. The second has removed all doubt. American reliability cannot be assumed. It must be renegotiated with each shift in Washington’s domestic politics; and that instability is now the permanent condition, not the exception.

Nowhere is that instability more exposed than at the Strait of Hormuz. Roughly twenty percent of the world’s oil supply transits that chokepoint daily. For decades, American naval dominance guaranteed passage. That guarantee was the foundation of the entire global energy order. Now, as Iranian pressure mounts and Houthi strikes on commercial shipping continue, allied nations are watching Washington manage the crisis with one eye on the negotiating table and the other on domestic polling. The response has been neither decisive nor coherent. It has been transactional; calibrated to American political interest, not allied security need. That is Trump’s Suez. Not a single dramatic retreat, but the slow, unmistakable revelation that the guarantor is negotiating for itself, not for the order it once underwrote.

What Carney understood at Davos, and what middle power leaders are beginning to articulate, is that the inflection has already occurred. The question is no longer whether to accept American decline as a working assumption. It is whether middle powers will lead the managed transition or wait passively for the next fracture to force their hand.

Eisenhower forced Britain’s reckoning in 1956 by withdrawing financial backing at the decisive moment. Trump has done something more profound; he has withdrawn the political will to lead entirely. That is the inflection. That is the Suez of our moment.

Why Middle Powers Must Act

Canada. Australia. The Nordic states. Poland. The Benelux countries. These are not superpowers, but they are not helpless either. Collectively, they represent significant economic weight, technological capacity, and democratic legitimacy. They also have something Britain did not in 1956; they can act without the burden of imperial legacy.

Middle powers must do what Eisenhower did; check American overreach, insist on managed transition, and refuse to allow unilateral American decision-making to drag allies into avoidable risk. But they must do more than that. They must also begin the work that Britain refused; accepting that the unipolar order is finished and building the institutions and relationships necessary for genuine multipolarity.

That work is specific and deliberate. Middle powers must collectively redirect trade flows away from American dependency; building bilateral and multilateral agreements that do not require Washington’s blessing or participation. They must establish independent payment and financial clearing systems that reduce exposure to dollar-denominated transactions and American sanctions architecture. They must coordinate on technology standards; AI governance frameworks, data sovereignty rules, semiconductor supply chains; setting norms that reflect their own interests rather than waiting for Washington or Beijing to impose them.

Middle powers also carry unique diplomatic leverage. They are trusted by actors that neither Washington nor Beijing can reach. Canada speaks to the Commonwealth. The Nordic states carry credibility on human rights and governance. Australia anchors Indo-Pacific relationships. Together, they can build coalitions that reshape multilateral institutions; the UN, the WTO, the IMF; from within, restoring legitimacy to bodies that American unilateralism has hollowed out.

The role is not confrontational. It is architectural. Middle powers are not dislodging American dominance through force or hostility. They are building the alternative structures that make dominance irrelevant. Every trade agreement signed without American participation, every technology standard set without Washington’s input, every financial clearing arrangement that bypasses the dollar; these are the quiet bricks of a new order. Not a declaration of war on American power. A declaration of independence from it.

This means negotiating with China as a peer. Not because it is ideologically comfortable. Because it is mathematically necessary.

The Peer Negotiation Framework

China is the second-largest economy on Earth. It controls critical supply chains in semiconductors, rare earths, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing. It is building alternative financial systems. It is positioning itself as the architect of infrastructure and investment across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Pretending this away, or hoping American resolve will return, is a luxury middle powers cannot afford.

Peer negotiation means clarity; we do not surrender security, democratic values, or core sovereignty. But we do acknowledge that the postwar assumptions are extinct. We negotiate as nations with interests that may align with Beijing’s in some domains and conflict in others. We build redundancy; we reduce dependence on any single power’s goodwill.

It means investing in genuine technological sovereignty; in semiconductor capacity, in AI infrastructure, in alternatives to dollar-denominated finance. It means strengthening ties to India, Japan, South Korea, and other democracies that share our interest in balance without hegemony. It means being explicit with Beijing; we will cooperate where interests align. We will compete where they diverge. The partnership is not ideological. It is transactional and mutual.

The Window Is Narrow

If middle powers wait for the next American political fracture to force their hand, they will be negotiating from weakness. Act now; build redundancy, assert genuine independence, establish clear frameworks for coexistence with China and other rising powers, and refuse to allow American domestic politics to dictate the future; and the negotiating position is one of strength. This is not abandoning the West. It is securing it by accepting that the unipolar order is finished.

Conclusion

The Suez Crisis taught Britain a lesson it took a decade to absorb; empires end not with a bang but with the realisation that your guarantors have moved on. Middle powers must learn that lesson faster.

But there is a harder truth beneath that one. Britain’s decline was structural; the weight of empire, the cost of two world wars, the exhaustion of a civilisation that had overextended itself across centuries. American decline is self-inflicted. Trump did not inherit a broken order. He inherited the most powerful nation in human history and chose to dismantle the architecture that made it trusted. MAGA was not a movement. It was a wrecking ball dressed as a political platform; and the postwar order it has smashed cannot simply be reassembled when the mood in Washington shifts again.

That is what middle powers must internalise. This is not a temporary disruption to wait out. The credibility is gone. The trust is gone. And trust, unlike trade policy, does not reset with an election.

The future includes China as a peer. It includes middle powers as architects rather than passengers. It includes a West that has finally accepted the cost of having outsourced its strategic judgment to a single ally for seventy years. That cost is now being paid in full; not because America failed, but because it chose to.

That is not a tragedy. It is a reckoning. And reckonings, handled correctly, are where new orders begin.

Marc-Roger Gagne MAPP

@ottlegalrebels

The Noledge Group, the Irish cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) and financial management software specialist, has announced that it has acquired Pimbrook, a leading Waterford-headquartered provider of accounting and payroll software. Following the acquisition, Noledge expects revenue at the enlarged group to almost double from €5.7 million in 2025 to €10 million by the end of 2026.

Pimbrook’s 14 employees, including Managing Director Stephanie Davies and Operations Director Tom Shields, will join the Noledge team and grow the group’s employee numbers to 67. The business will retain the Pimbrook name and continue to operate as a standalone company.

For over 20 years, Tramore-based Pimbrook has provided Sage accounting and payroll software and services to 1,750 customers in small-and-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ireland and the UK. These customers operate in sectors including manufacturing, construction and healthcare. With the acquisition, Pimbrook customers will benefit from access to a broader range of financial management and ERP solutions, deeper expertise, and increased resources within Noledge.

Now serving more than 2,000 customers across the Irish and UK markets, The Noledge Group incorporates Envisage, a leading Sage partner, and OSSM, a NetSuite solution provider. The acquisition will establish Noledge’s fourth office, building its regional presence and adding to its Dublin, Belfast, and Newcastle locations.

It will broaden Noledge’s capabilities, particularly bolstering its ability to support smaller customers. The deal will allow the company to deliver enhanced financial management and ERP solutions that simplify business processes to an expanded customer base across all market segments including small, medium, and large enterprises.

Ray Ryan, CEO, The Noledge Group: “The synergy between our two companies and the alignment in our expertise makes this acquisition a natural fit. It represents a significant growth opportunity for Noledge and our expected revenue increase reflects the strength of the combined businesses. We also recognise the huge advantages of regional investment, and we plan to tap into Pimbrook’s impressive presence in the South East to continue to grow the business outside of Dublin. The move strengthens our market position as a leading provider of financial management software and ERP solutions that are tailored to customers’ needs and, in turn, drive faster growth for businesses.”

Stephanie Davies, Managing Director, Pimbrook: “Our hands-on, customer-focused approach has enabled us to build long-standing relationships with Irish SMEs at various stages of growth. Both Pimbrook and Noledge prioritise deep customer relationships and, as we move forward together, that commitment to our combined customers will be key. The expanded company will equip businesses with an enhanced suite of tools that will support their continued growth and innovation. Our shared purpose and core values will also enable the group to accelerate its own growth and cement its place as a leader in the market.”

See more stories here.

Cork’s much-loved outdoor science celebration returns this summer, as Cork Carnival of Science takes over Fitzgerald Park on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th June 2026. The free, two-day Cork City Council festival, funded through the Research Ireland Discover Programme, will once again transform Fitzgerald Park into Ireland’s largest outdoor STEM experience, so families can explore, experiment and discover the magic of science together.

This year’s new shows and experiences will show how science can feel every bit as surprising as magic. Leading the line-up is The Science of Hogwarts from Science 2 Life, a brand-new show that brings audiences into a world where physics feels like spellwork and everyday reactions take on an almost magical quality. Blending storytelling with live demonstrations, it offers a playful and engaging way to uncover the science behind the illusion.

Across the weekend, visitors can expect a packed programme of live performances, interactive exhibits and roaming entertainment, with something to capture the imagination at every turn. RTÉ’s Mark the Science Guy will take to the stage with Science is My Superhero, an energetic, family-friendly show full of experiments, audience participation and plenty of laughs. Meanwhile, physicists from Simply Science will invite audiences to ask What’s The Worst That Could Happen? turning curiosity and experimentation into a lively, hands-on experience.

Sport also comes under the microscope this year, with Science Made Simple exploring the Science of Sport, from balance and movement to the forces at play in everyday games. Over on Discovery Drive, Inspirational Science will bring a theatrical edge with The Circus Science Show, combining tricks, stunts and demonstrations in a fast-paced and engaging performance.

Beyond the main stages, the festival comes to life through a vibrant programme of walkabout performers and pop-up experiences. Visitors might encounter scientists on stilts carrying out experiments mid-air, stumble across balloon-powered math challenges, or follow storytelling sessions that explore the science of flight through rockets and hot air balloons. From buzzing bee-inspired performances to colourful characters roaming the grounds, science will appear in unexpected places throughout the park.

Cllr. Fergal Dennehy, Lord Mayor of Cork said, “Cork Carnival of Science has become a highlight of the city’s summer calendar and a wonderful use of one of our most loved public spaces in Fitzgerald Park. It’s a great example of how Cork City Council supports events that are open, inclusive and genuinely engaging for families. What makes this festival so special is the way it sparks curiosity in a fun and memorable way, particularly for young people, and I’d encourage everyone to come along and be part of it.”

Dr Rachel Iredale, Head of Public Engagement for Research Ireland said, “Research Ireland is proud to support the Cork Carnival of Science through the Discover Programme, as the event makes science accessible, engaging and enjoyable for all. Festivals like this play an important role in broadening interest in STEM, particularly among young people, by giving them the chance to experience science in a hands-on and memorable way. By bringing researchers and local communities together in an open and welcoming setting, the Carnival helps to inspire the next generation to explore and consider futures in STEM.”

A major part of the Carnival’s appeal lies in its hands-on approach, and this year’s Exploration Avenue and Discovery Drive will once again feature an extensive range of interactive stands and activities led by some of Ireland’s leading research organisations, educators and industry partners. From building and problem-solving at LEGO Education stations to exploring marine life under microscopes, designing LED creations in soldering workshops, or stepping inside immersive experiences like the Aquaculture Remote Classroom, young visitors are encouraged to get involved, ask questions and learn by doing.

Sustainability and innovation also feature strongly in this year’s programme. Highlights include the Curiosity Cube from Merck, where visitors can explore the lifecycle of everyday materials and experiment with renewable energy concepts, as well as creative science collaborations such as Living Seawalls, developed by UCC researchers and artists, which showcase how design can support marine biodiversity.

For those who like to get stuck in, the festival’s dedicated activity zone will offer sports-based challenges and games that bring the science of movement to life, while quieter spaces, including a mobile sensory van, ensure the event remains welcoming and accessible for all.

With live shows running throughout the day, roaming performers bringing surprise moments across the park, and interactive zones encouraging curiosity at every age, Cork Carnival of Science continues to offer an open, inclusive space where science can be experienced in a fun, engaging and memorable way.

Whether it’s uncovering the science behind a ‘magic’ trick, building something new, or simply watching an experiment unfold, visitors are invited to step into a world where curiosity leads the way.

For the latest updates and full programme details, visit corkcity.ie/corkcarnivalofscience or follow @corkcitycouncilofficial on social media.

Cork Carnival of Science is a Cork City Council festival, proudly supported by Research Ireland and media partners The Irish Examiner and Cork’s 96 FM.

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Indeed, the world’s #1 job site and a leading hiring platform, is expanding the Indeed App in ChatGPT to Ireland and more than 50 other countries. After launching in the U.S. earlier this year, the app gives job seekers in Ireland direct access to Indeed’s job listings through ChatGPT. This dedicated experience brings Indeed’s massive job marketplace directly into the conversational flow of OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

As job seekers turn to additional ways of leveraging AI to explore careers, the new Indeed experience in ChatGPT makes the journey from a simple conversation to a new career easier to navigate. It allows job seekers to launch a personalised search experience directly from the ChatGPT Apps directory and by mentioning @Indeed in a prompt. By connecting their Indeed profile, job seekers receive tailored job recommendations based on their unique saved preferences and professional qualifications.

While this is a new way for people to discover job opportunities, the Indeed website and mobile app remain the primary platforms for critical stages of the hiring process—including applying for roles, scheduling interviews, and engaging directly with hiring managers—ensuring a familiar path from discovery to hire.

Key features of the Indeed App in ChatGPT include:

Conversational job discovery: Job seekers can search for roles using natural language (e.g., “@Indeed, find me remote marketing roles that match my skills”).

Deep personalisation: After connecting an Indeed profile and mentioning “@Indeed”, the app leverages a job seeker’s saved preferences and work history to suggest roles that match an individual’s skills and experiences.

Company insights: Beyond job listings, job seekers can ask for company overviews and employee ratings to get a better understanding of what it’s really like to work at a company, gaining a comprehensive view of potential employers within the chat.

Seamless transition: Once a user clicks to apply for a role, the app provides a direct, trusted pathway to Indeed’s website or mobile app to complete the application.

“Career inspiration often strikes in unexpected places”, says Sol Garger, VP of Product at Indeed. “Integrating Indeed’s vast hiring marketplace and advanced matching with ChatGPT helps job seekers to turn those moments into action, while giving employers new ways to connect with talent that moves their business forward.”

While AI tools can surface job postings, only Indeed’s proprietary technology delivers the quality, accuracy and depth needed to ensure the right people are matched with the right jobs. Indeed has invested in proprietary AI matching technology for over two decades to help connect job seekers and employers. With over 645 million Job Seeker Profiles, Indeed analyses more than 140 million daily hiring signals, qualifications and preferences to continuously refine its matching models.

This announcement represents Indeed’s ongoing collaboration with OpenAI. Today, Indeed utilises AI-powered capabilities across a wide range of its platform features to help employers hire more efficiently and job seekers find more personalised roles.

Learn more on the Indeed Newsroom and try the new experience here.

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Datavant, the data collaboration platform trusted for healthcare, has officially opened its new state-of-the-art Global R&D Centre at Bonham Quay in Galway. The company also announced that it has already hired 100 employees in Ireland – well ahead of its target to fill 125 roles by the end of next year.

Datavant CEO Kyle Armbrester made the announcement at the official opening of Datavant Ireland’s new home in Galway by Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton which took place on April 28th, 2026.

IDA Ireland Executive Director Mary Buckley also attended last night’s launch along with other senior members of the IDA Ireland team. Datavant Ireland is supported by the Irish government through IDA Ireland.

Minister of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke TD, said:

“Datavant’s decision to expand and officially open its new Global R&D Centre in Galway is a strong endorsement of Ireland’s ability to attract and support innovation-led investment. It speaks to the depth of our talent pool, the quality of our research and engineering capability, and the pro-enterprise environment we have built. I wish all the team at Datavant the very best as they take the next exciting step on their growth journey. “

Minister of Education and Youth, Hildegarde Naughton TD, said:

“This is a fantastic milestone for Galway and for the wider West Region. The official opening of Datavant’s new R&D Centre at Bonham Quay, combined with the announcement that 100 roles have already been filled, demonstrates the momentum that exists in the West Region and the confidence international companies have in Galway as a place to grow.”

At the opening were the 100 Irish employees as well as members of the global Datavant Senior Leadership Team who have been instrumental to the establishment of the Galway R&D Centre. They include: Chief Technology Officer, Josh Builder; Chief Product Officer, Sam Diederich; Chief People Officer, Susan Yun; Global Technology Operations and Site Lead, Deirdre Giblin; and, Engineering and Delivery Lead, Ciaran O’Toole.

Local business leaders and members of the Galway ecosystem joined Datavant Ireland last night at the company’s new headquarters which is in a 15,000 square foot office across the top two floors at the Calatrava building at the modern building complex, situated on the waterfront in the heart of the city centre.

The team at Bonham Quay owns some of Datavant’s most crucial roadmap items, focusing on advancing platform enhancements, automated record retrieval, security and privacy practices and product development. The impact of the Irish office will have a profound effect on the company’s mission, incorporating work from a wide range of business units and use cases across the organisation.

The new space can accommodate up to 160 workspaces with bespoke environments for company-wide town hall meetings, team meet ups, ideation sessions and recreational activities. The design and fit out of the space will ensure that Datavant Ireland team members work in an environment that facilitates collaboration and innovation.

In selecting Bonham Quay, the company felt that the property team’s commitment to creating a sustainable environment was a good fit for Datavant’s culture and values. Bonham Quay uses the One Planet Living framework to meet its sustainability objectives and has been designed to achieve Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification accreditation as well as Gold in the WELL Building Standard and Wired Certification.

With executive headquarters in New York, Datavant is the world leader in secure, compliant healthcare data exchange and has nearly 10,000 employees. It is making the world’s health data secure, accessible and actionable. Datavant’s vast and diverse health data exchange in the U.S. serves as a “network of networks”, enabling seamless, privacy-preserving data exchange between life sciences, payers, and providers through its platform.

The company announced its intention in March last year to open its Global R&D Centre in Galway with the company operating from the PorterShed since then while the fit-out of Bonham Quay was being completed. Datavant Ireland is fully integrated into the company’s global operations.

The company continues to recruit for a range of engineering roles, with a focus on experienced software professionals. Visit the Datavant Ireland careers page.

Kyle Armbrester, CEO of Datavant, said:

“The global healthcare industry is undergoing a profound shift with AI accelerating demand for comprehensive, accurate, patient-consented health data. Through our investments over the years, Datavant has become the digital connector of health data across the entire healthcare ecosystem and the team in Galway is a big part of helping make this vast amount of data actionable to improve health outcomes and reduce costs. Our Galway technology centre is a core part of our strategy to follow the sun and work on solving healthcare’s most complex challenges 24/7.

“Galway is an amazing, culturally diverse city and the team here is building some of the most complex products and tech suites that we have across Datavant. We have already witnessed huge innovation coming out of Datavant Ireland that is a testament to our fantastic team. I am delighted to celebrate the opening of our Bonham Quay office with our team and excited about all that we will be able to achieve together.”

Mary Buckley, Executive Director of IDA Ireland said:

“It’s a pleasure to celebrate Datavant’s first anniversary here in Ireland, these new facilities in Bonham Quay and to witness the remarkable growth of the team in the last 12 months.  Datavant’s success here is testament to the availability of a highly skilled and talented workforce in the West Region as well as IDA Ireland’s continued commitment to balanced regional development. I wish Datavant continued success. “

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The Irish and Spanish Transmission Grid Operators, EirGrid and Red Electrica, have warmly welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment and Spain’s Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge in Madrid to explore the potential for future electricity interconnection between Ireland and Spain.

The MoU is the first step in assessing the feasibility and benefits of an Ireland-Spain interconnection. It also reflects the close cooperation between transmission system operators, governments, and European partners, working together to explore pathways for future electricity interconnection between the two countries.

Exploring a potential Ireland–Spain electricity interconnector

The studies to be carried out together will also contribute to the European Commission’s vision for a greater level of interconnection between European countries and regions.

Following the signing of the MoU, Cathal Marley, EirGrid’s CEO said, “The commitment to study the potential for an Irish-Spanish Interconnector is a significant step for the development of our systems and has the potential to play a key role in helping us to move towards greater European energy independence. Strengthening Ireland’s interconnection with our neighbours is essential to delivering a secure, low?carbon energy system and to maximising the benefits of renewable energy for consumers across Ireland and Europe. EirGrid looks forward to continuing to work closely with colleagues across Red Eléctrica, the Irish Government, and European partners as we collectively advance a cleaner, more secure, and more interconnected energy future.”

Echoing this sentiment, Roberto García Merino, CEO at Redeia added, “Enhanced electricity interconnection is strategically important in supporting the European Union’s objectives for decarbonisation, energy security, and the effective integration of renewable energy sources. Redeia looks forward to further engaging with EirGrid, the Spanish Government, and European partners to advance the early-stage feasibility studies in line with the European Union’s interconnection objectives. By connecting our electricity systems, we can support the energy transition and contribute to a more resilient and sustainable power system for Spain, Ireland, and Europe.”

See more breaking stories here.

Forcing traffic to stop at toll booths across Ireland is costing millions in wasted diesel, causing traffic delays and minor accidents, and generating thousands of tonnes of carbon emissions for Ireland annually.

EU Transport Committee MEP, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, has described it as archaic that we continue to force trucks, buses, and cars to stop, queue and pay at our toll booths every single day. The Transport Committee MEP said we are behind our EU counterparts who are moving to free flow toll systems – something we only have on the M50.  She cited the A13–A14 motorway corridor between Paris and Normandy as a recent French example of a primary motorway in France that has completely removed barriers from the motorway – instead opting for tag and remote payment.

Ending toll barriers save fuel, reduce travel times, cut emissions

She described toll booths as outdated concepts that cause traffic delays, minor accidents, millions of euros in wasted diesel and millions of tonnes of carbon emissions because traffic has to queue, stop, start, and idle at our toll booths.

After meeting the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA), the MEP said toll booth stops are costing €26 million in wasted diesel each year for HGVs alone. Each HGV stop-start burns up to two litres of fuel—around 5.08kg of CO—and with 24,264 HGVs passing our toll booths daily, this amounts to roughly 45,000 tonnes of emissions annually – from heavy goods vehicles alone!

Ní Mhurchú says she is open to proposing legislation at EU level, in the EU Transport Committee, that would require EU authorities to ensure “free-flow” tolling within a reasonable timeframe.

She described the benefits of free moving traffic as obvious,

“Millions of cars, buses, and HGVs stop at our toll booths every year, causing minor accidents, inconvenience, traffic delays, wasted fuel costs and generating millions in carbon emissions.  We must work with our toll operators to move towards barrier free tolling, as we have on the M50. Traffic should be allowed to move freely through our toll points without stopping – either paying with a tag or through a website”

Ní Mhurchú described toll plazas as a safety hazard as drivers get distracted rummaging for coins or bank cards to tap, seeking receipts for expenses records and changing lanes at the last minute.  She cited the warnings of a coroner in Cork around the dangers that toll plazas pose to motorists following a fatal accident at a Cork toll plaza in 2012.

Ní Mhurchú has written to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) raising the issue of free-flowing toll plazas and said she will work with her colleagues in Brussels to push for EU wide legislation if necessary.

Ní Mhurchú described the measure as ‘low hanging fruit’ that our state agencies could reform as part of a wider effort to reduce the cost base of our transport industry and reduce inefficiencies that are preventing us from reaching our climate targets.

See more breaking stories here.

Title image  Elliott Masie, Masie Learning Foundation; Maria Gavin, Enterprise Ireland; Peter Doyle, BESA (British Educational Suppliers Association); Nessa McEniff and Dave Farrelly, Learnovate

The Learnovate Centre at Trinity College Dublin is planning a regional rollout of its EdTech Masterclass Series as part of its strategy to help Irish EdTech and HRTech startups to stay competitive in the global market.

The learning technology centre launched the EdTech Masterclass Series in partnership with Enterprise Ireland earlier this year, with two sessions taking place at the Trinity Innovation Hub on Grand Canal Quay in Dublin in March and April.

EdTech Masterclass Series

Some 56 companies attended the two sessions, including Irish EdTech founders, learning solutions providers, and innovation partners, where they received practical guidance from leading industry figures on how they can scale, expand innovation capacity, and compete in the global market.

Among the guest speakers was Elliott Masie, the internationally renowned founder of the Masie Learning Foundation, a think tank focused on how organisations use technology to improve learning and knowledge sharing. Elliott is an influential figure in the global learning industry and is credited with having coined the term “e-learning”.

The first session – Masterclass 1: Navigating Growth in a Changing Tech Landscape – featured facilitated group discussions on how to identify market and technology opportunities, assess organisational readiness for growth, and develop innovation strategies to drive growth.

The second session – Masterclass 2: Enhancing Innovation – helped companies to develop and validate innovative solutions, leverage AI and emerging tech, and explore opportunities for collaboration on research and development as well as funding. The session saw attendees take part in ideation sprints, reflection rounds, and exercises to define next steps.

Discussions were facilitated by Dr Peter Gillis, Innovation Services Lead at Learnovate. Input from the likes of Elliott Masie and Dr Peter Gillis provided participants with a clear knowledge of how to scale their business, expand their innovation capacity and break into new markets.

Following the success of its Dublin event, Learnovate and Enterprise Ireland now plan to extend their support to startups across the regions by hosting the EdTech Masterclass Series in Athlone in September and November this year.

The move to host the Masterclass Series outside Dublin forms part of Learnovate’s strategy to further establish itself as a driving force behind Ireland’s EdTech and HRTech innovation ecosystem by providing education and supports to startups as they aim to scale, expand innovation and compete globally.

The event is the product of collaboration between senior figures at both Learnovate and Enterprise Ireland, including Nessa McEniff, Centre Director of Learnovate; David Farrelly, Head of Membership Services at Learnovate; Dr Peter Gillis, Innovation Services Lead at Learnovate; Maria Gavin, Senior Executive in Industry Sector Engagement at Enterprise Ireland; and Nicola Kelly, Senior Client Adviser at Enterprise Ireland.

Head of Membership Services Dave Farrelly says:

“The Learnovate Centre is delighted to mark the success of the EdTech Masterclass Series in partnership with Enterprise Ireland by announcing plans for a regional rollout of the initiative in the autumn.

“Irish EdTech companies are operating in an increasingly competitive global market where the ability to innovate quickly is the difference between success and failure. That’s why, through this masterclass series, we’re helping organisations to step back, assess where they are, and take effective steps to scale and innovate.

“We look forward to bringing Masterclasses 1 and 2 to Athlone later this year where we hope that participants will continue to come away with clearly defined priorities, knowledge of funding pathways, and leads to potential collaboration partners.”

Donnchadh Cullinan, Head of Enterprise Solutions at Enterprise Ireland, says:

“The EdTech Masterclass series has offered a constructive learning environment for founders and practitioners to explore how AI and emerging technologies are influencing innovation in learning and talent development. Creating space for peer discussion, shared insight and experimentation at this early stage is important. Enterprise Ireland welcomes Learnovate’s plans to continue evolving the series and to pilot regional sessions later in the year.”

For more information, or to arrange interviews, contact Martha Kearns from StoryLab at +35387 272 0212

About Learnovate:
Learnovate is a global research and innovation centre in the future of work and learning in Trinity College Dublin. An industry-led technology centre funded by Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, Learnovate supports organisations to unlock the transformative power of learning using applied research, innovative practices, and technology. Learnovate’s vision is to be globally recognised as a centre of excellence for the future of work and learning, and to enable Ireland to strengthen its competitive position in this sector.

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Dell Technologies has introduced new security by design and cyber resilience capabilities to help organisations secure, detect and recover from next-generation threats. The enhancements address emerging risks from quantum computing and AI by hardening device foundations, strengthening cyber resilience when incidents occur and extending threat detection into AI data platforms.

Why it matters

AI is creating more valuable data and giving attackers new ways to move faster. Quantum computing will accelerate that shift by weakening the encryption technology that organisations use today to protect data and verify software integrity.

These converging threats are driving demand for devices built to resist future attacks, cyber resilience to minimise incident impact and stronger detection across environments where AI data lives. Dell is addressing these security challenges through a layered defence approach across the technology stack, from the PC to the data centre.

Hardening the PC foundation with quantum-ready protections

Quantum computing threatens the security foundations that protect devices today, driving a need for security by design at the deepest firmware layers. Dell is introducing quantum-ready security features to its commercial PCs to protect against attacks that can evade traditional security tools and remain hidden even after a restart or system reinstall.

The upgraded security features harden the PC’s embedded controller (EC), a core hardware security component, to verify firmware updates using signatures designed to resist future quantum-enabled attacks. This helps prevent the controller from accepting malicious or tampered firmware and reduces supply chain risk by validating updates with stronger encryption and digital signatures.

Dell’s enhanced BIOS Verification capability, aligned to post-quantum standards, detects tampering by checking the BIOS against a trusted reference stored securely in Dell’s cloud. If something does not match, this Dell-unique verification flags the device and triggers an alert so teams can investigate and respond.

Strengthening cyber resilience with AI-powered recovery

Hardened devices are essential for helping reduce successful attacks, and so is cyber resilience to minimise impact when incidents occur. According to Dell’s Cyber Resilience Insights research, only 40% of global organisations successfully contained and recovered from a cyberattack or incident drill with minimal impact. Dell is strengthening its PowerProtect cyber resilience portfolio to help organisations detect threats like ransomware sooner and recover faster from incidents.

Enhancements to PowerProtect Data Manager help organisations resolve recovery issues faster with an AI-powered assistant that provides contextual guidance during time-sensitive tasks, spot ransomware risk earlier with enhanced anomaly detection that scans Dell PowerStore snapshots and simplify management at scale with a unified dashboard across distributed systems.

PowerProtect Data Domain, the world’s most secure foundation for cyber resilience3, extends protection to smaller sites and strengthens data security in transit. The PowerProtect Data Domain DD3410 appliance delivers up to 2x faster backups and 46% faster data restores,4 empowering organisations to resume operations quickly after an incident. The updated Data Domain Operating System, now including support for Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.3, helps protect data while it moves between systems and aligns with NIST requirements for encrypted connections.

Extending threat detection from endpoints to AI data platforms

Fast recovery requires early threat detection. AI workloads concentrate valuable data in platforms that traditional endpoint security can miss, creating visibility gaps that attackers exploit. Dell is extending its Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service into environments where unstructured data and AI workloads live.

Building upon the MDR expansion to Dell PowerProtect, Dell MDR now extends to Dell PowerScale, providing organisations with enhanced visibility into threats targeting their AI data storage platforms. Supported by Dell’s expert cybersecurity analysts, this service enables earlier detection of suspicious activity and automates response actions, streamlining security operations and safeguarding critical data.

Additionally, Dell is introducing a new Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)-only option. This service monitors, investigates and responds to endpoint threats using advanced threat detection and next-generation antivirus capabilities. When used with Dell PCs, the service offers unique visibility into BIOS verification results. If a PC’s BIOS drifts from its trusted baseline due to a potential compromise, an alert is sent to Dell’s MDR team to investigate.

John Roese, global CTO and chief AI officer, Dell Technologies: “Quantum computing will break the encryption and digital signatures protecting data today, while agentic AI raises the stakes by increasing the value of data and autonomously shares it across teams and organisations. We’ve been preparing for both shifts for almost a decade through our investments in post-quantum cryptography and our approach to cyber resilience and security by design. We are continuing to bring these protections across our portfolio to help organisations navigate emerging technologies and stay ahead of tomorrow’s threats.”

Javier González Belinchón, director, Corporate Infrastructure & Operations, Palladium Hotel Group: “In luxury hospitality, even a brief IT disruption during peak operations can have a major impact. We work with heavy workloads, and PowerProtect Data Manager’s Transparent Snapshots make a real difference. We get no business disruption, lower risk of data loss and the VM backup times are cut in half. Coupled with our PowerProtect Data Domain appliance, deduplication and compression optimise bandwidth, remote backups are seamless and storage requirements are drastically reduced.”

Fernando Montenegro, vice president & practice lead, Cybersecurity & Resilience, Futurum: “As AI adoption expands, security teams need to protect more high-value data in areas where traditional controls may not provide adequate visibility into how threats move across AI workloads and data platforms. Dell’s approach reflects this broader cyber resilience strategy aimed at reducing risk, deepening security visibility and helping organisations recover more effectively when incidents occur.”

Availability:

—  Quantum-ready security features will be available on new Dell commercial PCs launching in 2026.
—  Dell PowerProtect Data Manager enhancements are now available.
—  Dell PowerProtect Data Domain Operating System updates are now available.
—  Dell PowerProtect Data Domain DD3410 appliance will be available April 15, 2026.
—  Dell Managed Detection and Response (MDR) expansion to Dell PowerScale is now available.
—  Dell Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)-only option is available April 16, 2026.

A Galway-based technology company has launched a new online platform set to transform how sports clubs raise money, replacing WhatsApp messages, cash collections, and manual spreadsheets with a digital competition engine that any club administrator can have up and running in minutes.

Entrypoint, available now at entrypoint.club, allows clubs to create and run online fundraising competitions, collect entry fees securely, and have every euro raised land automatically in the club’s own bank account the moment a member enters. There is no waiting period, no manual bank transfer to request, and no funds held on a third-party platform.

US PGA Championship — live and open to clubs now

Clubs can activate the US PGA Championship Golf Pool competition on Entrypoint today. Members pick their teams, Entrypoint’s live scoring engine updates automatically as rounds are played, and the real-time leaderboard keeps participants engaged throughout the tournament, no manual score-checking by a committee member, no group chat updates.

The PGA Championship is the first of several golf majors that will be available on Entrypoint this season. Further major tournaments will follow, giving clubs a ready-made series of fundraising competitions tied to the events their members are already watching.

Premier League Last Man Standing arriving in August

When the Premier League season kicks off in August 2025, Entrypoint will launch a dedicated Premier League Last Man Standing competition format. Members pick one team to win each week; one wrong result and they are out. The last person standing takes the pot, one of the most popular fundraising formats in Irish sport, now with online entries, automated results, and live leaderboards that update the moment final whistles blow.

Between the PGA Championship now, further golf majors through the summer, and Premier League LMS from August, clubs using Entrypoint will have a fundraising competition available for virtually every week of the sporting calendar.

Built in Galway, born from a gap in the market

Entrypoint was built by the founders of Actimet, a team management app used by clubs and coaches across Irish sport to manage players, schedules, and communications. Working closely with their home club, the team watched committee members spend evenings on tasks that should have taken minutes — chasing entries, counting cash, and manually tracking who was still in the competition.

The gap in the market was obvious. No platform existed that was built specifically for club fundraising competitions, simple enough for a volunteer administrator, and capable of handling the full flow from entry to payout without manual intervention at every step. Entrypoint was built to fill it.

“We have spent years building software for clubs through Actimet, and then we looked at how our own club was trying to run a Last Man Standing — texts flying around, someone’s cousin keeping a spreadsheet, lads forgetting to pay. We knew we could fix that. Entrypoint is the platform we wish had existed.” Commented Rory McGauran, Co-founder, Entrypoint.

A World Cup fundraiser built for every club in Ireland

With the FIFA World Cup on the horizon, Entrypoint is launching a dedicated World Cup Last Man Standing format. Administrators set it up in a few clicks, share a link with members, and the platform handles entries, picks, live results, and the prize payout. Members follow through real-time leaderboards that update automatically as matches are played, making the club fundraiser as engaging as the tournament itself.

“The World Cup only comes around every four years and it is one of the biggest fundraising opportunities any club will ever have. We built the World Cup LMS so clubs can take full advantage of it, with a competition that keeps members genuinely hooked from the group stages all the way to the final.” added  Rory McGauran, Co-founder, Entrypoint

Funds flow directly into the club account from day one

Entrypoint uses Stripe Connect, the payments infrastructure trusted by businesses globally, to route every entry fee directly into the club’s own bank account as it is paid. There is no end-of-competition transfer to chase, no funds pooled on a third-party platform, and no delay. Club treasurers can see their running total in real time, and the money is in their account from the very first entry.

Live scoring and leaderboards that keep participants engaged

Entrypoint’s live scoring engine ensures participants are never left waiting for an update. Leaderboards refresh automatically as results come in across all formats — golf, football, GAA — and members receive automated notifications at key moments. The experience turns a traditional club fundraiser into something members genuinely look forward to checking.

A full competition suite at launch

Entrypoint launches with: Last Man Standing Football, World Cup Last Man Standing, US PGA Championship Golf Pool (live now), further Golf Majors this season, Score Predictors, GAA Provincial Picks, Hurling Picks, Horse Racing Pools, the 50/50 monthly draw with recurring subscriptions, and Premier League LMS from August 2025.

Transparent pricing with no monthly fees

There are no monthly subscription fees for clubs. Entrypoint charges a platform fee on entries only, on a sliding scale: 10% on the first 50 entries, reducing to 7.5%, 5%, and 3% as volumes grow. The 50/50 draw carries a flat 5% fee.

Clubs can sign up at entrypoint.club, complete onboarding in minutes, and have a live competition ready to share with members the same day.

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Authenticity has become one of those words which has been used so often in a ‘trend’ way over a handful of recent years, that it’s started to lose it’s meaning. We’ve seen in appear more frequently in values statements, leadership programmes, social media snippets, and engagement surveys. Everyone is in favour of it, but I’d say that a substantial majority haven’t actually worked out what to do about beyond these trends.

Authenticity at work – how HR can move it from buzzword to behaviour

This is where HR comes in, and it’s a significant opportunity if the profession takes it on board.

The reality many organisations now find themselves in is one of having spent years, possibly even decades doing the opposite of building authenticity. This has been in the shape of training people to ‘read the room’ or ‘soften your approach;’ all things which lead to managing themselves in a way that’s more ‘palatable’ to the culture above them. The effect has been quietly corrosive though. People have learned to perform professionalism, rather than bring themselves to it. And now we seem to be surprised that they don’t feel safe enough to show up as who they actually are.

You can’t just put the word authenticity on a wall or include in your rehashed company values. It either exists in how the organisation actually operates, or it doesn’t exist at all. HR can move authenticity from language into practice.

The foundation is psychological safety, not policy. The reason most people don’t bring their whole selves to work isn’t because they don’t want to, it’s because they have learned through experience that doing so comes with risk. That could have been seeing a team member share an idea, and it was unduly dismissed, or when they saw vulnerability being shared and it being used against the person.

HR can’t legislate safety in existence. What they can do though is create the conditions where people experience it. This is though the way performance conversations are conducted, through who gets recognised and why. Through what happens when someone raises a difficult issue. Every process is a signal. These signals need to tell people that who they actually are is welcome.

Then, it means looking at what gets rewarded. In most organisations, the people who advance are the people who’ve learned to perform confidence, manage up effectively, and reflect the cultural norms back at leadership. That’s not authenticity though.

If HR want to genuinely embed authentic behaviour, it has to look at the criteria within the promotion decisions, performance frameworks, and succession conversations. Are they rewarding the people who challenge the room, or read it and adjust? The people who bring the honest picture or the comfortable one. The person who said the thing nobody else was wiling to say; did that count in their favour or go against them?

The answers in these questions tell you far more about your culture than your values statement does.

Authenticity requires leaders who model it first – and it’s contagious. People take their cues from the top. If a senior leader is one who carefully manages their image, filters everything through a performative lens of how it will land, and is never visibly uncertain, that is exactly what will become the cultural norm, regardless of what the people agenda says.

HR’s most powerful leverage here isn’t a programme. It’s working with senior leaders to help them, re-train them so they understand that the diluted and ‘managed’ version of themselves is costing the organisation. That they need to stop performing leadership, start practising it and then see the entire culture shift around them. To understand that being real isn’t ‘soft’, it’s the thing which builds the trust, retention, and innovation that every organisation is seeking.

Authenticity at work isn’t a wellbeing initiative. It’s a business imperative. The organisations that create genuine conditions for it will outperform the ones who still rely on carefully managed, performance optimised version of their people. In a world getting more data and automation enabled, real authenticity is the standout quality workplaces need to attract and retain the best talent.

HR do already know this; it’s a case of being willing to go first and pioneer it.

By Claire Brumby, who is a leadership coach, trainer, entrepreneur, keynote speaker and author of Forget Normal – I Want Magic: The 5 Rules of Leadership, published by Kogan Page (out now)

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In recent years, Da Nang’s innovation-driven startup ecosystem has continued to grow strongly, attracting increasing attention from investment funds, startup support organizations, and startup communities both domestically and internationally. Building on the success of previous editions, the Danang Venture and Angel Summit 2026 (DAVAS 2026) is scheduled to take place from May 25 – 27, 2026, in Da Nang City. The event is expected to become a key destination for connecting investment capital with innovative startup projects.

Highlights from DAVAS 2025 and what to expect from DAVAS 2026

Following the success of DAVAS 2025, the forum made a strong impression by bringing together more than 20 domestic and international investment funds, with total assets under management reaching USD 3.5 billion, along with the participation of over 60 experts and speakers from countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, the United States, Germany, and India; Launching of Da Nang – Greater Bay Area Innovation Center; Hosting an exhibition of 40 innovative startup booths; And announcing and signing 11 Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs).

Startups also had the opportunity to pitch directly to investment funds

Beyond sharing investment trends and startup development experiences, DAVAS created favorable conditions for innovative startups to present their ideas, connect with investors, and expand international partnerships. At DAVAS 2025, 36 startup projects participated in pitching sessions, with many receiving initial interest from investors and continuing discussions after the event.

These outcomes have played an important role in positioning Da Nang as an attractive destination for international investors and startups, while advancing the city’s goal of becoming a leading innovation hub in the region.

Expectations for Breakthrough Growth at DAVAS 2026

Building on these positive results, DAVAS 2026 is expected to achieve breakthroughs in both scale and depth of investment connections.

The number of participating investment funds is projected to double compared to 2025, with the presence of reputable international funds such as Quest Ventures, Genesia Ventures, Makara Capital, Vertex Ventures, TRIVE, Sunwah Innovations, Universal Materials Incubator Co. Ltd, Daiwa Corporate Investment Co. Ltd, Z Venture Capital, along with other venture capital funds and angel investors. This expansion is expected to significantly increase investment resources for startups, opening up greater access to funding and accelerating project development.

DAVAS 2026 will also feature participation from organizations involved in building and developing innovation ecosystems, including Kilsa Global, Gima Group, Aeternum Consulting Ltd., Republic Polytechnic, Belkin Marketing along with representatives from startup support organizations, incubators, innovation centers, and ecosystem stakeholders from various countries and territories.

The diverse participation of investment funds and ecosystem development organizations will not only enhance startups’ access to capital but also strengthen knowledge exchange, international experience sharing, and foster sustainable, globally integrated development of Da Nang’s innovation ecosystem.

In addition, the number of startup projects registering for pitching is expected to increase threefold compared to the previous year. This will lead to higher competition, requiring startups to better prepare their business models, technologies, and market strategies. Not only will the quantity increase, but the quality of participating startups is also expected to improve significantly through rigorous selection and structured preparation. Notably, startups will receive pre-event training from experts and investors to enhance their fundraising capabilities, refine products, and improve their success rate during pitching sessions.

The simultaneous increase in both the number of investment funds and the quality of startups is expected to position DAVAS 2026 as one of the most influential startup investment forums in the region, bringing Da Nang closer to its goal of becoming a regional innovation hub.

Program Highlights

The event will take place over three days (May 25 – 27, 2026), featuring a series of key activities:

• Organize the DAVAS Champion Golf Tournament and a Welcome Reception, creating networking opportunities for investors, entrepreneurs, and the startup community
• Web3 Builders’ Summit 2026, discussing emerging technology trends such as blockchain, Web3, and digital assets
• Strategic Connection Dialogue Program (Pre-DAVAS Landing Program), bringing together policymakers, investors, and businesses to discuss strategic positioning and regional expansion from Da Nang
• On-site Booth Exhibition and Technology Demonstrations, expected to feature more than 50 booths displaying innovative products and solutions
• Danang Venture and Angel Summit 2026 (DAVAS 2026), where startups present their ideas to domestic and international investors

The main activities are expected to be held at the Ariyana International Convention Centre Da Nang, one of the city’s largest conference venues.

Driving Force for the Innovation Startup Ecosystem

The annual organization of DAVAS not only creates a platform for investment connection but also contributes significantly to building a community of angel investors and venture capital funds in Da Nang.

Through workshops, exhibitions, pitching sessions, and direct networking activities, startups will gain access to professional fundraising processes, improve product development capabilities, and expand into international markets.

With strong preparation from the Da Nang Innovation Startup Support Center (under the Department of Science and Technology of Da Nang city), along with relevant agencies, organizations, and ecosystem partners, DAVAS 2026 is expected to further elevate Da Nang’s innovation startup brand while attracting investment resources, advanced technologies, and high-quality human capital for the city’s future development.

For more information and registration, please visit: https://davas.vc/

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Ireland reached a significant milestone in the renewable energy transition last week, according to EirGrid, with a new peak of over 1GW of electricity provided by grid-scale solar power for the first time.

For comparison to the same time last year, a peak of around 750 MW was recorded in March 2025, and again in May 2025 with a 755 MW peak.

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

It is estimated that 1GW is enough to power around 500,000 customers, and the new record is attributed to the growing number of large (grid-scale) solar farms connected to the power system.

This comes as EirGrid progresses the most ambitious programme of work ever undertaken on the transmission system in Ireland, with a €18.9 billion investment package having recently been provided by the regulator and Government for the national electricity grid and network.

It says that this investment will be critical to bring more renewable power, including wind and solar, onto the system.

The delivery of a significant amount of grid infrastructure over the coming years is required to unlock greater energy independence and security, supporting national and regional economic growth and a resilient society, according to EirGrid.

The peak of 1GW (1021 MW) was set for the first time on Monday, 20 April at 12.19 pm. Another record of 1087 MW was then set on Friday, 24 April at 12.08 pm, followed by a record peak of 1133 MW on Saturday, 25 April at 2.14 pm.

There have been a number of records on the system in recent months and across last summer, with the most recent record before the 1GW peak of 983 MW set on 21 March.

Given Ireland’s climate and available generation, onshore wind energy remains the largest contributor to renewable power in Ireland. Between February 2025 and January 2026, 3.1% of demand was met by grid-scale solar, with 33.2% met by onshore wind.

Looking over the course of a year, EirGrid’s metred data shows the percentage of electricity demand met by grid-scale solar has continued to grow. In 2023, the average was 1.1%, growing to 2% in 2024 and 3.1% by 2025.

The new record observed by EirGrid refers to power generated and brought onto the transmission system from grid-scale solar farms at a moment in time, but there has also been a significant increase in the amount of rooftop (embedded) solar in Ireland.

The integration of renewables on the system is an important lever to support the electrification of the economy and society, supporting the transport sector and housing, including, for example, the charging of electric vehicles.

Darragh O’Brien, Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, said:

“Over the coming years, wind and solar will play an increasingly significant role in powering homes, businesses and farms across the country. This is key to reducing our reliance on imported and volatile fossil fuels and to reducing prices for electricity customers.

“Further progress will be facilitated by the delivery of renewables and grid infrastructure, underscored by Government commitment and by the PR6 grid investment programme that will support Ireland’s economy and society.”

Cathal Marley, EirGrid’s Chief Executive, added:

“The 1GW milestone recorded by the National Control Centre represents continued progress in integrating renewable energy onto the system, and managing the very complex and technical task of balancing different forms of renewable and conventional generation on the system to ensure we meet national demand.

“We’re committed to facilitating continued growth through the delivery of electricity infrastructure. This is essential to supporting the delivery of Government policy and targets in key areas such as housing, climate, enterprise, digitalisation and industry, benefitting our communities and wider society.”

Research carried out by Nevo.ie, Ireland’s only dedicated electric vehicle platform, has found that since the start of the year, the 10 best-selling EV (electric vehicle) models have an average price of €37,774. For the same period, the top 10 petrol and diesel models have an average price of €40,149. A difference of €2,375.

Derek Reilly with Nevo stated “For a long time, price has been a huge factor stated by drivers stopping them going electric, there was a ‘Green Premium’, This is no longer the case. This research, adding to the lower running costs and total cost of ownership that goes hand in hand with owning an EV is really starting to make sense to more Irish drivers.”

Electric Vehicle now €2,375 cheaper

Coupled with this research, the Q2 Fuel Price Comparison data from the SEAI (Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland) shows that the average cost of fuelling an EV in Ireland to drive 100km is €3.12. The same distance in a diesel car costs €8.75, and petrol would, on average, cost you €9.32. These average forecourt prices do not reflect the recent price increases per litre.

The SUV body type is dominant across all fuel types, with 9 of the top 10 coming in this form factor, as Irish drivers prefer a more upright driving position. Since SUVs are the most popular shape, it’s easy to calculate just how much can be saved by driving electric versus a 1.5L diesel.

If you’re looking to trim your monthly expenses, switching from a traditional diesel SUV to an electric vehicle offers some pretty eye-opening numbers. Based on a standard 30-day month with a daily commute of 35 km (totalling 1,050 km), a 1.5L diesel SUV consuming 6.0 L/100 km would burn through 63 litres of fuel. At a price of €2.14 per litre, your monthly fuel bill hits €134.82.

In contrast, a 60 kWh EV with an efficiency of 18 kWh/100 km would use 189 kWh for that same distance. Using a home charging rate of €0.18/kWh, the monthly cost drops significantly to just €34.02. This results in an estimated monthly saving of roughly €101, which puts about €1,210 back in your pocket every year on commuting costs alone.

About Nevo

Nevo is an impartial website where consumers can educate themselves all about electric vehicles. From our comparison tool to journey planner, visitors can research all Electric Vehicles from every automotive brand available in Ireland. Users can enquire and book test drives with franchise retail dealers across Ireland, all in one site. Nevo also hosts Ireland’s largest motor show in November, in partnership with Bank of Ireland, which last year attracted over 30,000 attendees

Nevo is a part of parent company Drive Inc, an Irish company that is behind several next generation solutions focused on innovation in the Irish motoring sector. In 2024 the Dublin-based automotive technology company, Drive Inc was acquired by ACV Auctions, a US-based Nasdaq-listed company. This acquisition gives further strength to the formidable Dublin based tech team.

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Guinness Enterprise Centre (GEC), Ireland’s entrepreneurial superhub, has unveiled the findings of an Economic Impact Report marking 25 years of supporting Irish-based start-ups and their founders. The new report, 25 Years of Economic Impact, found that start-ups supported by the GEC – including graduate and current resident companies – have generated €2.5BN in total revenues over the last 25 years. In 2025, GEC-based start-ups amassed €140M in revenues.

The GEC, Ireland’s largest start-up campus, is launching its impact report today as it celebrates 25 years since it was built on the site of an old warehouse attached to the Guinness brewery. As Ireland’s largest business incubator, to-date, the GEC has supported more than 1,500 start-ups by providing space, mentoring programmes and funding pathways that help founders navigate the challenges of early-stage growth and scale internationally. In doing so, the report shows that previous and current resident start-ups are now supporting 13,225 jobs per year.

Carried out by KHSK Economic Consultants and commissioned by the GEC, the report found that the 160 businesses based at the GEC returned €31M to the exchequer in 2025. They produced €73M in exports and anticipate average revenue growth of close to 70% in 2026, highlighting their market opportunity across key sectors including sustainability, healthcare and AI. The resident companies employed 743 people in 2025, of which 86% are recent college graduates. Salaries totalled €44M in the same year.

The GEC’s wider economic contribution is also highlighted in the report. Activity generated by GEC-based start-ups, and their employees, supported €146M in total economic output and approximately 1,300 jobs. This means that for every four jobs created in the GEC, three are created in the wider economy.

Niamh Collins, Centre Director, Guinness Enterprise Centre, said: “I am very proud of the efforts of the GEC team over the past year, not to mention the past 25 years. That dedication is reflected in the success of the businesses based here. Ecosystems are crucial to start-up success, and the GEC provides a space where ambitious founders can be inspired, grow and scale.

“Our Economic Impact Report showcases the standards the GEC has set for success, with notable graduates including Havoc – sold to Intel for $110 million in 2007 – and Adaptive Media, acquired by Enea for $45 million. We are helping to build international success stories from Ireland and will continue this momentum well into the future.”

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eir business, Ireland’s trusted provider of secure, managed connectivity and technology solutions, and ServiceNow, the AI control tower for business reinvention, today announced a multi-million-euro collaboration to transform how managed services are delivered to organisations across the island of Ireland. This will help strengthen eir business’ managed services platform, unifying service operations on the ServiceNow AI Platform, and introducing advanced automation, AI assisted service, and integrated reporting to elevate customer experience.

The ServiceNow AI Platform will underpin eir business’s Managed Services Centre of Excellence, providing a single pane of glass that connects intelligence to execution across every stage of the service lifecycle. This strategic investment responds to growing market demand for AI powered self-service, robust Service Level Agreement (SLA) performance tracking, and executive level dashboards, which are increasingly required in public sector tenders and large enterprise renewals.

By embedding ServiceNow’s AI capabilities across its managed services portfolio, eir business will deliver new customer value, including:

Unified service experiences: A single portal for incident management, service requests and real-time updates.

AI assisted service and automation: Proactive issue detection, automated triage and accelerated resolution assisted service and automation.

Operational insights: Integrated dashboards and SLA analytics that support confident, data driven decisions.

Enhanced cyber resilience: Transparent, auditable service operations that strengthen trust and support compliance.

Enterprise grade governance: A secure, scalable platform aligned with the needs of public-sector bodies and large enterprises.

“This partnership represents a major strategic investment in the future of managed services in Ireland,” said Susan Brady, Managing Director, eir business. “Our customers want service experiences that are intuitive, transparent and reliable. By standardising on the ServiceNow AI Platform, we are delivering a unified consumer-grade portal, proactive service management driven by automation, and clear operational insights that help leaders make confident, data-driven decisions. This investment underscores a simple commitment: to meet our customers’ evolving needs with the scale, engineering strength and reliability of the eir group behind us. We are here to keep businesses connected, protected and empowered to thrive in an increasingly digital Ireland.”

“Irish organisations are modernising at pace, yet many still face rising security expectations and widening digital capability gaps, particularly among SMEs,” said Damian Stirrett, UK & Ireland Group Vice President and General Manager, at ServiceNow. “As Ireland advances through its Digital Decade, leaders need platforms that deliver trust, scale and tangible results. By adopting the ServiceNow AI Platform, eir business is giving customers a governed, enterprise-grade environment that accelerates resolution, strengthens transparency and frees teams to focus on higher-value work.”

The enhanced eir business managed services platform, powered by ServiceNow, will be rolled out to customers later this year.

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Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a global leader in IT services, consulting, and business solutions, operating a Global Delivery Centre in Letterkenny today, announced the expansion of its strategic partnership with Google Cloud to help enterprises adopt AI-native, autonomous operating models.

This collaboration will support deploying and managing agentic and autonomous AI systems that enable faster decision-making across complex business and IT functions, without adding operational risk or complexity.

These AI agents will also help maintain strong governance, security, and trust in regulated and mission-critical environments. To put this into practice, TCS has launched four offerings that will help enterprises move from AI pilots to operational autonomy across sectors where scale, reliability, and trust matter most. These include:

—  TCS Agentic AI Data Accelerator – helps reduce data transition cycles by up to 40%, while creating a cloud-native foundation for AI at scale

—  TCS Physical AI Blueprint and TCS Smart Factory Blueprint – the offerings use vision AI and agentic orchestration to enable safer, semi-autonomous industrial environments

—  TCS AI SOC (security operations centre), enabled by Google SecOps – enables faster, more effective incident response and remediation, helping organisations build cyber defence capabilities

Kevin Ichhpurani, President – Global Partner Ecosystem, Google Cloud, said, “The expansion of our strategic partnership with TCS is a testament to our shared commitment to driving true enterprise transformation. By combining Google Cloud’s AI infrastructure with TCS’s deep industry expertise and their 3,000+ specialised agents, we are empowering customers to move beyond pilots to fully autonomous, AI-native operating models.”

Gaurav Syal, VP and Global Head – Google Business, TCS, said, “Cloud is a critical enabler for enterprise-scale AI, forming the foundation layer on which AI-native transformation is built. This next phase of our partnership will help enterprises move faster towards autonomous, AI-native operating models, combining the strengths of TCS and Google Cloud to deliver measurable impact.”

As part of this expansion, TCS has embedded Gemini Enterprise across its portfolio offerings to accelerate business outcomes and help enterprises advance toward AI-native autonomy. It has built more than 3,000 industry-and context-aware agents on Gemini Enterprise that integrate seamlessly into customer environments, supported by Google Cloud-certified and skilled talent. TCS is also extending these capabilities to its employees through the tcsAI initiative, demonstrating how AI can be democratised at scale.

Sudhakar Lingineni, CIO, C&S Wholesale Grocers, LLC, said, “The collaboration with TCS and Google Cloud has enabled us to reimagine how cloud and AI drive productivity, innovation, and competitive advantage at scale.”

TCS is also expanding its global Gemini Experience Centres to help customers ideate, prototype, and co-develop solutions from concept to production. Currently, seven centres are live worldwide; the newest, in Troy, Michigan, focuses on physical AI for manufacturing. TCS plans to expand to more than 10 Gemini Experience Centres globally by the end of 2026.

TCS’s sustained commitment and execution excellence are reflected in the recognition it received at Google Cloud Next’26. TCS is recognised with five 2026 Google Cloud Partner of the Year Awards, which include Artificial Intelligence: Agent Development; Global Infrastructure Modernisation; Global Talent Development; Infrastructure Modernisation: Migration, North America; and Security: Managed Security Service Provider, APAC.

Bharat Sharma, is the founder and CEO of Apex, and he spent over a decade building complex B2B commerce platforms through Monsoon Consulting, gaining firsthand insight into the recurring operational challenges mid-market merchants face. Some of those challenges, such as manual and fragmented processes involving multiple buyers, layered approval, and strict financial controls, could not be solved with traditional B2C platforms, and this was when he noticed  a pattern in B2B commerce platforms and why B2C tools are not fit to meet their challenges.

Bharat also noticed that almost 65% of B2B executives reported that B2B online commerce is “broken” due to poor data, inefficient processes, and an inability to meet B2C-like convenience standards. Noticing these patterns across multiple projects, and this inspired him to create Apex, a purpose-built platform that addresses these pain points at scale.

I recently caught up with Bharat and he spoke to me about his background, what Apex does, the challenges of B2B commerce and more.

More about Apex:

Apex is an out-of-the-box ready B2B eCommerce product for manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers. Apex knows B2B e-commerce is hard which is why it makes it easy, providing everything you need, from pricing and quoting to self-serve dashboards. It is ready to go out of the box, so you can focus on growth, not setup.

See more podcasts here.

Dell Technologies has announced the launch of PowerMaxOS 10.4, the latest update to its flagship enterprise storage platform, designed to help organisations accelerate performance, strengthen cyber resilience and modernise mission-critical infrastructure.

The new release delivers up to 25% faster read response times for SRDF-protected workloads, alongside improved efficiency and lower total cost of ownership for PowerMax 2500 and 8500 arrays. It is engineered to support high-demand enterprise environments, including large-scale Oracle, SAP, Salesforce and Epic deployments.

Brian Henderson, Director of Primary Storage and ISG Portfolio Messaging at Dell Technologies, said: “The pace of innovation in the enterprise world never slows down. Organisations today face a dual challenge: maintaining the stability and performance of mission-critical workloads while modernising infrastructure to seize new opportunities.

“At Dell Technologies, we believe that technology should empower teams to move faster, work smarter, and achieve more.”

PowerMaxOS 10.4 introduces Advanced Ransomware Detection to proactively identify threats, alongside enhanced Zero Trust security capabilities, including single sign-on (SSO) integration with Okta, PingFederate and Microsoft Entra ID. The platform also strengthens resilience through a four-site SRDF replication architecture, enabling continuous availability, automated failover and data consistency across regions.

To support application modernisation, the platform offers deep integration with VMware and Red Hat OpenShift, enabling up to 10x faster virtual machine migration using array-based XCOPY and the Red Hat Migration Toolkit for Virtualisation. Enhanced REST API capabilities also deliver up to 7x faster storage provisioning for containerised environments.

Henderson added: “This latest release introduces faster performance, enhanced cyber resilience and deeper ecosystem integration, ensuring your business stays ahead of the curve.”

PowerMaxOS 10.4 is also designed with future scalability in mind, supporting next-generation 128Gb Fibre Channel connectivity and built-in AES-256 encryption, alongside compliance with FIPS 140-3 Level 2 standards, making it suitable for highly regulated industries including finance, healthcare and government.

The new release is available globally from today. Dell Technologies will showcase PowerMaxOS 10.4 at Dell Technologies World (May 18–21), highlighting innovations in cybersecurity, AI-driven automation and high-performance infrastructure.

The same wireless technology that can track your cat or locate an item in a warehouse can also monitor your breathing. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital and the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, now present a completely new method for measuring breathing movements in patients with impaired lung function. Using small, plaster-like tags, breathing can be analysed in detail entirely contactlessly – in hospital or at home.

How wireless tags can help monitor your breathing

For patients who have lung (pulmonary) disease or have undergone surgery, it is essential to be able to measure respiratory function accurately and reliably. Imaging techniques such as standard X-rays and CT scans are generally used at present, and the examinations are carried out using advanced equipment in a hospital setting. In addition to limited availability and expensive technology, patients are also exposed to radiation.

To enable advanced, accurate measurements to be taken in a simpler and more cost-effective way, a Chalmers-led research team has tested a completely new method of analysing breathing function. In a recently published scientific article, the researchers demonstrate that radio frequency technology can be used for advanced measurement of breahing function and breathing movements. The technology is already widely used across society in everything from mobile communications to tracking goods using radio frequency identification (RFID).

“To test the idea, we used existing commercial equipment in a proof-of-concept test. We are delighted with these promising results, which show that the technology has potential for advanced monitoring in healthcare,” says Xuezhi Zeng, Associate Professor and Teaching Fellow at the Department of Electrical Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology.

She has been conducting research into radio frequency technology for many years and, with fellow researchers at Sahlgrenska University Hospital and the University of Gothenburg, she carried out the study which demonstrates that the technology is suitable for advanced monitoring of breathing.

Plaster-like tags record breathing

The tests were carried out at Sahlgrenska University Hospital’s simulation centre, where a computer-controlled mannequin was fitted with four plaster-like tags – RFID tags – which were placed on different positions on the chest wall. Using radio waves from a portable device, a reader, the movements of the tags could be recorded and displayed as graphs on a monitor.

In most tests, it was possible to detect even slight differences in breathing movements at the various measurement points. The results thus provided a detailed picture of breathing function.

“There is a great need in the healthcare sector for flexible, reliable, cost-effective measurement methods. This is an important step towards providing personalised rehabilitation for patients who are recovering from surgery or living with chronic pulmonary diseases, for example,” says Gunilla Kjellby Wendt, Head of Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy at Sahlgrenska University Hospital and Adjunct Professor at Chalmers.

She believes that RFID technology would make it easier to carry out the examinations, as the equipment is portable and can be used both in healthcare settings and at home.

The small chip-equipped tags, each of which has a unique ID, draw the power they need from the reader. This means they operate entirely contactlessly and without the need for batteries or cables.

Hoping for clinical trials within five years

The next step for the researchers is to develop their own prototype in which signal processing, system design and analysis functions are tailored to ensure that the equipment and method are sufficiently robust for clinical trials.

“It will take a few years, but I hope our prototype can be tested on patients within five years,” says Xuezhi Zeng.

In the longer term, the researchers hope that the method will make it possible to test more patients across a wider range of care settings. The hope is also to be able to monitor patients with impaired pulmonary function over an extended period of time in their own homes, so that any deterioration can be detected and treated more quickly.

“This could have a significant impact on how we monitor and treat patients with impaired pulmonary function, particularly as more and more care is set to be provided in patients’ own homes,” says Monika Fagevik Olsén, co-author of the study and Professor of Physiotherapy at the University of Gothenburg.

More about the research:

The scientific study Localized Measurement of Breathing Movement Using RFID: Proof-of-Concept and Challenges has been published in IEEE Access. The authors are Xuezhi Zeng, Jiaqi Wu, Anneli Thelandersson, Gunilla Kjellby Wendt and Monika Fagevik Olsén. The researchers work at Chalmers University of Technology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital and the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

The research received funding from Chalmers’ Health Engineering Area of Advance.

For more information, please contact:

Xuezhi Zeng, Associate Professor and Teaching Fellow, Department of Electrical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden,
xuezhi@chalmers.se,

Gunilla Kjellby Wendt, Head of Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy at Sahlgrenska University Hospital and Adjunct Professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, gunilla.kjellby-wendt@vgregion.se,

Monika Fagevik Olsén, Professor of Physiotherapy, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, monika.fagevik-olsen@gu.se,

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Guest post by Pedro Bobião, who is the Founder of Vide de Grunwald, an execution-focused firm operating at the intersection of investment, operations, and territorial development. He develops Blue Clusters to turn fragmented potential into structured, investable opportunities.

The idea that more tools, more data and more AI will unlock scale persists because it is easier to point to what is visible. In many parts of the blue economy, those tools already exist and already work. They improve operations, increase visibility and reduce uncertainty at specific points across fisheries, aquaculture and alternative proteins. What changes far more slowly is everything around them, particularly the way production, processing, logistics and markets actually connect.

The importance of the blue economy

In sectors that reached scale, technology was never deployed in isolation. It was absorbed into systems that persist over time. A molecule in pharmaceuticals only becomes relevant once it moves through trials, regulation, manufacturing, distribution and reimbursement. That sequence does not reset between cycles. Each step reinforces the next and uncertainty becomes progressively clearer. Capital learns how to price it.

In the blue economy, that continuity is uneven. Fisheries remain fragmented, landings fluctuate and regulation often reacts rather than anticipates. Aquaculture combines biological risk, capital intensity and operational variability in ways that resist standardisation. Alternative proteins are still stabilising both cost and demand. The system exists, but it does not accumulate in a way that compounds.

The problem is not a lack of innovation. It is the absence of systems capable of retaining it.

Technology improves specific points within that environment. Traceability can follow origin, handling and quality with precision. But that information rarely survives intact from capture through processing to the final market. It weakens at each transition. Value dissipates along the way. High-quality product still clears as commodity, not because it is, but because nothing downstream recognises it in a stable way. A vessel can land premium catch in the morning and negotiate it as undifferentiated product by the afternoon. A farm can optimise feed conversion and biomass and remain exposed to volatile demand and fragile offtake structures. Performance improves, but the economic outcome does not move at the same pace.

This gap is structural and it persists across cycles. Projects are launched, pilots are funded and accelerators generate activity, data and learning. Then cycles end, teams rotate and priorities shift. Very little is retained in a form that reduces uncertainty for what comes next. New initiatives begin again from similar positions, often with better tools but under the same conditions.

From a capital perspective, the constraint sits here. Without a visible trajectory of decreasing uncertainty, there is no basis for pattern recognition. Without pattern recognition, risk cannot be priced in a consistent way. Capital is not absent. It is unconvinced. Most of what it sees does not repeat in a way that can be modelled.

In environments that scale, knowledge persists and processes stabilise so that each cycle builds on the previous one. Here, progression remains uneven. What is often described as an ecosystem reflects activity more than structure. Technologies, markets and actors are grouped together without a shared value chain or clear interdependence. Improvements remain isolated instead of consolidating into something that endures.

Value chains are rarely defined end to end. Production, processing, logistics and demand stay loosely connected. Value created at one point dissipates across transitions because there is no mechanism to retain it. Margins compress where they should expand. Signals weaken where they should strengthen. Software depends on repetition and comparable conditions. Without them, each deployment behaves like a new case. That limits reuse, prevents standardisation and keeps technology from evolving into infrastructure.

If repetition exists anywhere in the blue economy, it exists in territory. The same actors interact across multiple cycles. Infrastructure is reused. Relationships between production, processing and market do not need to be rebuilt each time. Information carries forward. Performance becomes comparable. Risk becomes more transparent.

Proximity alone does not create that effect. Clusters do not emerge from co-location but from structure. Value chains need to hold long enough for accumulation to take place. Data needs to carry meaning from one cycle to the next. Failures need to inform decisions instead of resetting them. Contracts and expectations need to stabilise before capital can recognise patterns.

Within that context, technology no longer sits on top of the system. It becomes part of it. Data moves across the chain with fewer losses. Operational improvements begin to translate into economic outcomes. Demand stabilises, pricing signals become clearer and contractual frameworks strengthen. Software behaves differently when it is embedded in something that persists.

The blue economy will not scale by adding more technology. It will scale when the systems around it are able to retain what is already being produced, reduce uncertainty cycle after cycle, and become investable.

Pedro Bobião is the Founder of Vide de Grunwald, an execution-focused firm operating at the intersection of investment, operations, and territorial development. He develops Blue Clusters to turn fragmented potential into structured, investable opportunities.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pedrobobiao/
Website: https://www.videgrunwald.com

See more breaking stories here.

Saros Consulting, an independent IT consultancy with headquarters in Dublin, has announced the results of new research which reveals that 3 in 5 (60%) of large Irish enterprises are seeing stress or mental health issues among IT workers due to intensifying delivery pressures. The research suggests that as organisations continue to embrace AI, the pressure to roll out new products and systems is making for a fraught working environment for IT and technical teams. Just 58% of IT leaders say their leadership team has realistic expectations of how AI can benefit them.

The research was carried out by Censuswide on behalf of Saros Consulting, surveying 200 IT decision-makers in large organisations in Ireland. Respondents were asked about stress and mental health issues among IT teams, and the drivers behind them.

The research found that IT workers’ jobs are being made more difficult by the running of legacy systems that slow down progress. Some 59% of IT leaders admit they are running too many legacy systems, while 57% say legacy systems are holding back innovation in their company. On top of this, six in 10 (61%) large organisations reported that they are seeing scope creep as a significant cause of stress for IT and technical teams. The same proportion (61%) admit that IT and technical teams are working long hours because of talent shortages.

The research highlights that financially, there is an upside for IT workers amid the talent shortages. It reveals that 59% have given an IT or technical team member a 50%+ pay increase to discourage them from leaving. This underlines the lengths large organisations are willing to go to retain skilled IT talent in an increasingly competitive market.

To ease the burden, organisations are also outsourcing IT work. Almost a quarter (24%) of IT decision-makers in large organisations say outsourced project management can help to reduce stress among technical team members.

Ray Armstrong, co-founder and co-CEO of Saros Consulting, said: “Our research shows that organisations in Ireland are struggling to address the issue of mental health among IT teams – and the leadership team themselves could even be compounding the issue.

“The source of the issue lies in organisations not having a proper IT strategy in place. This means not only coming up with a strategy that is doable, but also one that works in tandem with the business and its goals. Putting a proper plan in place can help to alleviate pressure, provide clarity and lead to happier, more fulfilled workers.”

Justin van der Spuy, co-founder and co-CEO of Saros Consulting, said: “The sharp rise in cyber threats, coupled with the AI boom and severe staff shortages, have meant that IT teams are under a lot of pressure – to a point where it is becoming too much.

“IT has become the backbone of every organisation: if it ceases to function healthily, then so does the rest of the organisation. IT leaders must look holistically at how they can support their teams. Pay rises alone can’t cure sleep deprivation.”

See more stories here.

The WindEurope conference in Madrid offered an insight into the Government’s ambition and delivery on wind energy, as it prepares to take over the EU Presidency in the wake of a global energy crisis. The Irish delegation at Europe’s largest annual renewable wind energy event is being led by Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O’Brien, and Minister of State with special responsibility for Marine Planning and Inland Fisheries Timmy Dooley.

Key takeaways from WindEurope

Speaking at the Inaugural Session of the three-day expo, opened by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Minister Dooley told leading business figures in the renewable wind energy sector that global geo-political events mean that Ireland’s upcoming EU Presidency will emphasise the need for accelerated deployment of renewable energy.

The WindEurope Annual Event 2026 has attracted over 16,000 attendees, and features over 400 speakers, and over 600 exhibitors from across the supply chain. Minister O’Brien will arrive to the conference on Wednesday ahead of his participation in the conference’s most anticipated event – the Offshore Wind Ministerial Session on Thursday morning. On Thursday afternoon, Minister O’Brien will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Spanish Minister for the Ecological Transition, Sara Aagesen on the Development of an Electricity Interconnector between Ireland and Spain.

Inaugural Session

Alongside Minister Dooley, the Inaugural Session panel discussion featured a selection of European ministers, including UK Energy Minister Michael Shanks, officials from the European Parliament, and senior business figures. The discussion centred on how to help economies shift to clean electricity as the primary source of energy, looking at fast-tracking regulatory change and accelerating supply chain growth in the face of the global energy crisis sparked by the closing of the strait of Hormuz.

Speaking ahead of his attendance at the event, Minister O’Brien said:

“Energy markets and prices are directly impacted by events far beyond our borders. Reducing our exposure to volatile fossil fuel markets will strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy. It is essential that we accelerate deployment of grid networks and interconnection at scale – to underpin the EU’s competitiveness, to drive down consumer costs, and to ensure our collective energy security.”

Speaking at the event today Minister Dooley said:

“The ongoing conflict in the Middle East underlines once again why Ireland and Europe must speed up the employment of renewables and investment in our grid networks. The Grids Package is the most important file in Energy Council during Ireland’s upcoming presidency.”

Treat electrification as a ‘strategic priority’

On the first day of the event, WindEurope presented the Madrid Call to Action – calling on EU leaders to treat electrification as a strategic priority, not just a policy footnote.

Among other high-profile events for Ireland on day one was a networking and information session hosted at the Ireland pavilion by members of the Government of Ireland’s onshore and offshore wind taskforces. At this event, Minister Dooley launched Enterprise Ireland’s Propel Ireland wind centre of excellence to an international audience, followed by a progress report on ‘Powering Prosperity’ – Ireland’s Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy, which was launched at WindEurope 2024 in Bilbao.

See more breaking stories here.

Applications for individual home energy upgrades are up 186% on Q1 2025; overall applications are up 96%
Minister O’Brien has updated Cabinet colleagues on a very significant ramp-up in interest in Home Energy Upgrades

New National Residential Retrofit Plan 2026 phased in a host of new, more affordable measures – 7,000 have already applied for windows and doors grants Data for the first quarter of this year from SEAI shows a very positive upward trend – in both demand and output. 73,000 upgrades are targeted this year.

Home Energy Upgrades up in 2026

Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O’Brien brought a Memo for Information to Government – to provide an update to Cabinet colleagues on the National Residential Retrofit Plan (announced in January of this year). The Programme for Government committed to take decisive action to provide warmer, more comfortable homes, as part of our drive to support energy affordability, security, and sustainability. The new National Residential Retrofit Plan was designed to deliver on this commitment – making home energy upgrades more affordable, and accessible to many more homeowners.

In Budget 2026, the Government provided a record allocation of €640 million, allowing us to target 73,000 home energy upgrades this year. The latest data from SEAI (Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland) shows that we are delivering on this increased ambition. The data also shows that the retrofit sector is mobilising and responding to growing interest in home energy upgrades, underpinned by Government-funded SEAI grant support.

The almost doubling of applications so far in 2026 (year-on-year) means that SEAI processed 29,000 applications from January to March. Among the most noteworthy increases are the following:

over 7,000 applications for window and door upgrades (new grant)
over 1,730 applications for attic insulation (up 81% year on year)
over 1,000 applications for cavity wall insulation (up 62% year on year)
over 350 applications for heat pump installations (up 95% year on year).
Over a quarter of a million Home Energy Upgrades since 2019:

Since 2019, over a quarter of a million (257,000) Home Energy Upgrades have been delivered since 2019, thanks to Government funding of over €1.7 billion.

Continued development of the SEAI retrofit schemes:

The National Energy Affordability Taskforce, was formed to identify, assess and implement measures to enhance energy affordability for households.

The Taskforce is now leading the response to the energy shock, and the immediate associated energy affordability challenge (with an initial focus – reflecting wider recommendations from both the EU and IEA – on demand measures to reduce energy use and make costs more affordable for households and businesses), as well as preparing an Energy Affordability Action Plan – to be completed in Quarter 3 of this year. This work includes examining how to support increased uptake of home energy efficiency upgrades and continued development of the SEAI retrofit schemes, in line with commitments in the Programme for Government.

Commenting, Minister O’Brien said:

“I am delighted to inform Government of this very welcome update on the National Residential Retrofit Plan, which I announced just a few months ago. As a Government, we committed to take decisive action to provide warmer, more comfortable homes – as part of our drive to support energy affordability, security, and sustainability. In the first quarter of the year, data shows a very clear and positive upward trend, with evidence of substantial growth in both demand and output.

“Applications to SEAI for individual home energy upgrades are up 186% on the first quarter of last year, and overall applications are up 96%. Through the work of the National Energy Affordability Taskforce, we will examine how to support further uptake of home energy efficiency upgrades, and this will inform continued development of the SEAI retrofit schemes.”

William Walsh, CEO of SEAI, said:

“At a time when energy costs are a concern for many households, the near doubling of applications to SEAI grants this year to date shows the demand for affordable energy upgrades. The new and expanded grants are helping families to get the benefits of a warmer, healthier homes with lower energy costs. Generous grant support is available for windows and doors, attic and wall insulation, heat pumps, and solar panels as well as fully-funded energy upgrades under the Warmer Homes scheme. Whether you’re planning to take it step-by-step, or to do a complete home energy upgrade, SEAI has a grant that will help you on your journey, reduce energy bills and increase comfort.”

For more information, see SEAI’s website: www.seai.ie/homeenergyupgrades.

The new National Residential Retrofit Plan is available here: National Residential Retrofit Plan.

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