Roscommon innovators and entrepreneurs in the agriculture sector are invited to take part in Enterprise Ireland’s Innovation Arena Awards 2021, in partnership with the National Ploughing Association.
The annual competition, which attracted over sixty entries last year, will continue online for a second successive year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mayo-based Malone Farm Machinery took the top prize in last year’s competition while Roscommon’s HerdEye took home the ifac Best Newcomer Award in 2019.
The 12 award categories include best agri-technology start-up, young innovator of the year, farm safety and sustainable agriculture. The best start-up and overall winner of the Innovation Arena Awards will be eligible to win up to €5,000 each.
Méabh Conaghan, who was recently appointed as Enterprise Ireland’s Regional Director for the West, said: “Despite the many challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, the quality of the entries to last year’s virtual Innovation Arena Awards showed that innovative and entrepreneurial activity is unabated in towns and villages all over Ireland.
“I look forward to collaborating with stakeholders to continue developing enterprise in the west while helping SMEs in Galway, Mayo and Roscommon on their journey to export”.
Méabh is encouraging Roscommon innovators in the following industry sectors to enter the Innovation Arena Awards: Dairy and dry-stock farming, horticulture, information and communication technology, cloud and mobile based software, animal health and genetics, water and waste management, environment and cleantech, animal and farm management, farm safety and leading research.
The closing date for entries is Wednesday, June 30th. Visit www.innovationarena.ie for more details.
