One nation has stealthily adopted a leading position in remodeling digital casino interactions while the digital gambling realm speeds ahead in innovation - that nation is Ireland. Ireland has recently evolved into an emerging innovative technology center that uses mobile platforms to disrupt the gaming industry.

Developing a new app or creating bonus-heavy games does not represent the main objective of this initiative. The advancement focuses on transforming mobile casino user engagements by starting from the smartphone screen interface.

A New Standard for Design in Mobile Casino Experience

Scroll, tap, swipe. Ireland has gained mastery in this current mobile gaming metabolic rate along with other select development groups worldwide. Mobile casino interfaces no longer replicate small sized desktop screens so users now can find updated interfaces. Modern technology development starts from a mobile perspective while organizations in Ireland create exceptional designs through their fusion of advanced technology and exceptional user understanding.

The movement controls alongside one-hand operating methods come from Dublin-based development teams at the forefront. The user experience includes dynamic animated interfaces which automatically respond to users' actions in real time instead of using standard menu drop-downs and game lobbies.

The slot machine system operates flawlessly through vertical orientation. The gambling feed in live video uses chat functionality alongside betting tools which operate without obscuring the screen display. The system evaluates each detail by running through repeated tests incorporating player comments together with A/B testing protocols.

Direct UX focus serves both as strategic approach and as an aesthetic enhancement. Several Irish startups understand that users are devoting less time to each session leading to rising competition so anything that causes friction will make users leave. Mobile casinos developed by Irish startups remove small interface errors while crafting user-friendly platforms that both maintain user retention and generate user satisfaction.

Intuitive Meets Intelligent: The Role of Adaptive Design

Adaptive interfaces represent the leading technological innovation in mobile gambling across Ireland since they modify user interfaces instantaneously according to player habits and device types and timeframes.

When users start their preferred casino application at night the interface directs them towards games within relaxing sound and minimal visual intensity settings. The interface welcomes back users by displaying new feature highlights that avoid cluttering the user interface screen.

AI analytics drive adaptive interface development at Irish companies who view gaming as much more than game access but as a key element of state of mind and situations.

Even small touches matter. The implementation of predictive asset streaming technology leads to faster loading times. Game recommendations today integrate both historical gameplay data and user-determined time-period preferences and held-device orientation settings.

Gamification and Loyalty in a New Light

Irish businesses lead the global advancement of gamification through genuine casual game design techniques which establish player connection. Modern platforms enable interactive loyalty experiences which duplicate gaming mechanics through avatar collection and perk leveling and the attainment of social awards for both game playing and feature exploration as well as safety practice.

The shift demonstrates a general industry trend which marries emotional resonance with non-financial options. Users take part in digital realms through gameplay instead of limited gambling activity. Through their playful approach Irish developers manage to develop digital universes that display genuine human sensibility.

A company based in Cork released an update which enabled players to give virtual cheers to their fellow casino players while streaming t...

Trinity College Dublin's Front Square was the site of this morning's official launch of IrelandQCI's Quantum & Answers Trailer, an innovative mobile engagement unit designed to bring quantum technologies to life for the Irish public.

The Irish government was represented by Patrick Neary, Assistant Secretary - Communications at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, the co-funder of the IrelandQCI project, who was joined by Professor Linda Doyle, Provost of Trinity College Dublin, Dr Deirdre Kilbane, IrelandQCI Project Lead and Director of Research at the Walton Institute, South East Technological University (SETU), John Regan, Managing Director of ESB Telecoms and IrelandQCI consortium partner and Professor Dan Kilper, Director at CONNECT Research Ireland Centre for Future Networks.

IrelandQCI is a €10 million project aiming to build a national quantum infrastructure for Ireland as part of DIGITAL Europe's EuroQCI, an EU-wide quantum communications infrastructure programme. The goal is to secure critical infrastructure against the threat of cybersecurity attacks due to advances in quantum computing power. The EuroQCI initiative is co-funded by the Irish government's Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and the European Commission and includes 26 EU member states.

Led by Walton Institute at SETU on behalf of CONNECT Research Ireland Centre, IrelandQCI is made up of a consortium of academic and industry partners, including six national universities, ESB Telecoms and HEAnet. IrelandQCI is developing a quantum key distribution (QKD) infrastructure along a major network backbone connecting Dublin to Cork via Waterford. This will integrate cutting-edge quantum technologies with existing classical fibre systems to future-proof Ireland's communications networks against cyber threats.

A highlight of this initiative is the IrelandQCI Quantum & Answers Trailer - an interactive mobile unit designed to demystify quantum science. Funded by the European Commission and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and supported by the CONNECT Research Ireland Centre, the trailer features hands-on experiments and interactive demonstrations to help the public better understand quantum concepts and their real-world applications. It also aims to inspire future generations to explore careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Following the official launch, the IrelandQCI Quantum & Answers Trailer remained on display at Trinity College Dublin today engaging students and general public, with quantum demonstrations taking place on board. The Q & A trailer will now embark on a roadshow tour across the country in the year ahead, exhibiting at national and regional events including showcasing at schools, STEM events and industry conferences, with the objective of educating stakeholders on the benefits of quantum communication technologies.

At the launch, Patrick Neary, Assistant Secretary - Communications at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications said: "Quantum technologies represent a critical pillar in building Ireland's secure digital future. The launch of the Quantum & Answers Trailer, as part of the IrelandQCI initiative, is a creative and important step in bringing the science behind these innovations to the public. We are proud to support this initiative, which not only educates but also inspires the next generation to engage with these technologies."

IrelandQCI Project Lead, Dr Deirdre Kilbane said:

''Today is an exciting day for the IrelandQCI project, as we have been working towards an innovative initiative to raise awareness of the benefits of quantum technologies to the general public in an exciting way. We encourage anyone interested in learning about quantum technologies to follow the movement of the IrelandQCI Q & A Trailer on our social media channels, pose questions to our experts, and visit us at showcase events. With the c...

Dell Technologies helps customers design modern disaggregated data centres with storage, cyber resilience, software, and integrated solution innovations.

Why it matters

Organisations face increasing demands to efficiently manage and secure both modern and traditional workloads across on-premises data centres, cloud, and edge environments. IT and business needs keep changing, so the modern data centre must be ready for anything. Dell's approach to disaggregated infrastructure combines management of shared compute, networking and storage resource pools with software-driven automation, security, and partner integrations.

Advanced storage and cyber resiliency capabilities

Dell storage and cyber resiliency advancements deliver the performance and protection that modern data centres need.

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain All-Flash appliances improve cyber resiliency with up to four times faster data restores and two times faster replication performance. They are more efficient, taking up 40% less rack space and saving up to 80% on power when compared to HDD systems.

Dell PowerScale software advancements enhance object storage support and cyber resilience. The PowerScale Cybersecurity Suite offers comprehensive solutions to protect, access and recover critical data. Customers can boost application performance with Amazon EC2 cloud burst and reduce costs by backing up to Dell ObjectScale, Amazon S3 or Wasabi.

PowerStore Advanced Ransomware Detection helps organisations validate data integrity and minimise downtime from ransomware attacks using advanced AI analytics. The news comes as Dell celebrates PowerStore's fifth anniversary and over 17,000 global customers.

Automate private cloud and edge operations

Dell software automates the deployment and management of disaggregated private cloud and edge solutions built with Dell's industry-leading infrastructure and partner technologies.

Dell Private Cloud offers a new approach to deploying, managing and scaling private clouds built with cloud software from vendors like Broadcom, Nutanix and Red Hat on Dell disaggregated infrastructure. Organisations can protect their investment with reusable infrastructure, simplify operations with full lifecycle management and support customer choice with a catalogue of validated blueprints. Automation helps customers provision a private cloud stack in 90% fewer steps than manual processes, delivering a cluster in just two and a half hours with no manual effort.

Dell Private Cloud is delivered using the Dell Automation Platform, a software platform designed to simplify how customers deploy and operate disaggregated solutions with secure, zero-touch onboarding and centralised management.

"Dell Private Cloud has proven to be the right fit to help us meet our business priorities," said Keith Bradley, vice president, IT and Security, Nature Fresh Farms. "The flexibility to transition between cloud ecosystems and the ability to repurpose hardware is a game-changer for us by providing investment protection and enabling us to respond to evolving business needs quickly."

New Dell NativeEdge features make it the most advanced and cost-effective solution for virtualised workloads at the edge and in remote branch offices.7 Critical data is protected and secured with policy-based load balancing, VM snapshots and backup and migration capabilities. Organisations can manage diverse edge environments consistently with non-Dell and legacy infrastructure support.

"At Dell Technologies, we're defining the future architecture of the intelligent enterprise," said Arthur Lewis, president, Infrastructure Solutions Group, Dell Technologies. "Our disaggregated infrastructure approach helps customers build secure, efficient modern data centres that turn data into intelligence and complexity into clarity."

More about Irish Tech News

Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too.

You can find hundreds of fantastic previous epis...

Primary school students from a network of DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) schools across Dublin will make direct radio contact with an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS). This once-in-a-lifetime educational opportunity will take place on Wednesday, June 4th, from 12:45 to 13:45 IST (Irish Standard Time) at the Central Quad, Technological University of Dublin, Grangegorman.

Inspiring the Next Generation: Interstellar DEIS Students

This event is supported by TU Dublin, licensed Irish radio Amateurs and ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) and will feature introductory presentations on ISS and amateur radio before the contact. Then, the selected twelve speakers from nine primary DEIS schools will get to ask their own interesting and imaginative questions of Japanese Astronaut Takuya Onishi, while he orbits at 28,000 km/h and an altitude of 400km above us on Earth. This momentous opportunity will be followed by closing remarks from a leading Irish Space industry expert and politician on the importance of such events to the future of Irelands growing space industry, as well as IRTS (Irish radio transmitters Society) President on the importance of amateur radio to spearhead innovation in the area of communications and to promote STEM.

This event highlights the power of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and the wonderful educational hobbies that may inspire it, regardless of background or postcode.

The nine schools involved have prepared through months of interdisciplinary learning, exploring STEM through space science and radio technology as part of the STEM Try Five + Project. This project, funded in combination by TU Dublin, Research Ireland, Department of Education and Skills, ESERO, and Workday reflects the Department of Education's commitment to equity, inclusion, and excellence in education, especially through the DEIS workshop program. The contact is made possible through international cooperation and technical support provided by ARISS and local amateur radio volunteers from the Irish Radio Transmitters Society.

Members of the media are warmly invited to attend the event, which will feature a live downlink from the ISS as well as presentations on ISS, ARISS and amateur radio communications. The Event will also be livestreamed globally on the ARRIS Live and TU Dublin Youtube channels.

Date: 4th June 2025

Time: 12.30-13.45 IST

IMPORTANT NOTE: As this is a live event, there will be absolutely no entry after 12.30 IST until after the live contact is complete. Media representatives wishing to set-up cameras or connect to the live audio feed are encouraged to arrive before 12pm to ensure enough time is available for set-up and testing.

Location: Room CQ-501, Central Quad Building, Technological University of Dublin, Grangegorman

Media Contact EU633 ARISS Contact: John Holland - 086-8331908

Live Streams on the day:

ARISS: https://www.youtube.com/@ARISSlive/streams

TUD: https://www.youtube.com/@tudublin

About ARISS https://www.ariss.org/

ARISS lets students worldwide experience the excitement of talking directly with crew members of the International Space Station, inspiring them to pursue interests in careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, and engaging them with radio science technology through amateur radio.

The ARISS program was created and is managed by an international consortium of amateur radio organizations and space agencies including National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the USA, Roscosmos in Russia, Canadian Space Agency (CSA) in Canada, Japan Aeronautics Exploration Space Agency (JAXA) in Japan and European Space Agency (ESA) in Europe.

About Try Five

Try Five + is a co-created, research-informed suite of practical workshops based on the theme of Space Science and Exploration developed in line with the Irish Primary School Curriculum and intended to foster, increase and sustain levels of scien...

SE Systems, a leading national provider of energy solutions, has announced that €500,000* is available for Irish communities as part of its Community Fund. The €500,000 in funding is for sustainable energy upgrades, specifically to help future-proof community buildings across Ireland. The closing date for applications is Friday, 18 July.

Launched in 2022, a total budget of over €2.6m has been awarded by SE Systems to local community projects to date. The SE Systems Community Fund is an independent fund that helps non-profits, charities and voluntary organisations benefit from projects that improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions, from solar panel systems and heat pump installation to insulation upgrades. Applications for the Community Fund must be submitted online via the application portal at www.sesystems.ie/community

fund-summer-call-application

form. For more information on eligibility, visit SE Systems website at www.sesystems.ie/communityfund

.

€500,000 available for sustainable energy upgrades

John O'Leary, Co-Founder and CEO of SE Systems said: "One of the values that drives us as a business is to build greener, more resilient places to live and work. Our Community Fund is an enabler of this value, allowing us to build long term, viable solutions for vital local amenities and organisations that are fundamental to the social fabric of our towns and villages across Ireland.

"The SE Systems Community Fund is made possible through a unique funding mechanism developed in partnership with our commercial clients as part of their participation in our SEAI Community Energy Grant scheme applications. This collaborative approach allows us to redirect private sector investment into community-based energy projects, supporting grassroots organisations across Ireland in achieving their sustainable energy ambitions."

Youenn Lowry, Co Founder and Managing Director of SE Systems added: "Applications are now open across the country, and we encourage community organisations who want to build a greener future to consider how financial support from SE Systems can help them secure a brighter and sustainable future for their local area."

Among the projects that have received funding in the last three years include Cork Cancer Support, Irish Guide Dogs, Sixmilebridge GAA Club, Barretstown Kids Camp and Dalkey Sustainable Energy Community.

Tim O'Mahony, CEO of Irish Guide Dogs and a recent recipient of funding, said: "We were delighted to be a recipient of the SE System Community Fund. The funding provided has not just given us energy and environmental benefits, but has enhanced our facilities for staff, clients, and animals housed on-site. The cost savings we have made through working with SE Systems premises allows us to allocate funding to our core objectives - training more dogs and helping more people who are vision impaired and the families of children with autism."

Headquartered in Cork, with regional offices in Dublin, SE Systems serves clients across the country, delivering complete solutions aimed at retrofitting and refurbishing Ireland's homes and building stock to higher standards of energy efficiency. SE Systems has completed over €500 million worth of energy projects, retrofitting over 13,000 homes and over 2,000 commercial and community Buildings. Over 650 million kWh of Energy has been saved, and 145,000 Tonnes of CO2 have been saved through SE Systems projects.

See more breaking stories here.

The report from the Inaugural Valentia Island Symposium on Subsea Cable Security and Resilience, held from October 10-12, 2024, was launched at the European Maritime Day Event in Cork City. This unique Symposium brought together Irish and international experts from industry, academia, and government to address critical issues related to submarine telecommunications cables. Hosted at the historic Valentia Island Transatlantic Cable Station, a symbol of global communication and innovation, the Symposium provided a unique setting to reflect on the historical, political, social, economic, and technological dimensions of subsea cable security and resilience.

Subsea Cable Security and Resilience

Growing digital dependencies as well as recent geopolitical tensions and the concurrent climate crisis have placed the topic of critical infrastructure protection at the top of policy, industry and research agendas. This includes subsea telecommunications cables, across which over 99 percent of transcontinental data traffic transits and upon which countries across the globe increasingly rely as they continue to digitally transform their economies and societies

The report describes several recurring themes central to the discussion on subsea cable security and resilience including;

Geopolitical tensions affecting the subsea cable ecosystem.

The need for public-private engagement at sea and on land as the subsea cable industry owns and operates most cable systems, while at the same time, governments are responsible for national security and the delivery of essential services.

The critical role of technology in both public and private efforts to ensure the resilience and security of subsea cables systems.

The Valentia Transatlantic Cable Foundation was proud to host this not-for-profit event at the place from where the first transatlantic cable was laid over 150 years ago. The event was run in collaboration with a team of Irish and international researchers as well as global industry actors, and with the generous support of AquaComms, Ireland's Departments of Foreign Affairs and Defence, the IDA, Aurora, Philip Lee, Analysys Mason and the European Subsea Cables Association (ESCA).

The report is available at https://www.valentiacable.com/event/cable-symposium/

Over three days of presentations, thematic panels and side events, recognized experts in the field examined historical continuities and discontinuities in key security and resilience questions; how security and resilience come together in national policy; current policy and practice in identifying and responding to subsea cable-related incidents; how industry and government are adapting to the current geopolitical environment; core characteristics of the cable repair eco-system and related challenges; technology's contribution to security and resilience of the systems; and current and future policy and regulatory issues.

Several recurring themes central to the discussion on subsea cable security and resilience are evident. Principle among them is the growing complexity of the regulatory environment at a time when, for both resilience and security purposes, regulation needs to be more streamlined and predictable, attuned to shifting cable ownership models, as well as better coordinated and harmonised across connected countries, while also meeting one of its primary aims, which is to prevent and mitigate risks that could negatively impact individuals, communities, or entire societies. Many governments are working towards these goals within a broader framework of critical infrastructure protection.

Second, as in the past, geopolitical tensions affect the subsea cable ecosystem. They influence the geographies of the physical network and spill over into regulation and an ever-broadening number of policy areas, at national, regional and international levels. Ensuring the availability of the systems and of fleets and supply chains is a concern of both industry and government. It requires vario...

We look at The CEO: The Rise and Fall of Britain's Captains of Industry, coming out in June 2025. See mor about the book here.

The CEO: The Rise and Fall of Britain's Captains of Industry reviewed

In many ways this book is a bit of a horror show in terms of management for British industries. The authors do a good job of taking us through a variety of types of leader. This is informative and well written, however the constant theme seems to be, regardless of their origin or training, they generally still ended up making either a real mess of it all, or at least not performing optimally. Sadly, as the authors also clearly point out, the only constant is the increasingly dizzy rise of the renumeration packages for this motley crew of incompetents. The approach seems to get ever shorter and shorter in terms of time frames and KPIs to aim for. To compensate for their likely impending dismissal, the renumeration packages are ever more ludicrous and higher and higher multiples of the average working person's salary.

This book is well written and researched, but it also became ever more depressing as you were reminded of the growing rogues gallery of poorly performing, but increasingly well paid CEOs that have had to be endured in many British companies. It is a challenging time when competence, ability or ethical integrity seem to be less and less in demand for leading companies or even countries. Here's hoping that this book helps to at least raise the level of debate even while we have to endure as series of self serving leaders.

More about the authors

Michael Aldous is a business historian and Senior Lecturer at Queen's Business School, Queen's University Belfast. He is a founder and co-director of the Long Run Institute (LRI), which uses historical analysis to help senior executives and policy makers make better decisions.

John D. Turner is Professor of Finance and Financial History, Queen's Business School, Queen's University Belfast, and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. His previous Cambridge University Press book Boom and Bust: A Global History of Financial Bubbles (2021) was named an Economics Book of the Year by the Financial Times.

More about The CEO

After analysing 1500 CEOs, what does a good one look like? High cognitive ability; strong organisational and interpersonal skills; clear values and personal purpose; has judgement from career and life experience (so aged 50 or over)

History reveals why CEOs are fat cats this study of Britain's corporate history reveals that corporate fat cats emerged because of the emasculation of private sector trade unions and changing social norms about pay inequality.

We need CEOs need to move slow and build things (not move fast and break things)

By the 1970s, CEOs began getting sacked in ever greater numbers. By this century, over 40% of CEOs were dismissed either for poor performance or because their companies were taken over; tenures fell too from an average of 10 years to under six. The trend of CEOs spending much less time in the role can be traced back to deregulation and privatization policies (of Thatcher era) but also to the financialization of companies and the wider economy. So, how can CEOs make meaningful change?

Who makes it to the top? Differing pathways influenced how CEOs historically operated and are perceived. They have been (in historical order): Aristocratic amateurs; Families and founders; Managers; Technocrats

It was not until 1997 that Marjorie Scardino became the first woman and also the first mother to become CEO of a FTSE 100 company. Across the century, women have worked to overturn deeply embedded social and cultural stereotypes. Back at the beginning of the twentieth century, even though women made up nearly half of the shareholders in some companies, shareholder voting registers simply de-platformed them from the list of those shareholders who held the qualifying number of shares to almost automatically stand as a director. Being a director was,...

The 2025 NovaUCD Student Enterprise Competition, an intensive 4-week accelerator programme for student entrepreneurs, which is now in its 11th year, has commenced today at University College Dublin (UCD) with 11 early-stage ventures and 22 participating students.

The participating ventures are focused on a wide range of business ideas including; sustainable agriculture, robotics, edtech, smart sensing systems for healthcare, sustainable fashion and music.

A €3k NovaUCD One to Watch Prize, sponsored by Terra Solar, is available for the overall winning venture at the end of this year's competition.

The accelerator programme is run by NovaUCD, the innovation and start-up hub, as a framework to support UCD undergraduate and postgraduate students who want to work together to develop and grow start-up companies.

The aim of the accelerator is to assist the students in refining their start-up ideas through a series of structured workshops, including taught content from industry experts, interactive workshops, regular mentoring and pitching sessions.

Caroline Gill, Innovation Pathway Manager at NovaUCD who manages the competition said, "Over the next month we will be supporting the participating student entrepreneurs as they begin the process of accelerating their business ideas into early-stage start-ups. A key objective of this annual competition is to provide the students with the skills, the confidence, and the opportunity to further develop their ideas and hopefully in time launch their start-ups in Ireland and even internationally."

The 4-week accelerator, which uses the Lean Startup and Business Model Canvas approach, includes a series of structured and interactive workshops delivered by Raomal Perera, Lean Disruptor. Topics such as, customer development; value proposition; working in teams; design thinking; prototyping, environment mapping; financial planning and effective fundraising and pitching, will be covered.

At a final workshop, to be held in late-June, the participating ventures will pitch to a judging panel. Based on the evaluation of the presentations an overall winner will be selected and will receive the €3k NovaUCD One to Watch Prize sponsored by Terra Solar.

At the end of the 2024 competition physiotherapists Rory Lambe and Ben O'Grady, both then masters students in the UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, were announced as winners of the Tech Sustainability Prize. Clia, their early-stage venture, aims to make a meaningful difference to the lives of people with cardiovascular disease by combining clinical data with wearable technology to improve its management.

Rory is now a PhD student and earlier this year to further develop Clia he was one of several UCD students selected to participate in Conception X, a nine-month venture programme in London, focused on supporting PhD students from the UK and across Europe, to turn their research into deep tech start-ups.

Fourteen (14) postgraduate and 8 undergraduate students are participating on this year's accelerator programme.

Over 80 early-stage ventures and some 200 students have completed NovaUCD Student Enterprise Competitions to date.

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Energyfix, a newly launched, SEAI-registered one-stop-shop for energy upgrades, is to shake up the market, offering forward-funding of SEAI grants for homeowners.

The company, operating from Galway, Cork and Dublin, aims to capitalise on Ireland's target of retrofitting 500,000 homes to a B2 Building Energy Rating (BER), by 2030, under the National Retrofit Plan.

Offering homeowners and housing providers a simplified, turnkey route to energy-efficient living and cost-savings, the Irish-owned startup helps organise funding for clients, and subsidises the SEAI retrofit grant amount, not normally available for months after upgrade works are completed and verified.

Energyfix one-stop-shop to upgrade energy ratings

The aim is to become 'the' trusted retrofit partner for households across Ireland, Sean Armstrong, Managing Director of Energyfix, says.

"We are delivering complete home energy upgrades, from initial assessment and grant application, through to funding advice, installation and final inspection. Our comprehensive service removes the complexity and red tape, and we specialise in helping homeowners unlock the highest available grant funding."

Energyfix works with homeowners, Approved Housing Bodies, and commercial property owners on fully managed retrofit solutions. Every stage of the process, including technical surveys, procurement, grant handling, project delivery and quality checks is overseen by a team of experienced engineers, project managers and retrofit specialists.

Unlike other providers, Energyfix forward-funds SEAI grants, easing cashflow and borrowing requirements. "This means homeowners only need fund the net cost of works, less the grant amount promised," Armstrong explains. "We're making it financially accessible to upgrade older homes, cut energy bills, and increase property values, while, at the same time, contributing to Ireland's emissions targets."

Retrofitted energy upgrades can include attic and wall insulation, heat pumps, new windows and doors, or solar panels. Homeowners' investment can range from €6,000 upwards, depending on the scale of work undertaken and the size and condition of the property.

Average costs for full retrofitting are in the region of €70,000 to €90,000, before grant funding is applied, according to Sean Armstrong of Energyfix.

Government grants are provided through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), and funding, which can amount to tens of thousands, is released on project completion, usually 4-6 weeks after necessary documentation is submitted and verified, including the new post-works Building Energy Rating (BER) assessment.

As well as private homeowners, Energyfix partners with Approved Housing Bodies to design and deliver retrofit programmes that enhance tenant comfort, tackle energy poverty, and reduce carbon emissions in line with Government targets.

Typical Energyfix retrofit projects would include a detached family home, upgraded to a B2 BER through external insulation, triple-glazed windows, and a heat pump. This normally results in a drop in energy consumption in the region of 40%, and savings of €1,200 on annual heating bills, on top of an enhanced property value.

For more information, or to book an assessment, visit www.energyfix.ie

ABOUT ENERGYFIX

Energyfix is an SEAI-registered one-stop-shop offering end-to-end home energy upgrade solutions for homeowners, property owners, and housing bodies across Ireland. With offices in Galway, Dublin, and Cork, the company delivers fully managed retrofit services, from initial home assessments and grant applications to design, installation, and final inspections. By forward-funding SEAI grants, and coordinating all technical and project delivery elements, Energyfix makes it easier and more affordable for clients to achieve energy-efficient homes. The company also works closely with Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to deliver strategic retrofit programmes that support Ireland's national climate targets and redu...

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless TD has officially launched the Springboard+ 2025 programme, announcing almost 8,000 free and subsidised places on higher education courses. The initiative offers thousands of opportunities for people across Ireland to upskill or reskill, with a strong focus on 'futureproofing' careers in a rapidly evolving job market.

Announcing this year's programme, Minister Lawless said: "Springboard+ is one of the most impactful investments this Government makes in the further education of its people. These courses are designed to respond directly to evolving skills demands, particularly in fast-growing and high-impact sectors. It offers thousands of learners the chance to upskill or reskill in areas where Ireland needs talent, from artificial intelligence to infrastructure planning to cybersecurity.

"As Minister, I'm proud to support Springboard+ with €34.4 million from the National Training Fund. This programme empowers people to study alongside work and personal commitments with courses that are heavily subsidised or free, making upskilling more accessible and achievable for everyone.

I encourage everyone to look at what is available as whether you're advancing in your current career, pivoting to a new one, or stepping onto the career ladder for the first time, Springboard+ is designed to open doors in an affordable, flexible way that has real career impact."

This year, courses are available in areas such as Infrastructure planning, Sustainable Building, Renewable Energy, Digital Skills, Cyber Security and Artificial Intelligence.

Two-thirds of people considering a Springboard+ course want to 'futureproof their careers' in an ever-changing workplace. That's according to research published today by the Higher Education Authority (HEA).

The Springboard+ programme is funded by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and in 2025, a total of 7,719 places are available on 249 courses delivered by 37 higher education institutes nationwide. Springboard+ is making 26 'micro-credentials' from this course list available for those interested in shorter courses to upskill in very specific areas.

Speaking about this year's programme, Dr Vivienne Patterson, Head of Skills, Engagement and Statistics at the Higher Education Authority, said: "There are many reasons to consider a Springboard+ course, but the two key benefits are the cost and the quality.

"If you're eligible to apply for a full- or part-time Springboard+ course, the most you'll pay is 10% of the fees. If you're currently out of work, you'll be 100% subsidised through the Springboard+ programme. The micro-credentials courses, which last around 12 weeks, are 50% subsidised for all participants.

"And in terms of the quality of the course and the qualification at the end of it - courses range from Certificate (Level 6) to Masters (Level 9) on the National Framework of Qualifications and are delivered by the best public and private higher education providers around the country."

Sean McCaffrey, from Dundalk, spent 16 years in the Irish Defence Forces before completing a Certificate in Procurement Management from University College Cork and a Post Graduate Certificate in Sustainability Leadership in Business from Technological University Dublin. He now works for Iarnród Éireann.

"I left school at 18 without completing my Leaving Certificate. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, so I joined the Irish Defence Forces, where I spent 16 years. After leaving, I decided to pursue my first Springboard+ course - a Certificate in Procurement Management from University College Cor,k after which I was offered a job in Iarnród Éireann - a job I wouldn't have been in the running for only for my Springboard+ course.

"I saw tangible benefits immediately, so it was a no-brainer to start a level nine Post Graduate Certificate in Sustainability Leadership in Business from...