Huawei Ireland launches €250K scholarship fund for STEM students

Huawei Ireland has launched the 2022 edition of its flagship talent programme ‘Seeds for the Future’. Third-level students studying STEM subjects at Irish universities or leaving certificate students considering a third-level course in STEM are eligible to apply. There is a €250K scholarship fund for the programme with the 50 top-performing students each receiving €5,000. The 2022 ‘Seeds for the Future’ programme will be limited to 100 students with the course taking place on 24 – 31 October.

Since its inception in 2015, over 170 students from Irish universities have benefitted from this unique learning and cultural experience. Students take a variety of basic and advanced courses covering the latest innovations in smart cities, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, 5G, and the Internet of Things.

Guest lectures on digital transformation, sustainable technology, and strategic leadership are delivered by Huawei senior engineers and industry thought-leaders. The 2022 programme will also see students take part in team exercises including Huawei’s Tech4Good project, which challenges participants to examine how to leverage technology to address pressing social and environmental issues.

To apply, students should send their CV, a transcript of their academic records, and an essay of 400 – 600 words or a 2-3 minute motivation video reflecting their interests and why they should be chosen to take part, to seedsireland@huawei.com. Students can also find out more information about the programme through the Seeds for the Future official website. The deadline for submissions is 10 October.

Announcing the 2022 scholarship fund, Luke McDonnell, Senior Communications Manager, Huawei Ireland, said: “Despite all the current uncertainty and challenges, we’re proud that we can deliver another €250,000 scholarship fund for the Ireland Seeds for the Future programme and that a further 50 students will benefit from a €5,000 bursary. Huawei is committed to creating value for the communities where we operate, and this scholarship fund will go some part of the way in helping students with the rising cost of living.

It is important that we do whatever we can to help and nurture the youth of today because they will become the leaders of tomorrow and our future workforce. We will continue to invest in Ireland’s future ICT workforce, and we see this scholarship programme as another way to help these students enhance their capabilities as they continue or indeed embark on their studies in STEM.”

Students that secure a place on the 2022 programme will be given the unique opportunity to experience virtual tours of Huawei’s campuses, the company’s flagship store in central Shenzhen, alongside Chinese culture experiences like panda tours, tours of famous landmarks and insights into modern Chinese businesses.

The scholarship was awarded in 2021 to the top 50 Seeds graduates from nine universities around the country, with the bulk hailing from TU Dublin, UCD, Trinity, UCC and NUIG. The awarding event was held at TU Dublin’s Grangegorman campus, with speeches from Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation Robert Troy TD, Huawei Ireland CEO Tony Yangxu and student representatives.