Huawei Ireland Launches New 2023 Seeds Programme for Ambitious STEM Students
Huawei Ireland has launched the 2023 edition of its flagship talent programme ‘Seeds for the Future’. The 2023 ‘Seeds for the Future’ programme will be limited to 30 students with the eight-day virtual programme taking place on 25th September. Students will complete 15 hours of live courses and take part in Huawei’s TECH4GOOD global competition - which challenges participants to examine how to leverage technology to address pressing social and environmental issues. If successful in TECH4GOOD, Huawei will provide one of the winning teams with US$100,000 and coaching from a professional team to help them commercially realize their start-up plan.
They may also have the opportunity to visit global industry conferences representing Ireland, and to visit Huawei HQ in Shenzhen, China. Team Ireland won the TECH4GOOD competition in 2022 and was invited to attend Huawei’s EU Talent Summit in Athens, Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and a start-up sprint camp in China, the 2023 winners could make it two-in-a-row for the Irish.
Third-level students studying STEM subjects or Leaving Certificate students considering a third-level course in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) are eligible to apply. To make the programme more inclusive than before, the 2023 edition will also be open to students studying STEM subjects on Post Leaving Certificate courses.
To apply for the programme, students should send their CV, a transcript of their academic records, and an essay of 400-600 words or a two to three-minute motivation video reflecting their interests and why they should be chosen to take part, to seedsireland@huawei.com. Students can also find more information about the programme through the Seeds for the Future official website. The deadline for submissions is 20th September 2023.
Announcing the 2023 Seeds for the Future Programme, Luke McDonnell, Senior Communications Manager, Huawei Ireland, said: “Since its inception in 2015, over 270 students from Irish universities have benefited from this unique learning and culture experience. Despite all the current uncertainty and challenges, we’re proud that we can deliver another innovative course for the Ireland Seeds for the Future candidates. We are focusing on the development of their ideas – to get the students to think of how their projects can help society in our ever-changing world.
“Huawei is committed to creating value for the communities in which we operate, and Seeds for the Future, and TECH4GOOD, are examples of how we can help and nurture today’s students because they are our future. We will continue to invest in Ireland’s future ICT workforce, and we see this programme as another way to help these students to think of progressive ideas and enhance their capabilities as they continue or indeed embark on their studies in STEM”.
In 2022, the top 50 Seeds for the Future graduates came from nine universities around the country, with the bulk hailing from TU Dublin, UCD, Trinity College Dublin, UCC and NUIG. Last year’s programme received 500 applications from STEM students across Ireland. In total, there were 88 graduates of which 31 were female students.