March 3rd, 2015 – ABP Food Group has partnered with Intel and DCU to host Ireland’s first ever Beef Hackathon. The event will take place from Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd March at the DCU Innovation Campus and will embrace the Internet of Things (IOT) with a view to further enhancing the quality and reputation of Irish beef. Graduates from all disciplines are welcome with particular emphasis on agriculture, food technology, innovation and design, engineering and software development.
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Paul Finnerty, CEO ABP Food Group said: “With more markets opening up for Irish beef around the world, this is an important and exciting time for the beef industry in Ireland. The emergence of the Internet of Things has the potential to impact positively on how we work and operate as a business and an industry. Through this beef Hackathon we want to explore the connection between the Internet of Things and key themes within our industry including nutrition, grass-fed beef, tenderness and consistency as well as processes and farm efficiency. We are looking for opportunities that could further improve the quality of beef in a sustainable way.”
Speaking at the launch of the event, Philip Moynagh, VP of the Internet of Things Group at Intel added, ‘’Hackathons are fast emerging as an optimal way to bring together makers, entrepreneurs, designers, engineers, creators, innovators and developers from across the country to join together for intense sessions dedicated to developing ideas and solving problems’’.
Mr Moynagh continued, “It is not Internet of PowerPoint or Internet of Opinion. It’s Internet of Things and there’s no better demonstration of the transformation that is the Internet of Things than a Hackathon. Watching a bunch of smart people starting with real-world-problems, adding two days of collaborative making, and producing real functioning prototypes is just fantastic. Of course, it’s all the more exciting for us when these smart ideas are based on Intel’s very own Quark driven Galileo’s”.
Commenting on the Hackathon Brian MacCraith, President of DCU said, “Following on from our two very successful Hackathon events last year, I am delighted that we are building on our strong relationship with Intel in the area of the ‘internet of things’ (IOT), as well as developing a new relationship with ABP Foods focused on exploiting the innovation opportunities that exist in the smart food and agri sectors. As Ireland’s university of enterprise, DCU is committed to working closely with all stakeholders to make Ireland a recognised hub for IOT and connected hardware innovation. This beef Hackathon in DCU Innovation Campus is a key component in our engagement strategy with key industry partners in this regard.”
Participants in the Hackathon have the opportunity to win a 1st Place Prize of €10,000, 2nd Place Prize of €5,000, or 3rd Place Prize of €2,500 all sponsored by ABP Food Group. The additional Intel Galileo Award Prize of €5,000 goes to the best maker solution using an Intel Galileo board in the prototype, and is sponsored by Intel Quark Solutions Group.
Click here to register or to find out more.
Further Information
Admission
Participants must be 18 years or over to attend. Proof of date of birth or permission to attend may be requested. The Organisers reserve the right to refuse entry, or remove and disqualify a participant from the Event at their sole discretion at any time for any reason. The Organisers reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Event at any time for any reason. To take part in the Event yo must register at http://beefhackathon.com/ before 10:00am on the 20th March 2015. The number of participants is limited and the Organisers may close registration at any time. Participants are responsible for all costs associated with their attendance at the Event including but not limited to transport and accommodation.
About ABP Food Group
ABP Food Group is one of Europe’s leading beef processors. Today the group operates across many businesses spanning Ireland, the UK and Continental Europe and consists of 4 separate divisions; ABP Beef, ABP Proteins, ABP Renewables and ABP Pet Foods. ABP has built its success on entrepreneurship, technological investment and a deep knowledge of the sectors in which they operate. As key stakeholders in the integrity of the food supply chain ABP are are focused on ensuring the full traceability of products.
For more information: Seamus Banim, ABP Food Group: 041-6850 200 | seamus.banim@abpfoodgroup.com
About Dublin City University Innovation Campus
The new DCU innovation campus will facilitate a clustering of ‘bits’ and ‘atoms’ focused companies and provide them with physical office and prototyping/engineering space, as well as demonstration and commercialisation opportunities, co-located and working in partnership with DCU researchers. Dcu.ie/innovationcampus
About Intel
Intel is a world leader in computing innovation. The company designs and builds the essential technologies that serve as the foundation for the world’s computing devices.
Additional information about Intel is available at:
Web – intel.ie | Twitter – @Intel_IRL | Facebook – Intel Ireland
Media contact: Sarah Sexton | sarah.sexton@intel.com | + 353 1 606 8537
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