Ken Finnegan 🇮🇪

Charting a Smarter Future: Limerick’s Digital Revolution Limerick City and County Council is pioneering a digital revolution, shaping a smarter, more connected future for its citizens. Our transformative journey, detailed in a recent eolas Magazine article, showcases our commitment to innovation and connectivity. A decade of strategic digital solutions has positioned us as leaders in digital transformation, driving economic resilience and forward-thinking governance. We’ve embraced a tech-forward mindset, integrating cutting-edge digital tools to enhance customer service and operational efficiency. As we navigate the post-Covid era, our ambition soars with projects aligning with the EU’s Digital Decade plan and Ireland’s Harnessing Digital framework. Our vision is clear: transition from being data-aware to data-driven, embedding data at the core of our decision-making. The future is bright in Limerick. Together, we’re not just dreaming of a smarter Limerick—we’re building it. Have a read - https://lnkd.in/e9jn-8nY #LimerickDigital #SmartCity #Innovation #DataDriven #FutureReady

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Congratulations to Assiduous which today announced that it has been selected by EIT Digital to join the Open Innovation Factory 2024. With the financial commitment from EIT Digital together with an investment from Enterprise Ireland through the Pre-Seed Start Fund the company has secured a €500k funding package to commercialise its AI native advisory engine over the coming 6 months. Assiduous, headquartered at NovaUCD and founded by experienced investment bankers Fergal Meegan and Barry Murphy, CFA, is commercialising the corporate finance autopilot, its software-as-a-service solution, to prepare small and medium sized companies for strategic, financing and liquidity transactions. The company is embedding the latest AI methodologies in its proprietary workflows and is presently working with a small number of pilot customers to perfect its solution. Fergal Meegan, CEO, Assiduous, said, “We are honoured to be selected to join the EIT Digital start-up portfolio capable of addressing Europe’s strategic challenges. The Open Innovation Factory 2024 falls at a perfect moment for Assiduous as we work towards a public launch of our solution. We would also like to thank Enterprise Ireland for its funding support through the PSSF. In addition, we would like to acknowledge the NovaUCD community, the Enterprise Ireland's New Frontiers programme, the Local Enterprise Office DLR, and NDRC for enabling and supporting us to avail of this European opportunity so soon in our life cycle.” Denes Csiszarár, Interim Head of Acceleration and Growth at EIT Digital, said, “We welcome Assiduous to the EIT Digital family. At EIT Digital, we recognise the value that innovative companies like Assiduous are bringing to digitalising finance. We look forward to supporting Assiduous commercialise their platform for the benefit of European small and medium sized enterprises seeking to access capital markets.” TechIreland IADT Media Cube

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The end of the Accelerator Era Ireland’s state-backed tech accelerator, the National Digital Research Centre (NDRC), has announced it will shut down in November 2025. Founded in 2006, the NDRC explained that the government has “concluded that the enterprise ecosystem has evolved significantly” and, as a result, will not extend the accelerator’s contract beyond next year. Until then, operations will continue as usual. This development signals a broader shift in the startup ecosystem. By 2025, I believe the traditional accelerator model will be largely outdated. A similar trend is likely in Italy, where, within the next two years, many of the 20+ accelerators launched under CDP Cassa Depositi e Prestiti's Rete Nazionale Acceleratori program will (quietly) close their doors (disclaimer: this is just my opinion). Why? - Accelerators (except a few ones) have proven to be often economically unsustainable, with limited funding and a reliance on corporate sponsors who may no longer see sufficient value in supporting them. - The startup ecosystems have evolved, favoring more targeted, flexible, and scalable models over the traditional accelerator approach (and with a larger need to focus on later stage funding rather than seed). The question is no longer whether this shift will happen, but how quickly the industry will adapt to a post-accelerator world. #startups #openinnovation #accelerators Mind the Bridge Isidro Laso Conor McGinn Phillip Mckenna Ernesto Ciorra Salvo Mizzi Gianluca Dettori

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A good summary of the Government's Climate Action Plan 2024. Some ambitious targets for sure. Exciting to see the focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and emissions reduction. Technology will be a key enabler in achieving these goals. #ClimateAction #Sustainability #RenewableEnergy #EnergyEfficiency #Ireland

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Check out Technological University Dublin new PG Cert in Sustainable Leadership for Screen Production.🎬 Learn to embed sustainability in your projects with real-world examples and international best practices. Read about the course in more detail here: https://lnkd.in/dycHzFke #SustainableLeadership

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Last month, we launched an ambitious national initiative in collaboration with Microsoft and The Analytics Institute, addressing the growing demand for data literacy across industries. As featured in Silicon Republic, DataSMART is designed to empower professionals with the tools and knowledge to thrive in a data-driven world. 📖Check out the full article below 🔗or visit https://lnkd.in/eWp3iyTf #EUinmyregion #DataSMART #DataLiteracy #Upskilling #FutureOfWork

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2024 Irish Aid SDG Challenge Applications are now open for the 2024 Irish Aid SDG Challenge. The SDG Challenge seeks to support diverse, transdisciplinary teams to develop transformative, sustainable solutions that will contribute to addressing development challenges under the UN SDGs in countries where Irish Aid works. Solutions must demonstrate context-specific expected impact in one of Irish Aid’s partner countries but applicants are also encouraged to consider broader opportunities where solutions may have wider impact and may foster learning for regional and sub-regional use. https://lnkd.in/dnr4kHn9

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How to develop green 💚 software in companies? what is green software? Thanks to all the people who collaborate to this project to the first release of the Sustainability Toolkit for green software development especially to Samarth Santosh. At the School of Business Maynooth University and IRESI we want to make the difference promoting sustainable practices. Access to our microcredentials: https://lnkd.in/gTWPT7Wg

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One of the key takeaways from KPMG’s 𝑮𝒍𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒍 𝑻𝒆𝒄𝒉 𝑹𝒆𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 - 𝑩𝒆𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑯𝒚𝒑𝒆 is the challenge of keeping pace with technological change while still prioritizing business-critical initiatives. At our recent launch event, we delved into insights from 2,450 tech professionals across 26 countries and 9 industries—including 70 tech executives from leading Irish organisations. The research provides a clear picture of current strategies, priorities, and the key challenges companies are facing in this dynamic landscape. Check out the highlights from our event ⬇️ Read the report here https://lnkd.in/eWHeXqGu

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RTE vote counter feature shows proportional representation very nicely using data visualisation. It shows how Willie O'Dea's surplus distributes after Mr O'Dea is returned on the 5/6th count in Limerick City. Never seen the distribution demonstrated or explained so clearly. In my opinion this is much fairer system than UK, US where members of congress & MPs can hold seats for 40 years effortlessly. Nice visualisation from RTE, well done. #Ireland #UK #US #RTE #Election #Democracy #Freedom #PropotionalRepresentation https://lnkd.in/eagyNFSB

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Navigating Sustainability: A Roadmap for Guaranteed Irish Members. Download your Guaranteed Irish Sustainability Roadmap to take charge of your sustainability journey. Whether you're just starting out or looking to enhance your sustainability efforts, this roadmap, designed in collaboration with KPMG Ireland is designed to empower your business with actionable strategies, insights, and support tailored to your needs. Download here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eMTvR2qH #AllTogetherBetter #Sustainability #Roadmap

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Government’s digital healthcare strategy, said the HSE’s Damien McCallion. The Health Service Executive (HSE) and HealthTech Ireland have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to examine existing and emerging tech solutions to improve patient outcomes and health service efficiency in Ireland. #hse #ie #eire #digital #healthcare #efficiencies https://lnkd.in/gAY9vm-P

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Looking to improve collaboration within your team? SharePoint, part of Microsoft 365, is designed to create collaborative workspaces for sharing resources and information efficiently. With 32% of Irish SMEs planning to increase staff numbers in 2024, streamlining workflows is a priority, and SharePoint can significantly enhance cooperation and productivity. Microsoft 365 for SMEs brings tools that allow for scalable growth and improved operational efficiency. SharePoint is exceptional at streamlining workflows, but there’s more to discover. Find out how to integrate the entire Microsoft 365 suite into your SME for maximum efficiency: https://lnkd.in/eQAtr6qb

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LERO, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software, unites leading software experts universities and tech institutions throughout Ireland, forming a co-ordinated centre of research excellence with a significant industry emphasis. #CPWO #EndViolenceAgainstWomen #EndOVAW #ProtectWomenOnline

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Enjoyed spending three days at the Irish Management Institute last week, guiding and empowering 60 graduates accross ESB and Mercury in honing their skills in stakeholder management, effective influencing, and delivering impactful results. 🚀💼 In a world where relationships drive success, mastering stakeholder engagement is paramount.💡 #OrganizationalImpact #StakeholderManagement #TalentDevelopment

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Today, we launch Auxilion's Cloud Insights Report 2024: Investments, Security, AI & Sustainability. At the beginning of 2024, we conducted a survey of IT leaders and decision makers across Ireland and the UK in partnership with HPE. In a rapidly evolving customer and technology landscape, fuelled by disruptive and powerful advancements in AI and machine learning, it’s vital that we continually measure the pulse of those most affected. To understand their challenges, strategic priorities, investment decisions and drivers. Our report responds to the research and provides insights and recommendations from our subject matter experts on all things cloud. This includes investment priorities, cost, cybersecurity, emerging technologies (including AI), governance, and sustainability. Featuring commentary and recommendations from Philip Maguire, Terence O'Donnell, Niamh Cray, Donal Sullivan, Marc Hansen, and Noel Brilly. We hope this report will provide insight, spark discussion, and support effective cloud adoption for our network. You can download your copy here: https://buff.ly/4bHzWCe #Cloud #AI #GreenTech #ITGovernance #Sustainability #Cybersecurity

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The next round of Enterprise Ireland course New Frontiers Northwest is starting soon. The module outline includes: Market Research, Defining the USP, target customers & acquisition, the competitive landscape, LEAN Canvas & Business Planning, Financials, applying for Phase 2. Programme Schedule - (newfrontiersnw.ie)

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IMR Chief Innovation Officer Andrew Lynch discussed the importance of Digital Transformation for SMEs in Ireland during our September Webinar on "Unlocking Your Digital Transformation Journey." Watch the full webinar here: https://bit.ly/4dyhDzT #DigitalTransformation #digitisation #IrishManufacturing #IMR #Digitalisation

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