Fianna Fáil TD for Louth Erin McGreehan has called on the Department of Enterprise to introduce new prototype grants of up to €1,000 for secondary school students, aimed at helping young innovators develop their ideas into working projects.
Deputy McGreehan said Ireland needs to do more to foster a culture of innovation and calculated risk taking among young people if the country is to build sustainable future industries. While Ireland has benefited greatly from attracting multinational companies over recent decades, she said recent global uncertainty has highlighted the need to strengthen home grown enterprise and innovation.
She said this shift in thinking should begin at school level, with students encouraged not only to pursue secure employment but to see themselves as inventors, creators and potential entrepreneurs.
The Louth TD was speaking as the Stripe Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition takes place in Dublin this week, bringing together hundreds of students selected from thousands of entries nationwide to showcase original scientific and technological projects.
Deputy McGreehan said the exhibition demonstrates the exceptional ability and creativity of Irish students, but also exposes a gap in support once the event concludes. She said many promising projects fail to progress beyond the exhibition stage because students lack the resources to turn ideas into functional prototypes.
She believes the proposed grants would allow student teams to buy materials, carry out further testing and continue developing their projects without having to depend on family finances. The grants, she said, would be modest, capped at €1,000 per team and focused specifically on prototype related costs such as equipment, materials and testing, alongside light mentoring and appropriate safeguards.
Deputy McGreehan said that while prizes and awards are important, innovation should not be limited to a winner takes all approach. Supporting a wider group of students to experiment, learn and take risks is essential to building a genuine culture of innovation.
She added that the proposal would represent a relatively small investment by the State but could deliver long term benefits by helping to lay the groundwork for future Irish businesses, jobs and ideas.
