Three students sit outside a university with signs that say 'Seeds for the Future'. Behind them are a TU Dublin lecturer and Huawei Ireland's CEO.
Dr Susan McKeever, senior lecturer in TU Dublin’s School of Computer Science, and Tony Yangxu, CEO of Huawei Ireland, with TU Dublin students Ralph Olowojaiye, Lovely Fernandez and Sean Mc Gregor. Image: Tony Gavin

Huawei sows seeds for future Irish STEM talent with scholarship scheme

15 Dec 2021

50 students from universities and colleges around Ireland have been awarded €5,000 each.

Huawei Ireland has awarded a total of €250,000 in academic scholarships to 50 Irish STEM students as part of its Seeds for the Future programme.

Although this is the seventh year of the programme, 2021 marks the first time the company has provided a scholarship fund.

Students from around Ireland have been awarded €5,000 each to go towards their STEM studies. This includes students based at TU Dublin, University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin City University, University College Cork, University of Limerick, NUI Galway, Maynooth University and Griffith College.

“The standard of application for this year’s programme was outstanding and representative of the high-quality ICT professionals Ireland’s universities help produce,” said Tony Yangxu, CEO of Huawei Ireland.

“Huawei is delighted to award Irish STEM students with a €5,000 scholarship to help them continue to develop their skills and knowledge. We are committed to investing in Ireland’s ICT future, including its future talent.”

Huawei Ireland opened applications for the 2021 Seeds for the Future scholarship programme in September, and said applications from Irish STEM students were up a record 333pc.

The successful students were selected based on their performance during an initiative that took place online in October. More than one-third of participants this year were women, which is the highest to date.

Seeds for the Future is a global effort by Huawei to bridge the skills gap in ICT by supporting high-achieving STEM students.

The company also introduced its Tech4Good scheme to Irish third-level students this year, which focuses on challenging participants to examine how technology can be used to for the good of society.

Commenting on the awards to Irish students, Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation Robert Troy, TD, said it was “very welcome that industry leaders, such as Huawei, are supporting and complementing Government initiatives” to build critical ICT skills in today’s students.

“The ICT industry is one of the most important sectors to Ireland’s economy and today’s awards are a clear example of the talent and potential in Ireland,” Troy said, adding that “the future of Ireland’s ICT industry looks very bright.”

Updated, 12.40pm, 15 December 2021: This article has been amended to clarify that this is the first year Huawei Ireland provided a scholarship fund as part of its Seeds for the Future programme.

Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

Blathnaid O’Dea
By Blathnaid O’Dea

Blathnaid O’Dea worked as a Careers reporter until 2024, coming from a background in the Humanities. She likes people, pranking, pictures of puffins – and apparently alliteration.

Loading now, one moment please! Loading