‘Dreambig2026’ Programme Inspires Next Generation of Innovators Across the Midlands

More than 80 secondary school students from across the Midlands have completed an immersive week exploring the future of engineering, advanced manufacturing and technology through the #Dreambig2026 programme, an industry-led initiative led by the ATIM Cluster of advanced manufacturing companies, designed to inspire the next generation of STEM talent.

Dreambig is a programme developed by the ATIM (Advanced Technologies in Manufacturing Cluster), a Technological University of Shannon initiative. Through their company visits and hands-on workshops, students visited 18 advanced manufacturing and engineering companies spanning sectors including medical technology, robotics, construction innovation, materials science and precision engineering.

Students also engaged directly with engineers and innovators and participated in hands-on robotics and coding workshops at Irish Manufacturing Research in Mullingar and Technological University of the Shannon, Athlone Campus. Students see first-hand how industry is embracing DREAM (Digitalisation, Robotics, Engineering, Advanced Manufacturing, and Materials) and showing young people that you don’t need to go far to discover world-class opportunities in the Midlands.

The Advanced Technologies in Manufacturing (ATIM) Cluster is an industry-led manufacturing cluster funded by Enterprise Ireland and hosted at the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS). It was established to accelerate innovation, competitiveness, and sustainable growth across Ireland’s manufacturing sector.

Caitriona Mordan, Cluster Manager of the ATIM Cluster, said the programme is about much more than technology.

“At its heart, #Dreambig is about aspiration, helping young people imagine ambitious futures for themselves and showing them that world-class careers in science, engineering and innovation can be built right here in their own communities. Dreambig is a powerful example of what happens when companies, educators and local partners come together through a cluster.

By working collectively, we create more opportunities for young people than any organisation could achieve alone. DreamBig gives students the space to connect directly with innovative manufacturing companies, discover their talent, and see a future for themselves in the Midlands.”

Now in its third year, the programme continues to grow with increasing participation from both schools and industry.

Professor Vincent Cunnane, President of Technological University of the Shannon, said:

“Dreambig is proof of what happens when a university, industry, and schools come together around a shared purpose: showing young people that modern manufacturing is creative, high-tech, and full of opportunity. Through this partnership with the ATIM Cluster and regional employers, Dreambig is building a connected pathway from the classroom to higher education to high-impact careers right here in the Midlands.

That’s core to our mission as a technological university, and it’s exactly what the national agenda for access, participation, and regional development demands. TUS is proud to be at the centre of that journey, because the earlier we back a young person’s dreams, the bigger the impact for them, for their community, and for the region.”

Across the Midlands, companies are designing products, developing technologies and delivering solutions used around the world, demonstrating that world-class innovation can thrive in regional Ireland. By connecting students directly with these businesses, #Dreambig aims to nurture ambition, confidence and curiosity while showing young people they can pursue cutting-edge careers without leaving their communities.