Teagasc is inviting applications for the second Food and Agriculture Sustainable Innovation Programme (FAST-IP), which begins in September.
Twelve places are available on the full-time, 12-month, in-person programme, aimed at mid-career professionals which provides participants with a €38,000 tax-free scholarship.
The programme is delivered by the UCD school of bio-systems and food engineering, in partnership with Teagasc, at the AgTechUCD Innovation Centre at UCD Lyons Farm in Co Kildare.
FAST-IP programme manager Edel Mitchell said that this an opportunity for people to embrace their entrepreneurial ambitions and develop solutions to real problems in the global agri-food sector.
“The practical needs-led innovation process enables participants to deep dive and forensically understand pressing challenges for the agri-food sector and build innovative solutions,” she said.
“If you are interested in embarking on this journey and leveraging the unparalleled access to industry experts, mentorship and cross-sectoral immersive opportunities, I would encourage you to apply for the FAST-IP programme.”
Programme
FAST-IP is accredited by UCD at Level 9 on the National Qualifications Framework and participants who complete the programme will be awarded a graduate diploma in agri-food, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Professor Nick Holden, professor of bio-systems engineering in UCD, is the academic director of the graduate diploma programme.
Teagasc’s head of technology transfer and commercialisation Dr Siobhán Jordan added that this will be a “cutting-edge, immersive programme” that will help create sustainable agri-food solutions.
“FAST-IP aims to position Ireland as a global innovator in agtech and food systems by fostering the creation of high-potential start-ups, scalable businesses and sustainable solutions that address challenges in areas including, climate change, food security, productivity and economic diversification.”
SHARING OPTIONS