Taoiseach Celebrates Ireland's Tech Future at Google

If Ireland wants to really cash in on AI and tech advancements, it's super important that folks from all walks of life get a crack at the latest digital skills. Yesterday at The Foundry, we had the pleasure of hosting Taoiseach Micheál Martin and James Lawless — the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science — to celebrate the achievements of the first recipients of the Insight AI Scholarship. This program is all about helping students from underrepresented backgrounds step up and shape the future of technology.

About the scholarships

The scholarship program kicked off in 2023 as part of Google Ireland's big 20th birthday bash. We made sure to spread the word far and wide with a hefty promotion campaign, so the right people could grab this golden opportunity.

All that hard work paid off at yesterday's event, where the first 39 students got their awards handed to them by the Taoiseach himself. Each scholarship is worth €5,000 a year for the whole three or four-year undergraduate program, thanks to a Google.org grant to Dublin City University (DCU). They're running the show through the Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics.

These students are diving into all sorts of courses, from computer science to digital business, and even chemistry with AI, at universities and colleges all over Ireland.

Why it’s important

This program is a big deal because a lot of communities in Ireland still struggle to get their hands on those key digital skills. According to a 2023 HEA report, only 21% of STEM students in Ireland are women, and just 15% of disadvantaged students move on to postgraduate studies.

The scholarship is all about turning these students into future AI and digital safety leaders, and making the field more representative by backing underrepresented groups. It's pretty cool that the first group of students hail from 15 counties across Ireland, with 40% of them being women, and including participants with disabilities and members of the Traveller community who are seizing this AI opportunity.

At the event, Minister Lawless spoke up, and then we had a panel with DCU academics chatting about how education can help level the playing field in our digital future. It's a hot topic right now, especially with AI potentially boosting Ireland's GDP by up to €45 billion over the next decade. So, it's vital we nurture talent in this area.

What’s ahead

Looking forward, more students will get a shot at joining the program next year, helping to build a more equitable and tech-savvy Ireland. If you're interested in learning more or want to apply, check out Insight's website. We're proud to back this initiative and can't wait to see how these scholars will make their mark.