bound4blue has completed the installation of its breakthrough eSAIL suction sails on tanker vessel Pacific Sentinel with a streamlined single-stop process for Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) at Besiktas Shipyard in Turkey during a planned drydocking.

Three 22-metre, DNV Type Approved eSAILs were installed on the 50,000dwt Pacific Sentinel in under a day per unit, as planned. The installation took place during a scheduled vessel drydock, with preparatory work completed in advance. The fully autonomous wind-assisted propulsion system (WAPS) will help the vessel reduce overall energy consumption with forecasted energy consumption savings of around 10% depending on vessel routing, slashing OPEX and emissions to air, while also enhancing regulatory compliance.

eSails wind-assisted propulsion for sea tankers

Fast-track, single-stop benefits

The installation heralds a landmark in numerous regards, signifying EPS' first step into wind-assisted propulsion - as a continuation of its ambitious decarbonisation programme - while also marking bound4blue's first tanker installation. The Spanish-based wind pioneer has undertaken a fast-track "single-stop" process, ensuring minimal vessel downtime with all work undertaken during planned vessel maintenance at the shipyard.

The fast-track, single-stop installation combined vessel groundwork, such as fitting pedestals for the eSAILs and welding, with the simultaneous preparation and programming of the sails. This efficient approach helped minimize installation time.

David Ferrer, Co-founder and CTO, bound4blue explains:

"We're committed to helping shipping companies, such as EPS, embrace clean, proven, wind power in the simplest, most cost efficient and effective manner. Thanks to our collaboration with shipowners, operators, shipyards, and other key partners in all installations carried out by bound4blue, we have achieved a quick, robust, and high-quality deployment procedure. In this case the vessel and sails were fully prepared in advance, ensuring they could be lifted and bolted into place without extending the planned time at the yard."

Easy advantages

Ferrer adds that the nature of the eSAIL unlocks further advantages for cost, weight savings and efficiency on what could otherwise have been a demanding task:

"The fact that this is an MR Tanker creates unique challenges in terms of ATEX zones and air draft limitations, but the eSAILs simplicity is the ideal solution.

"It allows for non-EX-proof units, which streamlines the process, and reduces CAPEX, while their high performance achieves substantial savings without requiring excessively large sails, eliminating the need for tilting mechanisms and allowing for compatibility with the vessel's existing air draft. It is, we believe, an 'easy' way for such vessels, and many other demanding shipping segments, to access the compelling commercial, regulatory and environmental advantages of wind power."

Ensuring regulatory compliance

The installation was also completed in collaboration with the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), ensuring compliance with the highest classification and safety standards. Achieving a 'wind-assisted' notation played a key role in verifying the structural integration of the eSAILs with the vessel while aligning with regulatory frameworks such as the EU ETS, CII, and FuelEU Maritime.

Sustainable partnerships

bound4blue has installed its solution on five vessels, with many more in its growing order book. EPS, which signed the agreement for the Pacific Sentinel in February 2024 and has now successfully completed this installation, further extended its collaboration with bound4blue in December 2024 through a new agreement for the installation of three eSAILs on an MR tanker under construction at New Times Shipbuilding in Jiangsu Province, China. This installation is scheduled for late 2025.

Speaking of the collaboration with bound4blue, Mirtcho Spassov, Decarbonisation Manager at?EPS, comments: "We are committed to reducing ...

Guest post by John Tallon, Practice Director of AI & Data and Modern Apps and M365 Productivity, Storm Technology

Evolving from generating content to executing actions, from supporting innovation to driving competition, from being a passive enabler to an active differentiator - we are living and working in an age of AI transformation and its impact is felt by each person and every organisation. No matter the size of the company, the sector in which you work, where you are based or what department you look at, AI is changing how businesses operate.

With a 2024 Storm Technology survey revealing that well over half (59%) of IT leaders think their company needs to adopt AI to be competitive over the next three years, it is viewed as a catalyst for success. But while the building blocks of our AI future are already being stacked high, many businesses lack the right foundations. Those foundations consist of high-quality, well-managed data.

Worst enemy

With data being the key to unlocking AI potential and ensuring a return on investment, every journey must start there. Before a company even thinks about what AI solutions it would benefit from, it needs to look at the information at its disposal and the state that data is in. Having inaccurate, incomplete or unorganised data means AI tools will lack contextual data to reason over and ultimately fail to deliver real and meaningful value to your business.

To avoid this, you need to have not only good-quality information but well-prepared, well-managed data. Such insights need to be accessible, complete and devoid of errors. That means removing any gaps, duplicates or inconsistencies, while labelling and organising data properly. It also means securing information and, where relevant, updating datasets. As part of this process, companies should also identify which datasets are actually suitable and valuable for the application of AI.

Best practice

As well as data management, data governance is also critical, not only in terms of AI success but security. Without the right frameworks, AI platforms may be vulnerable to attack or manipulation. Again, as with subpar data, ineffective governance could create biases and ethical issues which stifle AI effectiveness and success. Moreover, this age of heightened innovation is also a time of heightened regulation.

For instance, regulations such as NIS2 have placed a whole new range of requirements on both private and public entities. And with such regulations continuing to evolve, compliance is more than just a box to check for growing organisations; it's a business imperative.

Regardless of whether NIS2 applies to you or not, every company leveraging AI must put tools and processes in place to uphold compliance and avoid the reputational and financial risks associated with inadequate governance. Alongside legislative requirements, this approach also ensures that best practices are upheld within the organisation and teams are deploying AI not just productively and proactively but responsibly.

By deploying best practices when it comes to data, businesses can help to ensure AI efficacy and value, whilst securing information and upholding compliance. AI enables companies to work smarter today - from automating tasks and supporting productivity to predicting customer behaviours and managing projects - and achieve long-term business objectives. Without a doubt, AI has the power to take a company to new heights, but to realise the full benefit, they must put data first.

See more stories here.

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 episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news

If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at [email protected] now to discuss.

Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your...

We look at the interesting HMD OffGrid, which clearly has some practical and relevant use-case scenarios. See more about the device on their website here.

HMD OffGrid, off grid connectivity, real-time location, reviewed

It is pretty clear when a device like this could be super useful. Currently many outdoors enthusiasts go into potentially dangerous locations, relying, riskily only on their normal smartphone having coverage if they fall into any possible negative situations. Simply driving around rural Ireland, you can fall into blackspots far more quickly than you might thing - south of and into Durrus, yes we are looking at you here. Therefore a product like this has a clear and useful value, especially if it is robust, hard wearing and with good battery life. F

Fortunately it has a three day battery life, which is then something you can plan around, and it has a tough design, billed as being military grade level. For a first walk about the HMD OffGrid seems pretty good. You will need to decide which package you are going to sign up to activate the satellite connection, so you will need to put some thought into that. The lower priced one seemed sufficient, though if you are perhaps a member of the mountain rescue team, it could also become an issue if you hit your messaging capacity too, so this is something that you will need to think about. Perhaps slightly determined by whether this is a for-work, or for occasional adventures device.

The price of the device itself is not astronomical, so it might be something worth getting now, and then, 12 months later, assessing how it has fared, both in terms of it's own durability, and what else might be available on the market by then. For now our testers felt it is a good, useful, potentially life saving piece of gear, albeit with some consideration needed around which data plan is going to work the best for you.

Stay Connected Anywhere with HMD OffGrid

More about the HMD OffGrid

Cutting-edge satellite technology offers off grid connectivity with 24/7 search & rescue and real-time location sharing

Human Mobile Devices has today announced its entry into Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) Communications with the launch of HMD OffGrid. The cutting-edge technology from HMD aims to bridge the gap between cellular and satellite networks with 70% of Earth's landmass remaining outside the reach of mobile networks.1

HMD OffGrid uses ultra-reliable L Band satellite radio spectrum, enabling any AndroidTM or IOS user to connect directly to satellites, even in the world's most challenging environments. The device delivers satellite connectivity and features 24/7 emergency response, three-day battery life2 and MIL-STD-810H military grade-durability at a very accessible price point of €199.

The device weighs a mere 60g and easily fits in the palm of your hand, making it ideal for adventurers, outdoor enthusiasts, and anyone prioritising connectivity, security and peace of mind. HMD OffGrid allows people to stay in touch whilst 'Off Grid' via the OffGrid app, enabling two-way messaging and live location tracking for up to five recipients. It also has a 'check in' feature, allowing you to send a pre-configured message to friends and family in just a click of a dedicated button.

Jean-Francis Baril, Co-founder, Chairman and CEO, at Human Mobile Devices, said: "HMD OffGrid is a new, affordable, portable and easy-to-use offering that's both empowering and reliable - especially when it matters the most. We're proud to continue innovating products that prioritise human connection whilst still allowing people to switch-off. So, whether you're hiking in the mountains or skiing off-piste, HMD OffGrid ensures you're never truly off grid."

HMD OffGrid also comes with Overwatch x Rescue, the premium SOS service by?FocusPoint International?that includes 24/7 multi-lingual emergency response coordination and fully funded assistance for customers that live, work, and play off the grid.

With flexible subscription pla...

Grant Thornton research has revealed an increase in the number of businesses without female representation in senior management in Ireland. The findings in the annual Women in Business Report - part of the firm's mid-market business survey - found that more than one in seven (16.3%) businesses had no women in senior management roles. These findings reflect an upward trend, as they have increased by almost 5% from last year (11.7%). A further 13.8% of respondents have just one woman on their senior management team.

Despite steady progress in recent years, of those Irish businesses surveyed, just over one-third (36.5%) of senior management roles were held by women in 2025. It is promising, however, to see that this figure is up slightly from last year (0.5%+ from 36% in 2024), and Ireland is performing better than the global (34%) and European averages (34.9%).

This year marks 21 years of the Women in Business Report, in which Ireland, in 2016, recorded a high of two-fifths of businesses (40.6%) with no women in senior management. Today's report has highlighted that without immediate action, gender parity in senior management roles won't be achieved until 2051 - a stark reminder of the urgency needed to address gender inequality.

Evolving Roles

While this year's figures are disappointing, there has been some progress. Over the last decade we've seen an upward trajectory and rising percentages of women holding every role that makes up the senior management team. In 2025, Chief Human Resources Officer (48.8%) and Chief Financial Officer (43.8%) are the most common roles held by women in senior management in Ireland. Whereas the two least likely roles for women to hold in senior management in 2025 are CEO (6.2%) and Chairperson (2.5%).

Commenting on this year's findings, Amanda Ward, Head of Consulting at Grant Thornton, said: "While it is concerning to see this increase from last year in the number of mid-market businesses reporting no women in senior management, it's important to acknowledge the significant progress made over the past two decades, as reflected in the Women in Business report.

This upcoming weekend will mark "International Women's Day", and this research highlights the improvements made while also recognising the steps that still need to be taken to achieve gender parity in the workplace. I would urge business leaders to set bold targets for senior female representation and to support women throughout their career journeys. Retaining and developing talent is crucial. Targets for mentoring, networking, and retention targets are particularly effective at driving diversity, yet are among the least implemented strategies by businesses."

Steve Tennant, Managing Partner, Grant Thornton, said: "This year marks our 21st year of tracking gender diversity in Irish businesses. The long view shows meaningful progress, with women now holding 36.5% of senior roles across the mid-market companies we surveyed - ahead of both European and global averages.

Gender-balanced leadership correlates with stronger financial performance and better decision-making. We all have a responsibility to ensure we prioritise gender parity and continue to make real, lasting change. At Grant Thornton, we remain dedicated to addressing gender balance through transparent policies, targeted initiatives, and a strong culture of equity and inclusion. Progress requires accountability; and when businesses commit to addressing gender balance through meaningful action and transparent reporting, change will be evident."

Gender Equality Strategies

Businesses surveyed identified significant benefits to action taken on gender diversity. Firms see their equality strategies and targets as having positive impacts across a range of business performance areas, from commercial factors such as better decision-making, innovation and financial performance through to vital cultural benefits. Not only is this good for individual employees and the companies that they work...

DigiFab is set to transform building renovation, making buildings more comfortable and energy efficient, by developing a solution that reduces time and financial costs.

The initiative, led by researchers at the International Energy Research Centre (IERC), based at Tyndall National Institute, is funded by the European Union (EU) Horizon Europe programme.

Upgrading older buildings across the EU to sustainable standards will be crucial to achieving net zero by 2050. In 2021, buildings accounted for 42% of the EU's energy use, yet only 1% of buildings are renovated each year. At this rate, it could take nearly 100 years to renovate all of Europe's buildings.

By leveraging cutting-edge technology, DigiFab aims to accelerate the renovation process while reducing costs. The project will develop, pilot and evaluate a process that would complete major building renovations (200m unit) in just 2 days, cutting renovation costs by 30% compared to traditional methods.

The DigiFab solution will be piloted in Spain, Austria, and Greece, demonstrating its effectiveness across various building types. These pilots will demonstrate how the DigiFab solution can benefit building owners, occupants, and the environment by improving energy efficiency, reducing costs, and minimising disruption during renovations.

Pádraig Lyons, Head of Group, IERC, Tyndall, emphasises the benefits of the DigiFab approach. He states, "The DigiFab approach has the potential to significantly reduce the costs and time associated with retrofitting buildings, accelerating the decarbonisation of building stock across Europe."

Focusing on making energy-efficient renovations faster, cheaper, and less disruptive, DigiFab has the potential to transform the future of building renovations in Europe and radically decarbonise the built environment.

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 episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news

If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at [email protected] now to discuss.

Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at [email protected] now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience.

You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

According to new research by the cybersecurity company NordVPN, over 669 million malware incidents have been recorded in 2024 in the UK, emphasizing the growing cybersecurity threats.

Internet users should be extra careful when clicking links, seemingly sent by Big Tech companies - there's quite a big chance it might be a deliberately misspelled phishing link. Data shows that Google, Facebook, and Microsoft are the top 3 brands most likely to be impersonated for credential harvesting.

"In fact, the majority of all phishing attacks use around 300 brand names for deception. The brands themselves are not at fault - such fakes hurt their reputation as well, forcing companies to actively hunt them down. However, high brand awareness can lull victims into a false sense of security and get them to lower their guard," says Adrianus Warmenhoven, a cybersecurity advisor at NordVPN.

According to the same research, last year there were almost 85,000 fake URLs that impersonate Google websites and services. With more than 6,000 fake URLs online, Facebook takes second place as the scammers' favourite. Microsoft is in third place, with almost 5,000 fake URLs. Fake AT&T, Yahoo!, and Netflix links should be evaluated more carefully as well. In each of those cases, there were around 4,000 fake URLs online.

The UK experienced more than 699 million malware incidents in 2024 - the highest in Europe, with Norway being second (234 mln. incidents), and Germany - third (224 mln.).

An array of security threats

Data analysed by NordVPN suggest you should also stay away from free video hosting sites (yes, that includes anime hosting websites) and a few other categories. Throughout 2024, NordVPN's Threat Protection Pro feature blocked more than 1.5 billion malware infection attempts on video hosting sites. Other domain categories with the most malware are entertainment (almost 1 billion malware blocked) and sports (124 million). Just a little behind are adult content sites (109 million malware blocked) and file-sharing and storage websites (almost 74 million).

"The above-mentioned categories, free video hosting sites in particular, tend to contain a variety of security and privacy threats. Not only malware but intrusive ads and trackers as well. Over the past year, Threat Protection Pro blocked almost 7 billion ads and more than 119 billion trackers on video hosting sites alone. This accounts for 25% off all blocked trackers by Threat Protection Pro in 2024," says Adrianus Warmenhoven.

Know your enemy

Web trackers are a broad category of privacy-invading tools that collect information on user activity. Trackers typically take the form of special scripts, browser cookies, or tracking pixels. Businesses use trackers to paint an accurate picture of you for targeted advertising - but if they suffer a data breach, the stored tracker data could end up falling into the hands of cybercriminals.

Warmenhoven adds that websites often share or sell data collected by trackers to third parties. Those who want to protect their privacy can use several tools to become less trackable, such as tracker blockers, which prevent websites and advertisers from collecting data about your online activity.

Malware refers to any kind of programming that was deliberately designed to harm you or your device. This includes malicious software like viruses, trojans, ransomware, and spyware. Malware can steal sensitive data, encrypt important files, or even take over the machine, putting the criminal in complete control.

"It is important to know that malware must be actively brought onto your device, such as by downloading an infected file. One of the most common ways to get infected with malware is through phishing attacks. Scammers use deceptive misspellings of popular brands (such as spelling "Amazon" as "Arnazon") to trick victims into clicking phishing links and downloading infected files. So you should always check the spelling before clicking," notes Warmenhoven.

Intrusive adverti...

Fans of BBC podcasts outside of the UK now have an all-new listening experience on BBC.com and the BBC app. The newly launched audio section of BBC.com and app is curated with international audiences in mind, making the BBC's vast portfolio of current and archived podcasts, including hits like Global News Podcast, World of Secrets, and Infinite Monkey Cage, plus BBC Radio 4 and World Service radio stations, easier to find.

For the first time, audiences globally can enjoy a fully integrated experience on BBC.com and the app where the BBC's award-winning audio content sits alongside our renowned journalism and storytelling. Through this new user experience, listeners can explore deeper context and analysis on select topics, gaining a richer understanding of the issues that matter most - all without leaving the platform.

As part of this launch, the BBC will also be making BBC Sounds available exclusively to UK audiences and ending access to the service for international users beginning Spring 2025. UK users who go on holiday (outside the UK) for a short period of time will still be able to use the BBC Sounds app abroad.

This new audio experience is the latest in a series of enhancements that we have been making to BBC.com and the BBC app. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to build a single, one-stop destination for the best of BBC journalism and storytelling.

BBC Studios is responsible for the monetization of digital news and factual products including BBC.com, the BBC app, BBC Select and BBC Podcast Premium, whose profits help continue to fund the BBC's world-renowned journalism and reporting.

We look at the new book by Sönke Johnsen. See more about Into the Great Wide Ocean : Life in the Least Known Habitat on Earth here.

Into the Great Wide Ocean Life in the Least Known Habitat on Earth

This book is a little bit different from some that we have reviewed about the sea and various popular science tracts about it. Turns out this is not necessarily a bad thing, and we have already recommended to some other people already. There is a lot more about the author in this book than you will find in some others in this field. There is a good reason for this however, as Johnsen wants to take you on his journey into why he loves what he does, and what exactly it is that he does, and does not do. Depending on your familiarity with scuba diving and deeper sea exploration some of this may seem quite prosaic and descriptive, but, at the same time it serves as a good introduction for those looking to make a deeper dive (terrible pun we know) into this whole area of exploration.

The authors passion and enthusiasm for his work means that this quite nuts and bolts approach actually works quite well. He aims to take away the glamour, if you felt it was such, for deep sea exploration and learning more about the sea. At the same time though, with some lovely drawn illustrations too, he takes the reader on an informative and thought provoking discussion of how science is conducted out in some of the worlds, still relatively unknown to us, oceans. The physics of scuba diving, nitrogen narcosis and more, are also thoughtfully well explained. If this book inspires more people to study in this field then the book will have doubly been a success, as well as proving an interesting read for those of us who are now armchair scuba divers.

More about this book

The open ocean, far from the shore and miles above the seafloor, is a vast and formidable habitat that is home to the most abundant life on our planet, from giant squid and jellyfish to anglerfish with bioluminescent lures that draw prey into their toothy mouths. Into the Great Wide Ocean takes readers inside the peculiar world of the seagoing scientists who are providing tantalizing new insights into how the animals of the open ocean solve the problems of their existence.

Sönke Johnsen vividly describes how life in the water column of the open sea contends with a host of environmental challenges, such as gravity, movement, the absence of light, pressure that could crush a truck, catching food while not becoming food, finding a mate, raising young, and forming communities. He interweaves stories about the joys and hardships of the scientists who explore this beautiful and mysterious realm, which is under threat from human activity and rapidly changing before our eyes.

Into the Great Wide Ocean presents the sea and its inhabitants as you have never seen them before and reminds us that the rules of survival in the open ocean, though they may seem strange to us, are the primary rules of life on Earth.

Sönke Johnsen is professor of biology at Duke University. He is the author of The Optics of Life: A Biologist's Guide to Light in Nature and the coauthor of Visual Ecology (both Princeton).

Marlin Peterson, who created original illustrations for this book, is an illustrator and muralist who teaches and illustrates in many styles and media. He also specializes in giant optical illusions such as his harvestmen mural below the Space Needle in Seattle, and his full portfolio can be found at marlinpeterson.com.

See more book reviews here.

€250 million in capital flowed through the RDI Hub for startups and scaling companies in the southwest region. €1M Smart Regions AI Navigator Programme: Partnering with Enterprise Ireland, RDI Hub launched a €1 million programme to help SMEs adopt AI solutions. RDI Hub celebrates its five-year anniversary as €250 million in capital flows to its members.

Photo credit Don McMonagle. L-R Minister Norma Foley, Bertie Murphy, Chief Strategy Officer Fexco, Anna Savage, Fexco Group CFO, Neil Hosty, Fexco Group CEO, Denis McCarthy, Chairman at Fexco and Liam Cronin CEO RDI Hub.

RDI Hub celebrates its five-year anniversary

Impact over 5 years

In the five years since its inception, the RDI Hub has become a pivotal player in the evolving innovation landscape across Ireland. The RDI Hub has seen over €250m in capital flow through to be invested in its members to establish and grow their business. In addition, other key findings from the RDI Hub Impact Report include:

97 member companies have been supported through the RDI Hub since it opened in 2020

These companies have created and supported over 430 jobs

70 new products and services have been launched by RDI Hub companies

Over 10,000 people have attended RDI Hub training programmes, including the AI Summer School, NDRC, and Skillnet Innovation Exchange

Providing STEM education to over 500 female secondary school students in Munster in 2024.

EI and RDI Hub announce a €1m Smart Regions AI Navigator Programme

Partnering with Enterprise Ireland, RDI Hub announced the €1 million Smart Regions AI Navigator programme, which will enable SMEs to adopt and implement artificial intelligence solutions. The Smart Regions AI Navigator programme is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021-2027. Over the next three years, the programme will deliver AI masterclasses, strategic workshops, training days, and wraparound consultancy services to equip Irish businesses with the tools to thrive and engage in peer-learning in an AI-driven landscape. The programme is live and RDI hub, Portershed and Greentech HQ are delighted to announce that leading companies within the manufacturing and engineering sectors are currently taking part in the programme.

Growing our network in a virtual world

The RDI Hub Digital Community, launched in March 2024, offers global virtual mentorship and resources for tech startups. It connects mentors, entrepreneurs, and innovators with coaching and upskilling opportunities. This virtual community will expand across international markets, deepening relationships and opportunities across the global innovation ecosystem.

The evolving Fexco and RDI Hub Partnership

This impact report marks the fifth anniversary of the Hub's partnership with Fexco, highlighting ongoing investment and support. To date, Fexco has provided the 17,000 sq. ft. facility, mentorship programs, and financial backing for STEM education initiatives. The latest of which is the STEM Passport for Inclusion, run in association with the RDI Hub, Maynooth University, Microsoft and Munster Technological University, which provided 500 female post-primary students with access to STEM education in Munster in 2024.

Marking the 5th Anniversary

The RDI Hub's fifth anniversary was celebrated at an event at their offices in Killorglin, Co Kerry with stakeholders from the innovation ecosystem in attendance, including RDI Hub partners Fexco, Munster Technological University, and Kerry County Council. Minister Norma Foley will deliver the keynote address, highlighting the importance of AI in shaping Ireland's future. The event will also feature panel discussions with industry leaders, including Kevin Marshall (Microsoft), Bronagh Riordan (EY), Joseph Walsh (Munster Technological University), John Kelleher (ADAPT Research Centre), and Andreea Wade (Delta Partners), as well as examples of AI use cases from Irish businesses such as TLI, Energywise, O'Ca...

To celebrate the launch of Engineers Week 2025, running from 1 - 7 March, Intel Ireland and Engineers Ireland visited aspiring engineers at Scoil Mhuire National School in Leixlip.

This marks the sixth year of Intel Ireland's sponsorship of the Engineers Ireland STEPS programme. As part of Engineers Week, Intel Ireland employees are visiting local schools to host engineering challenges and share their experiences. 35 volunteers will visit 20 schools in Leixlip, Celbridge, Maynooth and Kilcock. In total, over 700 students will take part in the Intel-hosted activities.

"We are proud to once again collaborate with Engineers Ireland to help inspire future engineers through the STEPS Programme," says Tom Kinch, Engineering Manager at Intel Ireland. "The programme offers an important opportunity for young people to have an interactive experience of the world of STEM, paving the way for the next generation of innovators."

Over the course of the partnership, Intel Ireland has taken part in STEM outreach activities including judging competitions, organising events, and conducting interactive career talks, all of which showcases the company's commitment to supporting and growing the next generation of engineers in Ireland.

"Engineers Week is a fantastic opportunity to introduce children to the wonderful world of engineering, demonstrating how engineers are tackling our planet's most pressing challenges," says Damien Owens, Director General of Engineers Ireland. "The support of Intel Ireland is vital to share the exciting prospects of a career in engineering and inspire the next generation of problem-solvers."

About STEPS and Engineers Week

The Engineers Ireland STEPS Programme is designed to open up the exciting possibilities that engineering offers to school children who want to make a real difference in the world. Engineers Week 2025 will take place from Saturday, 1 to Friday, 7 March 2025. Engineers Week has been created to introduce primary and secondary school children to the diverse world of engineering.