Firstly, I'd like to invite you to our Postgrad Open Evening, this Wednesday 29th June from 5pm to 7pm; we're located on the first floor of Trinity Business School, so please do pop along to say hello. More details below!
I also hope you made the most of the Pride celebrations over the weekend! Pride has always been an important time to me. It’s a time of acceptance and equality, and a time to celebrate the efforts of previous generations in forging a safe pathway for the LGBTQIA+ community in Ireland, so that people are treated with respect and dignity in society, at home, and in work - irrespective of who you love.
Some colleagues and I were fortunate enough to join Provost Linda Doyle on Tuesday 21st June for a garden party to mark the occasion, also attended by gay rights activist Rory O’Neill, AKA Panti Bliss; Colm O’Gorman, Executive Director of Amnesty International Ireland; and Roderic O’Gorman, Minister For Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
While many of the speeches were celebratory in tone, the special Pride gathering also served as an urgent reminder that despite the journey Ireland has gone on to become one of the most inclusive and progressive places in the world, bullying and harassment continues - particularly targeting the trans community. My ask this month is that we collectively use our voice to drown this hate out. You can check out helpful resources and make a donation to TENI, the Transgender Equality Network Ireland, here.
Happy reading,
Ken
Postgrad Open Evening this Wednesday 29th June 5pm-7pm!
We are excited to invite you to our first ever Open Evening at Tangent! Take the next step in your career and gain a level 9 qualification from Ireland's leading university, Trinity College Dublin, in just 18 weeks. Applications are now open.
Springboard+ funded, course fees range from €280-€380 for successful applicants in employment, and eligible applicants who are unemployed can study with us for free. Choose from:
'Kids Speech Labs' takes home top prize at Alsessor Demo Day 2022
And the winner is . . . Congratulations to Shona D'Arcy, founder and CEO of Kids Speech Labs, who took home an investment prize of €250,000 at last week's Alsessor Demo Day, which saw 7 AI start-ups go head-to-head during a competitive pitch process.
Now in its second year, Alsessor is Ireland's only AI accelerator, and is co-delivered by Tangent in partnership with Altada Technology Solutions.
Kids Speech Labs has developed software named ‘SHARE’, a data sharing platform for Speech and Language Therapists to review a child’s development and triage them to the appropriate services. It aims to reduce long waiting lists and expedite the usually manual process; through SHARE, Kids Speech Labs predicts that 20% of families will get remote access to speech and language therapy, allowing quicker access to those in need.
Congratulations to Annie Madden, who won the Enterprise Ireland Student Entrepreneur of the Year awards at Tangent on Friday 10th June with her equine health solution FenuHealth.
Well done to all of the finalists, whose innovations included a device that helps prevent the loss of bee colonies, and technology that enables people with dementia to recognise acquaintances and navigate common routes outside of home.
Home to 75% of Europeans and responsible for more than 70% of global Co2 emissions, cities can lead the EU's pathway to a zero-carbon world. The Circular Cities ClimAccelerator aims to drive circularity in cities by addressing the most urgent urban challenges with innovations in circular construction, mobility, products and services.
Learn about the 30 companies selected for this year's programme at the link below.
Europe's pre-eminent health accelerator closes today! If you are a start-up with an idea that could shake up the European health landscape, submit your application today:
Interseed: reshaping the healthcare industry through digital transformation & innovation, and
Healthy & Active Ageing: designed to validate your longevity and healthy ageing innovation.
EIT Health bootcamps will provide you with the tools you need to scale your health innovation and break into new markets. Watch the recent EIT webinar here.
June saw Tangent launch an exciting pilot programme in partnership with youth and adult development charity Sail Training Ireland.
30 individuals were selected to partake in the pilot, which saw the cohort attend an intensive one day leadership skills workshop at Tangent before embarking on an 8 day voyage to Wales aboard the tall ship Pelican of London.
The initiative was especially designed for individuals who have experienced barriers to entry around education in the past, with participants gaining access to further study via Trinity’s Access Programme following completion of the pilot.
The Women of Tangent: highlighting accomplishments and celebrating bright futures!
Margaret is Tangent's newly appointed EIT KIC Programme Manager. She joins to support and encourage PIs engagement with KICs including Health, Raw Materials, and Climate. She will act as the first point of contact for academics, researchers, entrepreneurs, and is responsible for all engagement and application processes for EIT KICs throughout the university.
Margaret has over 12 years' experience in EU collaborative research funding mechanisms, having been involved in FP7, Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe projects, as EU Project Manager.
A big fan of the great outdoors, Margaret can usually be found on the beaches of Wexford on weekends.
Alumni News:
Congratulations to LaunchBox alums Bounce Insights, who have recently partnered with Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard to power their agile consumer research to help inform their decision making.
For a company like Irish Distillers where keeping the customer at the centre of their decision making is paramount, the Bounce Insights platform allows for them to obtain agile, robust results within 24 hours whilst keeping the consumer front and centre.
Minister Joe O'Brien & National Philanthropy Advisory Group Meet at Tangent
Tangent welcomed Joe O'Brien, Minister of State for Community Development and Charities, for the second National Philanthropy Advisory Group meeting on Friday 17th June.
The purpose of the advisory group, chaired by Minister O'Brien, is to provide expert input and collaboration to the Minister and department in the development of a proposed national philanthropy policy.
Tangent, Trinity's Ideas Workspace, First Floor, Trinity Business School, Pearse St, Dublin, Dublin D02 H308, Ireland
