Deputy Ó Cearúil said Ireland must do more to actively cultivate a culture of innovation and risk-taking among young people if the country is to build its own future industries
With several Kildare schools taking part in this year’s Stripe Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, there have been calls to introduce 'prototype' grants for secondary school students to help young innovators turn ideas into real, working projects.
These calls have been made by Fianna Fáil TD for Kildare North, Naoise Ó Cearúil, who said Ireland must do more to actively cultivate a culture of innovation and risk-taking among young people if the country is to build its own future industries.
Deputy Ó Cearúil said the Young Scientist Exhibition highlights both the talent of Irish students, as well as a missed opportunity.
"The quality of ideas on display at the Young Scientist Exhibition is extraordinary. However, too many of these projects remain on paper. Students often lack the means to take the next step and turn an idea into a working prototype,” he said.
“Once the exhibition ends and the stands are taken down the learning and innovation should not end. That is the point where the State should step in.”
He said the proposed prototype grants would allow selected student teams to purchase materials, carry out further testing and continue developing their ideas without having to rely on family resources.
“Prize money will always have a place but innovation cannot be winner-takes-all. If we want a genuine culture of innovation we must support more young people to take risks experiment and learn.”
“This is a small investment by the State but one that would pay dividends. By backing young innovators early we are laying the foundations for the next generation of Irish companies Irish jobs and Irish ideas.”
Tomorrow morning's Kildare Today will feature a teacher and student from St Paul's Secondary School in Monasterevin, who are taking part in the Stripe Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, which kicked off today.
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