Tuesday, 20th March 2018: The Minister of State for Training, Skills and Innovation, John Halligan TD, today launched Tech Week 2018. Ireland’s national festival of technology aimed at students, parents and the public, Tech Week takes place all over Ireland this year from 22nd - 28th April.

Organised by the ICS Foundation, the social enterprise arm of the Irish Computer Society, and supported by Science Foundation Ireland’s Discover Programme, this exciting week of events will see more than 100,000 students take part in a range of fun activities, including the finals of several national Tech Week events. School students will be challenged on their computational thinking skills at the National Bebras final in NUIM on Saturday, 21st April, and coding projects will be showcased by school children in the Scratch Programming Final in UL on Wednesday 25th April.

Speaking at the launch of Tech Week 2018, Minister Halligan said: “The Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation is delighted to support Tech Week through Science Foundation Ireland’s Discover Programme. All young people love science and finding out how things work. Tech Week is aimed at stimulating children’s natural curiosity and encouraging them to explore, discover and develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. It provides hands-on opportunities for young people to learn about how computing and related technologies are shaping every area of life. With the European Commission estimating that 90pc of tomorrow's jobs will require digital skills; we need to ensure that Ireland is at the forefront of this transformation. We must be a leader in developing and nurturing STEM talent.”

Margie McCarthy, Interim Director of Innovation and Education at Science Foundation Ireland, said: “Science Foundation are delighted to support Tech Week once again. The events held nationwide throughout the week are aimed at inspiring our future STEM leaders, and giving Ireland’s young people an opportunity to explore technology and coding in a fun environment.  Tech Week will empower people taking part to become actively involved in STEM. For this reason, we are proud to fund the initiative through the SFI Discover Programme, and look forward to another week of interactive and stimulating events.”