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DCU Students are Runners-up in National Accenture Awards
3rd May
Dublin City University students Claire Shanahan and James Burke have been announced as runners-up at this year's Accenture Leaders of Tomorrow Award for their 'Drivefeed' business idea. The Masters duo's idea for a road safety system which facilitates peer-sharing amongst drivers and other road users was one of only six which made it to the final round of the nationwide competition.
Drivefeed utilises the current Irish mobile communications infrastructure and GPS technology to provide road users with real-time information relevant to their location and journey. The aim of Drivefeed is to make drivers more aware of their environment, prepare them for what's ahead and ultimately reduce the number of road collisions on Irish roads. Drivefeed operates through a website and a downloadable smartphone app for motorists and also through the provision of integrated high-vis products for all other road users.
The overall winner was UCC student Padraig Horan for his '/TAPP'®/ business concept - a software application which will allow commuters to pay tolling and public transport charges via a single platform on their mobile handset. Adrian O'Flaherty from Cork Institute Technology received the other runner-up award: 'Best Demonstration of Strategic Thinking' for his miMag project -- a digital magazine digital magazine which combines articles of interest and relevance to the reader.
The 2011 judging panel featured some of Ireland's leading business figures from across various industries and sectors: Bruce Robinson, former Head of NI Civil Service; Josephine Feehily, Chairman Revenue; Mary Lou Nolan, General Manager, Cisco Ireland; along with Mark Ryan, Country Managing Director and Marian Corcoran, Client Director, of Accenture Ireland.
Mark Ryan, CMD Accenture Ireland said, "We started this award scheme four years ago to find those young individuals with the talent to make it to the top. While that objective remains unchanged, the Leaders of Tomorrow award has matured to such an extent that we are now also seeking out the individuals with the most innovative and commercially viable business concepts.
"In the last 12 months we have heard so much about the emigration of Ireland's best and brightest graduates but many companies, like Accenture, are making a concerted effort to provide opportunities for our young people in order to stem the brain drain, particularly via internship and graduate recruitment programmes. It is not surprising that we received an overwhelming response from Ireland's third level institutions and interest in our Leaders of Tomorrow programme is growing year on year as it gives graduates real hands-on experience in developing the tools and skills necessary for a career in business and technology.
"Speaking on behalf of the judging panel, who gave generously of their time to the students, we were all inspired by the high calibre of entrants and reassured to know our future is in safe hands. My heartfelt congratulations goes to Claire and James on their outstanding project submission and I wish to acknowledge the winner, other finalists and competition entrants who are all destined for great success; they are a credit to themselves, their colleges, families and Ireland," said Ryan.
The Accenture 'Leaders of Tomorrow' Award, which is open to all third-level final year and post graduate students from across the island of Ireland, seeks out innovative and entrepreneurial young talent in order to foster Ireland's next generation of leaders who will ultimately shape the public, private and social landscape of this country in coming years.
There were several hundred applications to this year's awards, representing all the main universities in Ireland. Many innovative business ideas were submitted in areas such as technology, green business and publishing and the five finalists comprising both individuals and groups from CIT, DCU, UCC, UCD and Queen's University were required to present their projects to the adjudication panel. For further information please visit: www.accenture.com/lot