Research & Innovation

Since introducing the scheme in 2006, BT has distributed 1,115 grants to more than 330 schools across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, amounting to a total sum of €488,700.

Increased in 2012 to €75,000 per year, the BT grant offers more incentives for the competition and allows an ever increasing number of young people from both rural and urban areas spanning 32 counties to participate in the exhibition.

Schools located more than 70 km from the RDS in Dublin, the home of the exhibition, are eligible to apply for a grant of €150 per individual entry or €300 for a group entry, up to a maximum of €1,500 per school.

Schools in Limerick, for example, have received €38,900 to date under the BT grant scheme.

“Our school is very competitive and we have a proud history of success at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition,” said Donal Enright, a teacher from Desmond College in Limerick.

“This grant scheme is a real help in getting students to the competition, contributing significantly to transport and accommodation costs. I have brought students to the exhibition every year for the past decade and each year I am more and more impressed by the calibre and creativity of the entries. I would recommend those students and their teachers interested in participating to get thinking and enter a project before 1 October.”

In addition, BT is offering 60 participating students both in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland the opportunity to take part in BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamps in Dublin and Belfast, an intensive commercialisation skills programme that helps students transform their ideas into a real business opportunity.

The 2015 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition will take place from 7-10 January 2015 and the closing date for entries is 1 October. There are more than 120 awards to be won, including the BT Young Scientist & Technologist of the Year, which Paul Clarke of St. Paul’s College, Raheny, won in January this year.