Irish-founded fintech Stripe is set to become the new principal sponsor of the Irish Maths Trust for a three-year period.
The Irish Maths Trust is the organisation behind the Irish Maths Olympiad, the national mathematics competition for secondary school students. The funding commitment will enable the continuation of the competition, the company said.
The sponsorship will also allow the trust to set up new junior maths enrichment centres across seven Irish universities, including South East Technological University in Waterford, Munster Technological University in Tralee, and the University of Galway.
“The new JME centres will change Ireland’s mathematical landscape for years to come,” said Dr Neil Dobbs, a maths lecturer at University College Dublin and chair of the trust.
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“We’re thrilled that, with Stripe’s support, we’ll be able to share the joy of challenging mathematics with the next generation all across the country,” he said.
The national olympiad allows teams to qualify to represent the country at the International Maths Olympiad. The sponsorship will help fund squad training camps scheduled next year for the team set to attend the international event.
“Together with the training camps, we’ll see improved performance at international Maths Olympiads and more students achieving great things in STEM,” Mr Dobbs said.
Ireland’s team in the 2025 International Maths Olympiad achieved Ireland’s best-ever performance, jumping 25 places up the international ranking and taking home three medals at the competition for the first time.
Eileen O’Mara, the chief revenue officer of Stripe, said the Trust “has quietly nurtured extraordinary talent for years, and Ireland’s recent success in global competition demonstrates what’s possible with proper support.”
“We’re proud to ensure this vital programme can continue and expand its reach to every corner of Ireland,” she said, noting that “students who excel at maths often go on to have very successful careers in science and technology.”
Stripe also sponsors the Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, the youth accelerator Patch, and the University of Limerick’s Immersive Software Engineering course.
