Dublin plays host to IBM Extreme Blue European Expo showcasing cutting edge IT and Business Innovation

The Extreme Blue European Expo – IBM’s premiere incubator program for third level student interns to showcase their talent, technology and business innovation – is taking place at the IBM Technology Campus in Dublin, September 6th and 7th.

The Expo concludes months of creative work by IBM’s Extreme Blue interns, working alongside their IBM team mentors. Amongst the exciting projects from Ireland, the UK, Germany and Italy are an interactive 3D printed model city designed to help end-users understand large-scale cyber risk management and security systems.Throughout the day, the Extreme Blue interns and IBM team members will be on hand to answer questions on the projects, dive into the business needs that led to their development, and discuss the future of research and development in technology.

In total, the expo will show 13 projects, encompassing areas as diverse as:

· An advertising billboard display customisation application – This programme looks at delivering bespoke advertising to individual attendees at stadiums and arena based events and transforming the way event stadiums engage with attendees.

· A cognitive mobile client centre/demo day briefing application – Developed using IBM’s cognitive computing engine Watson, and IoT technology, this application performs like an expert personal assistant for anyone visiting an event (such as the Extreme Blue Expo) or client briefing day. The app personalises the briefing information to the specific user, even absorbing and responding to speech based questions. At the end of the sessions, it provides a personalised “take-home” package based on the user interests, business needs, and even client business social media profile with site specific information and client social sentiment in one interactive application.

· A cognitive engagement advisor prototype for the insurance industry – This project brings machine learning to customer self-service using IBM Watson to help both resolve complex questions and analyse life events to determine the best solution for customers when applying for insurance.

· Cloud based Blockchain application prototype developed in association with a client in the retail banking sector using IBM Bluemix for simplifying the bank’s payment processes

Bill Kearney, VP IBM Ireland Lab said “IBM is celebrating 60 years in Ireland, so it is with great pride we host the European Expo in Dublin. Extreme Blue is all about pushing the boundaries of both business and IT, and this showcase of cutting-edge research technology projects demonstrates the tangible benefits of creating environments within which innovation can flourish.”

IBM Extreme Blue runs over the course of twelve weeks and students work in small project teams of four interns supported by IBM technical and business mentors. Interns also take part in IBM Design Thinking, presentation skills, and personal development workshops.

IBM Extreme Blue program has grown from an internship in Cambridge, USA with just 25 students into a worldwide program that draws more than 360 top interns annually from around the globe. By participating in internships such as IBM Extreme Blue, third level students develop their ability to establish themselves as future business and technical leaders.