TactAI Announced as the Winner of the 16th BT Young Scientist Bootcamp at NovaUCD
- All participating students were prize winners in the 2025 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) and selected to take part at the four-day bootcamp in NovaUCD to develop key business and innovation skills
A team of four students, Conor O’Neill (17, Dublin), Orla Buttimer (16, Co. Kerry), Dana Carney (15, Co. Mayo) and Toomas Donohoe (17, Co. Westmeath), have been announced as the winning group of the 16th BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp, for their project entitled TactAI.
TactAI is a humanoid robot aimed at replacing human dependency and incorporating machine learning in specific situations. This hardwire sensored robot can significantly reduce the number of injuries and fatalities in place of underwater divers who can work in challenging and dangerous environments.
The BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp was developed by BT Ireland in collaboration with NovaUCD, to give BTYSTE finalists an opportunity after the exhibition to further develop their project ideas under the guidance of alumni, BT Ireland mentors and UCD content experts.
In addition to TactAI’s win, Ashlee Keogh, a sixth-year student at Tallaght Community School, Dublin, has been named ‘Best Individual’ at the 2025 BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp for her project MagClean.
Dr Tony Scott, co-founder, Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, Shay Walsh, Managing Director, BT Ireland, Ashlee Keogh and Professor Pat Guiry, UCD School of Chemistry and Chair of the Young Scientist Charitable Trust
The BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp has been an extremely successful initiative since it was first introduced by BT Ireland under its custodianship of the Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (YSTE).
Thirty students from seventeen schools in twelve counties across the island of Ireland were selected to participate at this year’s four-day bootcamp at NovaUCD.
Participants on the 2025 BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp at NovaUCD
During the Bootcamp, students attended workshops on business development, marketing and commercialisation, and had the opportunity to hear and learn from BTYSTE alumni who have launched successful enterprises. On the final day, the students pitched their project to expert panel of judges.
Find out more about the Bootcamp
Judges this year included Shay Walsh, Managing Director of BT Ireland, Dr Tony Scott, co-founder of the BTYSTE, Anne-Marie Turley, Head of Fintech, Finance & Cybersecurity at Enterprise Ireland, and Brian O’Donovan, Work and Technology Correspondent at RTÉ.
Following BT Ireland’s recent announcement that it is stepping down as organiser and sponsor of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE), this year’s Bootcamp is the last being delivered by the organisation.
Shay Walsh, Managing Director, BT Ireland, said, “We are very proud to have developed and hosted the BT Business Bootcamp for the past 16 years. It has been a significant part of our efforts to drive innovation in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) sectors. The Bootcamp provides BTYSTE finalists with further insight into pursuing a career in STEM. Business Bootcamp equips finalists at the exhibition with the skills and insights to encourage them to turn their projects into commercial enterprises."
We wish all these students the best in their future endeavours. With this being the final Bootcamp delivered by BT Ireland, we are hugely thankful to all those who have been involved, and to the Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition Board for allowing us to be such an integral part of exhibition for quarter of a century."
Professor Pat Guiry, Director of the Centre for Synthesis and Chemical Biology, UCD School of Chemistry and Chair of the Young Scientist Charitable Trust, added, “We are thrilled to host the 16th BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp at NovaUCD.
The Bootcamp which was developed by BT Ireland is just one of the initiatives that was developed during their custodianship of the Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (YSTE). While today is a joyful occasion, it is also bittersweet as we conclude YSTE’s journey with BT but the organisation’s legacy will endure.”
In the last sixteen years, the Bootcamp has provided almost 500 students with skills to turn their project ideas into commercial enterprises.
Since the BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp began, several participants have gone on to become successful entrepreneurs, including Protex AI, betterexaminations.ie, and Evervault.
ENDS
7 March 2025
For further information contact Micéal Whelan, Communications and Media Relations Manager, UCD Research and Innovation, e: miceal.whelan@ucd.ie or Amy Kennerk, Teneo e: btyste@teneo.com
The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition is designed to raise schools’ engagement in the critical subjects of science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM). The Exhibition calls upon students aged 12-19 years from all over the island of Ireland to showcase innovative science and technology projects. In 2022, the Exhibition reached almost 8 million visitors around the world through its virtual portal. The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition is supported by valued partners including the Department of Education, Analog Devices, Amgen, Stripe, and RTÉ. Learn more at www.btyoungscientist.com.