EirePreneur

€500,000 up for grabs by Irish social entrepreneurs

APPLICATIONS INVITED FOR €500,000 SOCIAL IMPACT PROGRAMME

Social Entrepreneurs Ireland is delighted to announce the launch of the 2011 Social Impact Programme. We are seeking applications from individuals who are developing new, big ideas to address the social and environmental challenges we face in Ireland today.

The 3 social entrepreneurs selected will each receive funding of €130,000 as well as targeted business and personal support to the value of €35,000 across key areas such as strategic planning, operations and financial sustainability to help them to develop and grow their idea to deliver even greater social impact in the community.

We are also delighted to announce that the selection process and Awards Ceremony will be supported and sponsored by DCC plc through a new three-year partnership agreement.

Full details of the application process, eligibility criteria and an overview of the Social Impact Programme can be found online here. The closing date for receipt of applications is Wednesday 16^th February 2011 at 3pm.

 

1st runner-up in the international Edublog Awards 'Best Educational use of a Virtual World'

We at Daynuv are delighted and honoured that MissionV - our collaboration with GiftedKids.ie - has been announced 1st runner up in the international Edublog Awards in the category 'Best Educational use of a Virtual World'.

And to top off an amazing day we were also informed by SocialMedia.net that their blog post (and video) featuring MissionV was the 6th most popular of 2010.

Christmas has come early at camp Daynuv :-)

Visual impairment is no impairment at Tipperary Institute

Kanchi founder Caroline Casey is visually impaired to the degree that she is legally blind. My first time meeting her was when she delivered one of the most inspiring talks I've ever heard a Social Entrepreneurs Ireland gathering in 2009. Through the Ability Awards and Caroline's growing network of over 100 Ability Businesses, Kanchi has changed the perception of disability.

As such I'm sure she'd be thrilled to know what educators at Tipperary Institute are doing. Bernie Goldbach writes --

"Oki Yusef is legally blind. But that hasn't stopped him from learning how to use an iPad in mainstream third level education at Tipperary Institute. I'm following his remarkable progress as he completes a major research paper on learning with the iPad. He's showing me things I wouldn't normally see and he likes some of my online favourites like Audioboo. Watching him in this applied research setting is one of the most uplifting experiences in my life."

Visit Bernie's blog to see video of Oki using the iPad and to hear audio of his first impressions.

Please vote for us in the Edublog Awards 2010

We (Daynuv) are honoured to have been shortlisted for the Edublog Awards 2010 under the category 'Best Educational use of a Virtual World 2010', for MissionV - our collaboration with GiftedKids.ie. And we'd really appreciate your vote if you can spare a few seconds. 

 

Audio interviews with Limerick entrepreneurs

I had to take a rain check on the last Limerick OpenCoffee Club of 2010 yesterday, unfortunately, because I was delivering a webinar on Virtual Worlds for Education on behalf of Daynuv. But I'm delighted to see that Kehlan Kirwan, editor of FocuSME Business Magazine, recorded a few interviews at the event with attending entrepreneurs. Embedded below is Kehlan's chat with David Quaid of Primary Position and you can hear the others on his Audioboo account.

Escapism - cycle anywhere in Ireland (while remaining in your home)

After attending the MiLKlabs (<--  brand new website) Arduino workshop last Tuesday, as outlined in the previous post, I was well intrigued by the hackable micro-controller and it's potential application in the control of virtual worlds (like the ones we build at Daynuv).

But it wasn't until I read Lette Moloney's update on 'Escapism' that my eyes were truly opened. Escapism is part of Lette's Final Year Project Thesis for her Masters of Science in Interactive Media at The University of Limerick. It's a stationary bike that hooks up to a computer, which is attached to a screen and allows you to pedal through anywhere in the world that Google Streetview is available. And of course Streetview for Ireland was recently launched, mapping an incredible 80,000km of the country with panoramic 360 degree imagery.

I love the fact that Lette's project was originally developed for Milford hospice who were interested in "enabling residents and visiting patients with a sense of escapism in the physiotherapy room, as the room itself has no ground level windows leaving the current palliative and elderly users feeling trapped in their environment as well as their illness." This kind of use chimes with the aims of Daynuv to build virtual worlds for physically and intellectually disabled users to allow them go places and experience things they might never have the opportunity to do in the 'real world'.

So let me say a big well done to Lette - Escapism is a wonderful achievement.

 

MiLKlabs kicks off with an Arduino workshop

Limerick's new creative space -- MiLKlabs -- kicked off proper last night with an Arduino workshop at University of Limerick (kindly hosted by Mikael Fernstrom in his lab). It was an informal introductory session with a broad overview from Trevor, a demonstration from Marty and a general discussion among the group about interesting project possibilities.

One reason I'm participating in MiLKlabs is to see what innovative ideas can emerge from a group of creative people, all coming from different backgrounds. Even last night it was evident how this can work in practice when there was a range of proposals for Arduino use which could well lead on to actual projects.

Four years on Twitter today... I suppose I should mark it

Pat Phelan of Maxroam (congratulations to them on their four TechCrunch Europe Awards nominations) tweeted today that he'll celebrate his 4th anniversary on Twitter next week, when I realized that today actually marks the start of my 5th year on the microblogging service.

I'm not sure why I feel that's worth noting but perhaps because Twitter no doubt sucked a lot of energy out of this very blog. For a number of years I used to feel a pang of guilt if I didn't make a daily entry to this journal but I finally gave in to the idea of microblogging for half-baked thoughts and 'Eirepreneur' for longer, more considered articles (not that I've written many of those either lately).

Anyway, I wish I had something profound to say about the small blue birdie that hasn't already been said but luckily for me Bernie Goldbach, with impeccable timing, has just penned his own, similar, thoughts on Four Years of Twitter.

I'll merely add that Twitter is my social network of choice, far and away more useful to me than Facebook or LinkedIn. I've lost count of the number of people I finally met in person having known them 'virtually' on Twitter for months or years prior to that. As I read somewhere recently 'Facebook for the people you know, Twitter for the people you'd like to know'.

Arthur Guinness fund re-opens for applications, adds Challenge Grant

The Arthur Guinness Fund has re-opened for applications from social entrepreneurs around Ireland, with up to €1 million available to social entrepreneurs who have projects that are innovative, impactful and sustainable. 

Established as part of the Guinness 250 celebrations, the Arthur Guinness Fund pays tribute to Arthur Guinness and his philanthropic legacy. Guinness & Co. is working with Social Entrepreneurs Ireland to implement the fund.

A new dimension has been added to the Arthur Guinness Fund this year in the form of a ‘Challenge Grant’, which invites applications from start-up projects with grants of up to €25,000 per annum for two years. Applications from social entrepreneurs who are at a more advanced stage (ideally two to five years in existence) can also apply, with grants of up to €50,000 per annum for two years. In addition, all successful applicants will benefit from access to the Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Alumni Network. 

Applicants are asked to register their project under one of six specific categories:  These are Technology and Social Media for Social Good, Skills for Life, Enriching the Environment, Social and Community Regeneration, Culture and Arts and Community Wellbeing.  A final open category is also available to projects that do not fit within any of the specific categories, but are still working towards sustainable social change in Ireland.

Be sure to spread the word to anyone you know who might have a great idea and is eligible to apply. You may like to consider adding this note to your website or emailing it to your client distribution list.
For more information and to apply to the fund, please visit http://www.guinness.com/en-ie/arthursday/apply2011.html

The closing date for applications is 10th November 2010.  If you have any questions email [email protected].

UL invites Irish High-Tech Professionals to share Opinion in Survey Study

An opinion survey for high-tech professionals in Ireland is being conducted by researchers of the University of Limerick. Sponsored by the Irish Social Science Platform (HEA and EU Development Funds) and UL. The survey is part of the project “Nomadic Work/Life in the Knowledge Economy”, and seeks to find ways to understand and improve the Knowledge Economy in Ireland.

The online survey is directed to professionals in computer, electronics, software, telecommunication, biopharma, media, top finance, management consulting, and other knowledge-based industries in Ireland and Irish professionals abroad. It registers their opinions and experiences in relation to work, lifestyle, technology, industry and society. 

The survey is anonymous and brief (10 minutes at most), and can be accessed at:

http://www.surveymk.com/s/irish-knowledge-economy-professionals

Survey will close on October 15, 2010.

Via Anthony D'Andrea

Any questions can be addressed to the survey coordinator Dr. Anthony D’Andrea:[email protected]