I reviewed "FAIK, A Practical Guide To Living In A World Of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions", by Perry Carpenter. This publication came across as highly engaging, innovatively written, and a worthwhile read for all in our digital age.

FAIK: Navigating AI, Deepfakes and Deception Safely, reviewed

Many related publications focus on the mechanics of AI, security, and the process for handling identified issues. This easy-to-read publication was more holistic, wider in scope, yet more people focused. The author's coverage started with an exploration of technology as a tool for good or evil. He then moves seamlessly into AI, its inflection point to good or evil outcomes, and how our general understanding of it can mitigate its risk.

A fascinating angle to this book is the human intelligence v article intelligence angle. The author explores the human art of deception that has found an accomplice in AI, and how this changes the threat landscape for us all. The book has a balanced feel to it, with each chapter containing a story, acting as a chapter anchor.

It then explores the topic behind it and offers practical takeaways to deepen the reader's knowledge of deception using AI. This theme is present throughout the book, with quality advice on how to deal with deception, such as the SIFT method.

The author is not shy about his writing goal. He tells us it is ok to be AI curious once we understand how to deal with its deceptive dark side. I found this practical outlook to be illustrative, which made concepts easy to grasp. The forward and introduction are worth a read. It familiarizes the reader with the author's writing style, as it lays out the book's content in an easy to digest manner.

This publication, comprising 10 chapters, has three main parts. Chapters 1 to 3 are an overview of AI, and synthetic media (AI produced content), which includes deep fakes.

Chapters 4 to 7 are an exploration of the emerging threat landscape, which includes AI based deception, along with tactics to deal with them. Chapters 8 to 10 are about self protection, and protection for your community regarding AI. This section continues the theme of self-contained chapters, which are also linked, by topic, into a whole-of-book read.

Chapter 10, "A New Hope", has the now familiar dramatization story as an italic opener, to be followed by an exploration, and a powerful call to action. The author tells us, "criminals have means, motive, and opportunity. But so do we". This community collaboration against AI abusers, such as scammers, disinformation groups, plus more, makes sense.

While quality takeaways are present in every chapter, the takeaways in this final chapter go wider, yet still strike deep. They inform us of how we can protect ourselves and each other in a world filled with AI. I found the exploration of AI basics, the deception game and the quality of advice to be of enormous benefit to any reader. It humanizes the issues as it defines technological intelligence as separate from human intelligence.

Understanding AI's adversarial dark side and its interaction with humans is key. It is how we can collaborate with AI using a wise degree of caution. That the genii is out of the bottle regarding AI is of note, as is the infection point we are now at. Taking the initiative back from bad-actors, and looking to understand AI's dark side as much as its potential, is our best path forward.

Its potential can make or break us as a species. This book allows us to take the brave first step into AI, and why human understanding can still prevail. To do that, we need to understand the human art of deception as delivered through AI, and how AI's potential relies on human input to drive it forward. How that happens next is up to us.

By John Mulhall @soldersee | [email protected] is a writer with Irish Tech News for over 8 years and also a Cloud Engineer, Writer, and Novelist. You can learn more about John, and his debut novel "From Terror to ...

5th year student, Maura Moore-McCune representing The King's Hospital School, Palmerstown in Co. Dublin has won the title of SciFest STEM Champion 2024 with her project 'VIPMOD: Vision Impaired Person's Moving Object Detector'. Maura Moore-McCune will represent Ireland at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair 2025 in Columbus, Ohio.

Now in its 19th year, SciFest is Ireland's largest, most-inclusive all-island STEM fair programme for second-level students. The National Final, held in Marino Conference Centre in Dublin today, was attended by students from every corner of the island, with 62 students qualifying to participate this year. Since 2006, the programme has continued to evolve and expand, reporting an average increase of over 20% year on year. This has been helped by the tremendous support offered by Intel Ireland, Boston Scientific, EirGrid and Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals.

Maura Moore-McCune, who is vision impaired, developed an app to detect fast moving objects, so that vision impaired people can live safer and more independent lives.

This project evolved through six prototypes. The first three prototypes used Micro:bits. Prototype 4 uses GPS technology. Prototype 5 is an app which uses TensorFlow.js Image Classification model to detect oncoming vehicles and other objects. The app displays the object's name, vibrates and issues a text-to-speech warning. Finally, Prototype 6 is an application that estimates the speed of oncoming objects. It uses a YOLOv8 model to analyse input footage. Prototype 5 was tested in a controlled setting, with 95% accuracy (316 trials). Vision Ireland will be testing VIPMOD in the WayFinding Centre - an indoor environment replicating the real-world experience of using public transport for vision impaired people.

Maura was presented with the SciFest STEM Champion 2024 Award by Sheila Porter, SciFest Founder and CEO. Maura rose to win the top prize, following her success at the regional final in SciFest@TU Dublin Tallaght.

Founded in 2006, the programme's primary aim is to encourage students' participation in STEM in an enjoyable and interactive way. SciFest is free to enter and open to everyone across the island of Ireland, no matter their background or circumstance.

Speaking at this year's National Final, CEO and Founder of SciFest, Sheila Porter commented: "On behalf of everyone here at SciFest, I would like to extend a warm congratulations to all the winners, particularly to Maura for winning the title of SciFest STEM Champion 2024. SciFest has been providing opportunities in STEM for students for nearly two decades, and I am proud to have watched it evolve during that time. And while every year, we continue to grow, our core mission remains the same: to inspire and empower the next generation to engage with and explore the world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

This year saw a big uptake in projects focusing on the environment and sustainability - critical areas for shaping a better future. I want to sincerely thank everybody who has been involved - from our students, teachers, and parents to our wonderful sponsors - all of whom have contributed to this extraordinary event. Together, we continue to drive progress and spark the creativity that will lead us into the future."

Other award winners at the SciFest 2024 National Final were:

Lily Cahill who won the SciFest STEM Champion 2024 Runner-up Award for her project on 'Investigating Whether Childhood Imaginary Companions Impact Social Competence and Coping Skills in Teenage Years'

Fionn Campbell who won the Berlin Long Night of Science Award for his project on 'A Crystal-Clear Way to Slow Down Ireland's Energy Crisis'

Maura Moore-McCune who won the Boston Scientific Medical Devices Grand Award for her project on 'VIPMOD:Vision Impaired Person's Moving Object Detector'

Gráinne Ní Chrónín who won the Boston Scientific Medical Devices Grand Award Runner Up for her project on 'No More Ice, Ice Baby!'

...

This week. I sat down with Timo Lehes and Philipp Pieper, the co-founders of Swarm, the RWA (or Real World Assets) platform that brings unique digitization and trading solutions to the world of traditional and decentralized finance. Swam is the first organization in the world to offer digitized US treasury bills and Apple stock via a compliant and decentralized platform.

From their personal journeys into crypto to the challenges of integrating TradFi with DeFi, Timo and Philipp unpack Swarm's evolution, their focus on compliance, and their vision for the tokenized financial markets of tomorrow. Along the way, they share stories about formative moments in their careers, including Philipp's time in New England during the fall of the Berlin Wall and Timo's early coding days.

Plus, we dive into:

Swarm's focus on making blockchain-based assets accessible and tradable globally.

Insights from the initial coin offering (ICO) and security token offering (STO) waves of the mid-2010s.

The importance of regulatory clarity for tokenization to thrive.

The role of RWAs in bridging the gap between decentralized and traditional finance.

And yes, the story behind Swarm's iconic RWA baseball caps inspired by 80s rap legends NWA!

Key Takeaways:

The transition from niche assets to tokenizing well-known RWAs like stocks and gold has been pivotal for Swarm's success.

Compliance and regulation are at the heart of Swarm's approach, paving the way for global adoption.

Despite the challenges, blockchain holds the potential to simplify and disrupt traditional financial systems, much like the early Internet.

Swarm's dual focus: Issuing RWAs and providing the tools for others to tokenize assets through their SaaS platform.

About Swarm

Swarm is a compliance-first platform for tokenizing real-world assets, combining the speed, efficiency, and flexibility of blockchain with the trust and asset diversity of traditional exchanges. By integrating TradFi with DeFi, Swarm aims to create a seamless future where everything just becomes "Fi."

Follow Swarm:

Website: swarm.com

X/(Twitter): @SwarmMarkets

Telegram: Swarm Community

Connect with Timo and Philipp:

Timo Lehes: Twitter | LinkedIn

Philipp Pieper: Twitter | LinkedIn

Mentioned in This Episode:

Dead Poets Society and its influence on Philipp's philosophy of independent thought.

Regulatory developments in the U.S. and Europe, and their implications for tokenized markets.

State of Crypto report from Coinbase Ventures (June 2024)

The role of stablecoins as the first real-world asset success story.

NWA's influence on Swarm's RWA hats - bridging culture and finance.

Leave a review and subscribe on

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

MoneyNeverSleeps (website)

Email us: [email protected]

Follow on X(Twitter):

Pete Townsend: https://twitter.com/petetownsendnv

MoneyNeverSleeps: https://twitter.com/MNSshow

Follow on LinkedIn:

Pete Townsend: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-townsend-1b18301a/

MoneyNeverSleeps: https://www.linkedin.com/company/28661903/

MoneyNeverSleeps newsletter: https://moneyneversleeps.substack.com/

A new research group designed to advance AI accountability research has launched at Trinity College Dublin. The AI Accountability Lab (AIAL) will be led by Dr Abeba Birhane, Research Fellow in the ADAPT Research Ireland Centre at the School of Computer Science and Statistics in Trinity. It will focus on critical issues across broad topics, such as the examination of opaque technological ecologies and the execution of audits on specific models and training datasets.

As AI technologies continue to shape society, the AIAL will examine their broader impacts and hold powerful entities accountable for technological harms, advocating for policies rooted in evidence. Research will specifically address potential corporate capture of current regulatory processes, outline justice-driven model evaluation, as well as audits of deployed models, specifically those used on vulnerable groups.

Speaking about the work of the AIAL, Dr Birhane said:

"The AI Accountability Lab aims to foster transparency and accountability in the development and use of AI systems. And we have a broad and comprehensive view of AI accountability. This includes better understanding and critical scrutiny of the wider AI ecology - for example, via systematic studies of possible corporate capture, to the evaluation of specific AI models, tools, and training datasets."

The AIAL is supported by a grant of just under €1.5 million from three groups: the AI Collaborative, an Initiative of the Omidyar Group; Luminate; and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

AI technologies, despite their supposed potential, have been shown to encode and exacerbate existing societal norms and inequalities, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups. In sectors such as healthcare, education, and law enforcement, deployment of AI technologies without thorough evaluation can not only have nuanced but catastrophic impact on individuals and groups but can also alter social fabrics.

For example, in healthcare, a liver allocation algorithm used by the UK's National Health Service (NHS) has been found to discriminate by age. No matter how iIl, patients under the age of 45 seem currently unable to receive a transplant, due to the predictive logic underlying the algorithm.

Additionally, incorporating AI algorithms without proper evaluation has a direct or implicit impact on people. For example, a decision support algorithm used by the Danish child protection services to aid child protection deployed without formal evaluation has been found to suffer from numerous issues, including information leakage, inconsistent risk scores, and age-based discrimination.

Furthermore, errors in facial recognition technologies have led to misidentification and the arrest of innocent people in the UK and the US. In education, the use of student data for purposes beyond schooling drew criticism in the UK. Secret agreements allowing authorities to monitor benefit claims raised fears of increased surveillance, eroding public trust in technology, and disproportionate targeting of low-income families (source Schools Week).

These few examples illustrate the need for transparency, accountability, and robust oversight of AI systems, which are central topics the AI Accountability Lab seeks to address through research and evidence-driven policy advocacy.

The AIAL will be housed in the School of Computer Science and Statistics at Trinity. Professor Gregory O'Hare, Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Head of School of Computer Science & Statistics at Trinity, said:

"The new dawn of AI associated with generative AI has heralded a velocity of AI adoption hitherto fore not witnessed. The provenance of such systems is however fundamental. The AI Accountability Lab will be at the forefront of research that will examine such systems; through algorithmic auditability it will create a National and European Centre of Excellence in this space, delivering thought leadership and informing best practice."

Professor John...

HEAnet, Ireland's National Education and Research Network, has announced the launch of its Strategy 2025-2030.

HEAnet, Ireland's National Education and Research Network, plays a pivotal role in supporting the country's academic and research communities. By delivering high-speed internet connectivity and ICT-shared services, HEAnet connects over one million students, researchers, and staff across all levels of the Irish education and research sector.

Their network not only facilitates access to essential online resources but also ensures that Irish learners and researchers are linked to global academic and research networks through our partnership with GÉANT.

With a vision to empower excellence in education and research, HEAnet aims to be a trusted partner, driving technological innovation for the advancement of this sector. The HEAnet Strategy 2025-2030 seeks to address the ever-growing demands of the education and research community through key focus areas and foundation enablers.

The new HEAnet strategy focuses on five strategic areas:

1. Network- Delivering world-class network connectivity. HEAnet will strengthen Ireland's education and research infrastructure with a resilient, scalable, and energy-efficient network. Through key upgrades and expanded international connectivity, we will meet growing demands and position Ireland as a global hub for education and research data.

2. Security - Strengthening the security capability and resilience of Irish education and research. HEAnet will expand its security services, including further expansion of our SOC and SIEM solution. In collaboration with the National Cyber Security Centre, we aim to strengthen the security posture of Ireland's education and research sector, reducing risks and enhancing resilience.

3. Research - Driving collaboration and innovation to support global research ambitions. HEAnet is committed to driving research excellence by supporting FAIR data management, advancing national research infrastructure, and fostering collaboration. HEAnet will enhance Open Science efforts, helping Ireland's research community to innovate and excel on the global stage.

4. Sustainability - Leading the way in environmental, social and economic sustainability. HEAnet will integrate sustainability across environmental, social, and financial dimensions. We will significantly reduce our carbon footprint, improve energy efficiency, and ensure a sustainable funding model, contributing positively to Ireland's Climate Action Plan and the wider community.

5. People - Empowering Our People to Achieve Excellence. At HEAnet, people are our most valuable asset. We will foster a culture of growth, inclusivity, and excellence, offering expanded development opportunities, promoting EDI, and cultivating talent pipelines to ensure long-term success and a thriving, diverse workforce.

HEAnet CEO Ronan Byrne remarked, "Our Strategy 2025-2030 outlines our ambitious and forward-looking strategic direction to the end of this decade. This strategy represents a significant milestone for HEAnet, as it sets the stage for a transformative journey that builds on our past achievements while charting a course for a future filled with opportunities and growth."

The full strategy is available on HEAnet's website: www.heanet.ie/heanet-strategy

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...

When it comes to renting out a property, the lease agreement is one of the most important documents a landlord or property manager will use. A well-crafted lease agreement not only sets expectations between landlord and tenant but also serves as a protective measure for both parties. While there are many ready-made lease templates available, customizing a lease agreement template to fit specific property needs and tenant circumstances can make a world of difference. In this guide, we'll explore why and how you should customize your lease agreement for the best possible rental experience.

Understanding the Basics of Lease Customization

Customizing your rental lease agreement allows you to tailor the terms to the unique aspects of your property and the type of tenant you are leasing to. Here's a closer look at why customization is essential and what standard elements your lease should include.

Reasons to Customize Your Lease Agreement

Leases are not one-size-fits-all. Different properties and tenant needs require different terms, and customizing your rental lease agreement can ensure everyone's rights and responsibilities are clear. Here are some common reasons to consider customization:

Property Type: Whether it's a single-family home, apartment, or duplex, each type of property comes with specific management needs that should be addressed in the lease.

Rental Duration: A lease agreement might need adjustments based on whether you're offering a month-to-month arrangement, a fixed-term lease, or a seasonal rental.

Tenant Needs: Some tenants may have special requirements, such as the need for pet accommodations, additional storage, or specific utility preferences.

Essential Elements in a Standard Lease Template

Here's a quick overview of what most lease agreement templates should include:

Names of Tenant(s) and Landlord

Description of the Rental Property

Lease Term and Renewal Options

Rent Amount and Payment Details

Security Deposit Terms

Maintenance Responsibilities

Utility and Expense Responsibilities

Rules for Property Use

By understanding these essential elements, you'll have a solid foundation to build upon when customizing your lease agreement template.

Steps to Customize Your Lease Agreement Template

Once you understand the core elements of a lease agreement, you're ready to begin customization. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you create a rental lease agreement that aligns with your property, region, and tenant expectations.

Define the Lease Term and Renewal Options

The lease term sets the length of the rental period, which can vary depending on your goals as a landlord and the type of property you're renting out. Here are some common options:

Fixed-Term Lease: Offers security with a set rental period (e.g., 12 months) and is often preferred for long-term rentals.

Month-to-Month Lease: Provides flexibility, allowing either party to end the lease with shorter notice, suitable for more transient rental situations.

Seasonal Rental: Ideal for properties in vacation areas or for specific rental periods, such as college semesters.

Set Rent and Payment Details

Setting clear rent terms is crucial to a successful rental lease agreement. Specify the rent amount, due date, and acceptable payment methods:

Rent Amount: Define the monthly rent amount in the lease agreement form to avoid any confusion.

Payment Methods: Indicate the preferred method of payment (e.g., bank transfer, check, online payment).

Late Fees: Consider adding a section for late payment fees to encourage timely payments.

Customize Security Deposit Terms

The security deposit is a safeguard for the landlord, covering potential damages beyond normal wear and tear. Here's how to approach this section:

Deposit Amount: Define the amount based on local regulations or your own policy.

Deductions: Clearly outline any specific conditions that may lead to deductions from the deposit (e.g., unapproved property alterations, damage caused by pets).

Return Timeline: Mention...

ISH Group has announced the acquisition of HRLocker, the leading Ireland-based, B2B SaaS Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) platform. HRLocker empowers organisations with a comprehensive suite of tools to efficiently manage their workforce, offering solutions from employee records and time tracking to performance evaluations and absence management. The acquisition further solidifies ISH's position as a leader in the HR software space, now encompassing about 3,000 customers across its growing portfolio, including Jobtoolz, Homerun, Hirehive, Staff Squared and HRLocker.

Founded in 2013, HRLocker has become a trusted HR solution, serving over 860 small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) primarily in Ireland and the UK. As part of this acquisition, Adam Coleman, HRLocker's founder and CEO, will transition out of the business. Crystel Robbins Rynne, current COO who has been instrumental in HRLocker's growth, will take on the CEO role, driving the next phase of development with a focus on scaling customer engagement and feature expansion.

The acquisition brings significant benefits to both HRLocker and its customers. In joining the ISH Group, HRLocker will have access to enhanced resources and expertise, enabling faster innovation and expansion of its offering in domestic and overseas markets. Customers can expect an enriched platform with new features, improved user experience, while continuing to enjoy the unrivalled customer experience for which the company has become so well known. The collaboration also opens opportunities for integration with other ISH portfolio companies, offering a more comprehensive suite of HR tools to meet the evolving needs of SMEs.

Adam Reynolds, co-founder and Managing Partner of ISH, shares his enthusiasm for this acquisition: "We're delighted to welcome HRLocker into the ISH family. HRLocker's commitment to supporting SMEs and its robust HRIS platform make it an excellent addition to our portfolio. With Crystel stepping into the CEO role, we're confident in HRLocker's continued success and in our shared vision for empowering businesses to attract, manage, and develop their talent."

Crystel Robbins Rynne, the new CEO of HRLocker, looks forward to joining the ISH Group, saying, "This new chapter with ISH will enable us to scale faster and reach even more customers. We're excited to enhance our offerings, leveraging ISH's resources and expertise to deepen our impact across the HR tech landscape."

See more stories here.

On 13 November, South East Technological University (SETU) proudly welcomed early career researchers to the third PROMOTE Project training session, an initiative involving four partner universities to provide guidance on career progression for female researchers at the early stages of their careers.

The event aimed to showcase the wealth of skills and experience researchers bring to diverse sectors, both within and outside academia, and to inspire attendees to explore a range of career opportunities.

Dr Allison Kenneally, Vice President for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at SETU, opened the session by underscoring the importance of retaining women in research and emphasised the transformative role of the PROMOTE project. She encouraged participants to engage with the PROMOTE online platform and reflected on the critical role of mentorship, including peer-to-peer mentoring, throughout a research career.

A career panel offered valuable insights into the professional journeys of its members, illustrating how academic research experience can shape varied career paths. Panellists, including Dr Geraldine Canny, Dr Aisling O'Neill, Dr Denise McGrath, Dr Luciana Herda, and Dr Blanca Suarez-Bilbao, discussed key topics such as identifying personal values and goals, balancing work with family life, and practical strategies for working parents. The importance of mentoring, networking, and leveraging available supports was also highlighted.

Reflecting on the event, Dr. Geraldine Canny, Head of Research at SETU, stated, "The PROMOTE training session exemplifies our commitment to fostering an inclusive research environment. By equipping early career female researchers with the necessary tools and networks, we are paving the way for a more equitable and innovative research community."

Dr Michael Scriney from the Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics at Dublin City University provided an overview of the PROMOTE online platform. The platform offers early career researchers access to career progression resources, networking opportunities, and support, all designed to empower researchers in advancing their careers.

The event also featured a career skills workshop on transferable skills, led by SETU's HR Business Partner for Research, Eimear Fitzpatrick. The session focused on translating research skills for new sectors and crafting compelling applications. Eimear shared practical advice, emphasising the importance of presenting research experience in a format that resonates with employers, ensuring researchers feel confident and prepared for new opportunities.

The day concluded with in-person networking, interactive discussions, and resource-sharing to foster a supportive culture as researchers transition to the next phase of their professional lives.

The PROMOTE project is funded by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and supported by the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics. Partner institutions include Maynooth University (MU), South East Technological University (SETU), Munster Technological University (MTU), University of Limerick (UL), Dublin City University (DCU), University College Cork (UCC), and the University of Galway. Together, these partners are championing the call to #promotewomen and #buildthenetwork online. The project is coordinated by Christine O'Sullivan, PROMOTE Project Manager, Maynooth University.

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has successfully launched 16 innovation hubs across Central, Eastern and Southern Europe dedicated to tackling Europe's regional innovation divide. The new hubs, known as EIT Community Hubs are an integral part of the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme and have been launched in the following countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovenia, Türkiye, Ukraine, and Spain and Portugal covering their respective EU's Outermost Regions.

The new EIT Community Hubs will serve as a central gateway to Europe's largest innovation ecosystem, supporting local innovators and entrepreneurs to scale their innovations and launch new products to the market.

EIT Community Hubs represent all EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) under one roof, boosting cooperation among local businesses, education authorities, and research organisations, enhancing the region's competitiveness and contributing to Europe's economic growth and competitiveness.

Stefan Dobrev, Chairman of the EIT Governing Board, said, 'The EIT Regional Innovation Scheme has grown in the past ten years to be one of the most successful innovation instruments connecting and collaborating, between researchers, entrepreneurs and companies in the widening countries."

"RIS-eligible countries currently account for 60% of the EIT's total participation, well above the Horizon Europe average of 40% - and many RIS-supported ventures have realised their potential and found breakthrough commercial success. This year we celebrate ten years of impact, ten years of helping grow companies and launching innovations to the market," said Dobrev.

By connecting regional actors, innovators, and partners to Europe's largest innovation ecosystem, the EIT RIS enhances innovation capacity in low-performing regions and fosters synergies between new networks and local or regional smart specialisation strategies.

A Decade of Impact

2024 marks ten years of impact for the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme - a dedicated programme offering tailor-made support and widened regional outreach to 'moderate' and 'emerging' innovator countries as designated by the European Innovation Scoreboard.

Today, the EIT, under Horizon Europe is strongly addressing Europe's innovation divide, having invested over a billion euros into building innovation ecosystems across Europe. Over 700 innovation projects have been supported by the EIT Reginal Innovation Scheme, helping to launch over 500 products and services to the market, and supporting over 3,360 start-ups and scale-up including creating over 250 new start-ups.

The EIT Regional Innovation Scheme's mid-term evaluation results were recently published, documenting the programme's effectiveness in strengthening the capacity of innovation enablers and actors, such as business accelerators, incubators, start-ups, scale-ups, SMEs, and educational and research institutions. The study also notes that results achieved by the EIT RIS often exceed expectations and highlight the interconnected approach of the EIT Model and the EIT's local presence as critical to its effectiveness. critical to its effectiveness.

In addition to the sixteen established EIT Community Hubs, further innovation hubs will be launched in the following countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Serbia, and France, representing the EU's Outermost Regions by the end of 2025.

What is the European Institute of Innovation and Technology?

The EIT strengthens Europe's ability to innovate by powering solutions to pressing global challenges and by nurturing entrepreneurial talent to create sustainable growth and skilled jobs in Europe. The EIT is an EU body and an integral part of Horizon Europe, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.

The Institute supports dynamic pan-European partnerships, EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities, among leading...

The Irish Girl Guides (IGG), in collaboration with Engineers Ireland, is excited to announce the launch of the Engineers Ireland STEPS Ladybird Engineering Badge. This new Badge builds on the success of the Engineering Badges for Brownies (ages 7-10) and Guides (ages 10-14), extending the opportunity to explore STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) activities to girls aged 5-7.

With the Ladybird Engineering Badge, Irish Girl Guides and Engineers Ireland aim to inspire young girls to explore STEM and consider engineering careers. The badge introduces fun, hands-on challenges that foster creativity, curiosity, and teamwork while building problem-solving abilities and an engineering mindset. By engaging in this initiative, girls are empowered to see themselves as future innovators in a traditionally male-dominated sector.

This partnership aligns seamlessly with IGG's Journey Programme and mission to enable girls and young women to reach their fullest potential as responsible citizens of the world. The initiative also supports several UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 5 Gender Equality, SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities, SDG 1 No Poverty, and SDG 4 Quality Education. It envisions a future where young girls can contribute to sustainable engineering practices that address global challenges.

Since the launch of the Engineering Badges in 2018, more than 3,500 Brownies and Guides have earned their Badges, highlighting the success of this initiative. By introducing the Badge to Ladybirds, IGG and Engineers Ireland aim to inspire girls from an early age, empowering them to believe in their abilities and pursue their ambitions, promising a bright future ahead.

"At the moment less than a quarter of both engineers and engineering students in Ireland are female. It is clear that more must be done to encourage girls and young women to take up roles in this fascinating industry, particularly if Ireland is to develop the kind of large and diverse engineering profession needed to meet tomorrow's challenges," said Damien Owens, the Director General of Engineers Ireland.

"Through our collaboration with the Irish Girl Guides, a community-focused organisation with which we share many values, we are delighted to have the opportunity to promote engineering to young girls, opening up greater opportunities for their future," said Owens.

Róisín Mills, the Programme and Training Commissioner, said, "Our mission at IGG is to develop girls into global citizens. Through our partnership with the Engineers Ireland STEPS programme, we have delivered high-quality STEM education to our youth members, broadening both their knowledge and understanding of engineering, as well as their prospects in STEM fields. The Ladybird Engineering Badge is a great way for our youngest members, the Ladybirds, to be exposed to engineering topics in a fun and engaging way."

The Engineers Ireland STEPS Programme unlocks the potential of engineering for school children eager to make a meaningful impact in the world. The award is one of four primary and post-primary student engineering initiatives coordinated by the STEPS programme, which is funded by the Department of Education, Arup, the EPA, ESB, Intel, and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).

Irish Girl Guides has 10,000 members across Ireland. Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,600 volunteer Leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens.