18 April, 2024

The final of the annual Next Big Change (NBC) Competition, hosted by MTU's Hincks Centre for Entrepreneurship Excellence and funded by MTU's Innovation and Enterprise Office, took place in the Council Room in MTU's Bishopstown Campus today.

The NBC Competition is focused on finding solutions to the world's greatest environmental and sustainability issues and is underpinned by the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a blueprint for achieving a more just, equitable, and sustainable world by 2030. These goals address a wide range of challenges, from poverty and inequality to climate change and environmental degradation, and were addressed by projects and ideas that students entered into the competition.

This year, we had 53 entries from 131 students from 1st, 2nd, 4th and Masters level, studying a range of disciplines and modules. It was great to see such interest and diversity of ideas from individuals and from teams of students that took part. Students studying entrepreneurial mindset, business and marketing, technology entrepreneurship, business viability, smart product engineering and electronic engineering all entered for a chance to win the idea with the “Greatest Community Impact” and the “Best Overall Idea” with runner up prizes in each category. 20 student projects were shortlisted to receive prizes.

We had two rounds of anonymous judging. First, a shortlist was created and then five judges selected their top ideas in each category.

When judging, the judges firstly looked at whether the idea was well-defined and easy to understand, with a positive impact on the community effected and alignment with the SDGs.

The judges examined the strength of the positive impact, and asked questions such as - did the idea address a significant need within the community?; how many people would benefit, and in what way?; would it create lasting positive change?

Alignment with the SDGs was also important, for example, did the idea clearly connect to one or more specific SDGs?; how did it contribute to achieving those goals on a local level?; and looking at how the idea could grow, be implemented on a larger scale or replicated in other communities?

Finally, we looked at innovation and creativity and whether the idea presented a fresh perspective or approach to tackling the particular problem and if the idea would potentially be long lasting. All culminating in choosing the ideas that had the greatest potential to create a positive change in our community while aligning with the global goals for a sustainable future.

Below are the runners-up and winners in each category:

Greatest Community IMpact

• Runner-up for the category Greatest Community Impact and winner of the 1st €100 voucher is 'Smart Urban Planning' - Transforming Cork City or any City area in Ireland into a vibrant and accessible public space, submitted by Maxim Grincevschi.
• Runner-up for the category Greatest Community Impact and winner of the 2nd €100 voucher is 'EcoEats' - an innovative, practical and easy to use app that combines technology and sustainability to help you on your journey to a waste free life, submitted by Yasemin Yikilmaz.
• Winner of the category Greatest Community Impact and winner of the €200 voucher is 'Supportive Steps' – a mobile application and browser platform designed to address the critical issue of youth drug addiction, submitted by Matthew Clancy, Conor Sheehan, Conor Aherne and Endurance Billy.

Best Overall Idea

• Runner-up for Best Overall Idea and winner of the 1st €100 voucher is 'Combining Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbines and Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines into a single integrated system' - submitted by Thomas O'Flynn.
• Runner-up for Best Overall Idea and winner of the 2nd €100 voucher is 'MediCard Éire' - submitted by Joel Magan Subbarao.
• Runner-up for Best Overall Idea and winner of 3rd €100 voucher is 'Campus Connect' - a comprehensive mobile application designed specifically for college students, particularly freshmen, to navigate their campus effectively, submitted by Lukmo Endurance Billy.
• Winner of the category Best Overall Idea and winner of the €300 voucher is 'Affordable IoT Smart farming system for developing countries', submitted by Brian O'Neill

Congratulations and well done to all who entered the competition.

Please feel free to reach out to us on HincksCentre@mtu.ie for support, advice or guidance on any of your projects or ideas.

Rebecca Robinson

NBC Co-Ordinator & Hincks Centre Researcher