Engineers Ireland adds tech category to annual Excellence Awards

23 Jul 2012

John Power, director general of Engineers Ireland, speaks at last year's awards ceremony

The Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards has embraced a new category this year, the Technology of the Year Award, and entries are wanted from all engineering disciplines so the Irish public may vote online for Engineering Project of the Year.

“A huge number of Irish graduate engineers are working in the technology space – in the gaming, renewable energy, med-tech and clean-tech industries, for example,” said John Power, director general of Engineers Ireland.

“The Technology of the Year Award is designed specifically with those in mind to honour the pioneering work that is being done in Ireland but that often benefits the world.”

The Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards, in association with ESB, is now in its third year.

The Engineering Project of the Year award, sponsored by the NRA, is intended to highlight the particular influence or benefit a specific engineering project has had on society. Once entries are short-listed by Engineers Ireland, an online public vote, which will be run in conjunction with The Irish Times, Siliconrepublic.com and The Engineers Journal, will decide the winner of this category.

Purpose of the Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards

Power said the Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards showcase the value, both economically and socially, that engineers create for Ireland.  

“We are pleased to announce the 2012 awards are now open for entry. The competition’s goal is to reflect the scale and diversity of the great work that’s being done day in and day out by professional engineers the length and breadth of Ireland.

In this context, Power welcomed the Government’s €2.25bn infrastructure stimulus package announced last week.

“Capital investment is critical if the Government is to stimulate growth,” said Power. “There is a clear danger of vital skills being lost to the Irish economy in the absence of major infrastructural projects so this programme is good news. Investment in infrastructure always offers a long-term return and engineers have a key role to play in this respect.”
 
The Engineering Project of the Year winner will be announced at a ceremony on 9 November once members of the public have voted online for what they consider to be the project that has most benefited Irish society. Cork County Council for the Mizen Head Footbridge is last year’s winner.
 
In addition to the Engineering Project of the Year competition and the Technology of the Year Award, the Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards will also include awards for Chartered Engineer of the Year, Engineering Education Award, Environmental Infrastructure Award, Best Paper or Presentation of the Year and the Volunteer or Volunteer Group of the Year award.
 
For more details on the awards and details on how to enter, visit the Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards website.

Siliconrepublic.com is proud to be a media partner of the Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards

Tina Costanza was a journalist and sub-editor at Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com