DCU announces annual Mallin/DCU award of €60,000 for business start-ups

DCU has launched a business start-up fund worth €60,000 per annum. The awarding of the fund will be based on a competition open to students and graduates of the university.

The idea for the fund came from Liavan Mallin, a computer applications graduate who has started a number of successful companies including Celtic Hampers and US-based onemade.com. The purpose of the Mallin/DCU award is to encourage final year students, postgraduates and graduates of DCU to set up a new business and to give them the support they need in the early stages of start-up and Mallin is donating €10,000 cash per annum to the fund.

In addition to the €10,000 cash, the winner will receive professional services covering audit, legal, taxation, strategic marketing, project management, design and presentation skills from a number of leading Irish firms including KPMG, A&L Goodbody, Drury Communications, ETP, Quaestus, Baseline and David Clancy and associates. Part of the prize also includes space and full office services in the DCU innovation centre, Invent and computers from Dell as well as free membership of the Small Firms Association and North Dublin Chamber of Commerce.

Liavan Mallin is a serial entrepreneur who established several companies, one of which, Celtic Hampers, became the largest mail order company in Ireland with over 8,500 agents nationwide. She is also the founder of onemade.com, a leading website for arts, crafts and related hobbies and is involved in a number of other ventures.

"I know from my own experience that the first year is the most critical in the setting up of a company. This start-up award will help the new entrepreneur to face the hurdles and challenges of their first year of operations, and provide them with that much needed professional and practical support", she said.

At the launch, DCU's President, Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski stressed the link between the university and innovation. "DCU works closely with business and industry to give students practical work experience and a number of our degrees specifically include enterprise on their programmes. Through this award, DCU intends to put opportunities before our graduates so that their chance of entrepreneurial success is increased. I am particularly pleased that a graduate of the university is the key player in this initiative, as it demonstrates in a very practical way how graduates can help each other not only with financial sponsorship, but with support that comes only from having chartered entrepreneurial waters themselves."

Entrants have until the end of July to submit their proposals and the judging - by an independent panel - will take place in August. Full details and criteria are on www.dcu.ie/enterprise/startupaward.shtml

ENDS

For further details:

Pauline Logan, Enterprise Officer| Tel: 7005185 , pauline.logan@dcu.ie
Eilis O'Brien, Tel:700 5217 or 087 2057125, eilis.obrien@dcu.ie
Eileen Colgan, Tel: 7005656 , eileen.colgan@dcu.ie