A fourth-year student from Mercy Secondary School Mounthawk has won an award at the 2025 BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp.
Orla Buttimer was named as part of the ‘Best Group' at the event.
30 students from 17 schools in 12 counties across the island of Ireland, who had competed in the young scientist competition, were selected to participate in the four-day bootcamp.
Students attended workshops on business development, marketing, commercialisation and innovation skills.
Ms Buttimer's winning group pitched their project, 'TactAI': an underwater robot to replace human divers in hazardous conditions, minimizing the risk of injury and fatalities.
As well as Orla Buttimer, the winning team included Conor O’Neill, a fifth-year student at The Institute of Education, Dublin; Dana Carney, a third-year student at Mount Saint Michael, Mayo; and Toomas Donohoe, a fourth-year student at Athlone Community College, Westmeath.
This year’s bootcamp was the last organized by BT Ireland, following their announcement to step down as organizer and sponsor of the BTYSTE.
Judges for this year's bootcamp included Shay Walsh, managing director of BT Ireland; Dr. Tony Scott, co-founder of the BTYSTE; Anne-Marie Turley, head of fintech, finance and cybersecurity at Enterprise Ireland; and Brian O’Donovan, work and technology correspondent at RTÉ.
The managing director of BT Ireland, Shay Walsh expressed pride in the bootcamp's success over the past 16 years, emphasizing its role in driving STEM innovation. He thanked all those involved and highlighted the importance of the bootcamp in shaping future careers in STEM.
UCD Professor of Organic Chemistry and Chair of the Young Scientist Charitable Trust, Pat Guiry noted that while the bootcamp's conclusion marked a bittersweet moment, BT’s legacy in promoting STEM innovation would endure.
Several past participants of the BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp, including Protex AI, betterexaminations.ie, and Evervault, have gone on to become successful entrepreneurs.
