INNOVATION

Weekend Takeaway: Towards a sustainable Earth


8 Feb 2019

Picture of the planet Earth in the shape of a drop of water nestled on a green leaf.

Image: © Prod. Numérik/Stock.adobe.com

Essential weekend sci-tech reading, including how a Cork-born company has created cow-less milk and how UL researchers may defeat the scourge of plastic waste.

Such a Perfect Day as Cork-born start-up raises $34.7m

Picture of DNA sequencing model on a page of data.

Image: © Leigh Prather/Stock.adobe.com

Perfect Day was in the first batch of start-ups to emerge from the SOSV RebelBio accelerator in Cork.

Collison brothers’ Stripe pushes into new global markets

Stripe workers in a nicely lit working environment overlooking Silicon Docks.

Inside the Stripe Dublin offices. Image: Stripe

Stripe’s Dublin engineering team is a core part of the payment platform’s global spearhead.

UL breakthrough turns scourge of plastic waste into useful raw materials

Middle-aged male researcher in white lab coat and purple gloves holds up a plastic bottle in one hand and in the other a composite raw material that can be used to make car and tractor parts.

Dr Walter Stanley, UL. Image: IComp

Innovative UL project could help end the scourge of plastic pollution and turn waste into profit.

SFI reveals 38 researchers to receive crucial €4.5m commercialisation funding

Young smiling woman in a black top smiling in front of lab equipment.

Dr Creina Slator of DCU is one of the SFI TIDA recipients. Image: SFI

As part of its TIDA programme, SFI has revealed that 38 research positions will be supported under its new €4.5m funding.

Kinzen’s Áine Kerr: ‘People are fed up of the endless scroll’

Áine Kerr in black and white, smiling, wearing a tweed suit jacket and shirt with her arms folded.

Image: Áine Kerr

Journalism luminary Áine Kerr wants to build trust in media by creating a news community from the ground up.

Decawave’s 4z chip breakthrough could be the next big thing in security

Closeup of a man in blue jacket unlocking door system of his car with a smartphone.

Image: © goodluz/Stock.adobe.com

Irish chipmaker has its eyes on the future of consumer commerce in a world of connected devices, from cars to clothes.

Why has Airbnb hired a global head of transportation?

Mini toy house surrounded by paper cutouts of people beside a blue toy aeroplane on a model green field.

Image: © BlueBeans/Stock.adobe.com

Why has Airbnb hired Fred Reid? Hint: it’s all about the travel experience and tapping into a vast global community.

Inclusive new emojis offer representation for people with disabilities

Two emojis depicting a man and a woman sitting on motorised wheelchairs, with a magenta background.

Still from ‘First Look: All 230 New Emojis for 2019’. Image: Emojipedia/YouTube

The Unicode Consortium has unveiled a new generation of emojis coming out this year, including images of people with disabilities.

10 tech influencers in Paris you should follow

A scenic view of Paris. The River Seine runs from the foreground to the background. The Eiffel Tower is in the top left.

Image: © sborisov/Stock.adobe.com

This month, we’re taking a closer look at what Paris has to offer the world of tech, including some of its biggest influencers.

Tech salaries in Ireland set to rise 10pc in 2019

Panorama of Silicon Docks skyline in Dublin with a blue sky reflecting on water.

Silicon Docks, Dublin. Image: © Joe Houghton/Stock.adobe.com

Exponential growth of tech sector and digital transformation of traditional industries fuel demand for workers.