More than 50,000 people are expected to descend on the RDS this weekend for the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition.
The exhibition this year received the largest number of entries in the competition’s history, with 2,091 ideas and innovations submitted by more than 4,591 students.
A new feature for 2017 will see previous participants compete for the chance to exhibit their commercial ventures. The goal of the competition is to shine a light on the successful commercial enterprises born at the exhibition since its beginnings in 1965, including companies like FenuHealth, Restored Hearing, betterexaminations.ie and The Duffily Bag.
Shay Walsh, managing director of BT Ireland, said the Alumni Showcase is a brilliant opportunity to highlight the commercial success stories born at the exhibition.
“It’s the perfect way for 2017 entrants to glimpse the potential of their own simple ideas and the business opportunities that lie beyond the exhibition, and with a potential footfall of 50,000 people, it’s also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the successful companies to line up alongside some of the country’s best known organisations and raise the visibility of their ventures.”
Past winners of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition have gone on to become some of Time Magazine's most influential teens, establish billion dollar software companies and achieve international success at the EU Contest for Young Scientists.