Inspiring Young Innovators to Build Ethical, Sovereign AI for The Nation
University College Cork, 24 November 2025 – UCC Futures in Artificial Intelligence & Data Analytics and the Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics have officially launched a flagship programme: AI for Ireland Quest – a nationwide series of workshops, and a hackathon designed to mobilise Ireland’s next generation of AI talents.
A National Call to Innovate
AI for Ireland Quest invites second- and third-level students, independent learners, and AI enthusiasts to apply their skills to real-world public challenges. Participants will explore how foundational models, such as small- and large-language models (S/LLMs) and agentic AI (AI systems capable of acting autonomously and adapting to changing conditions), can empower citizens, businesses, and public services across sectors such as healthcare, digital government, climate action, local services, transport, or agriculture.
Mentor-led workshops will be held in December and early January, before the hackathon, to give participants practical guidance on AI design, dataset use, low-risk prototyping, responsible development, and alignment with Irish cultural values. Public-service organisations across Ireland are also contributing short challenge statements to help guide teams toward real, nation-focused problems.
“Ireland’s AI success will come from talent developed early and nurtured all the way to advanced research. Industry needs a workforce that can turn ideas into impact. AI for Ireland Quest sparks that journey – empowering student to step into that future with confidence, creativity, and a strong sense of national purpose” – Dr Chrys Ngwa, External Relations Exec, Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics
Harnessing creativity, education, and real-world impact
The best submissions will advance to the national hackathon on 31st January 2026, where finalists will compete for over €5,000 in cash prizes and more than €100,000 in cloud compute credits to help them further develop or commercialise their prototypes, supported by UCC School of Computer Science and Information Technology, Cadence Design Systems, and CloudCIX.
“We believe Ireland is at the dawn of an era when AI will be the basis for improvements in citizen and customer service. We are delighted to support the AI for Ireland Quest by making resources on the Boole Supercomputer available to the participants. We look forward to seeing the innovative solutions developed” – Jerry Sweeney, Founder and Managing Director of CloudCIX.
A growing number of organisations have now confirmed their support for the AI for Ireland Quest, including UCD, TCD, TUS, CRT-AI, and AlloComp.
By investing in talent today, Ireland will be well-positioned for the AI-powered future
Ireland is entering a new phase of AI development, and the country’s success will depend on ensuring AI is grounded in trust, transparency, cultural relevance, and national sovereignty.
The quest empowers students and emerging innovators to design AI tools that reflect Ireland’s identity, linguistic heritage, and public-service needs – while strengthening the national ecosystem of academic, industry, and public-sector collaboration.
Ready to join or get involved?
Whether you want to take part as a student, share a challenge as a public-service organisation, or support the initiative as an industry partner, we’d love to have you involved. For questions or enquiries for example on how to get involved, please contact Dr Chrys Ngwa, External Relations Executive, Insight@UCC (c.ngwa@ucc.ie).
