DkIT Engineering Student, Warren Stevely of Scotstown, Co Monaghan won the Cruickshank Intellectual Property Attorneys’ High Achieving Merit Award at the Enterprise Ireland Student Entrepreneur Awards 2018.

Warren, 22 and a fourth year student on the BSc (Hons) in Engineering Entrepreneurship course in DkIT, was awarded the prize for his project ‘Acidose 1’. This is a device which was designed in accordance with new EU regulations aimed at eliminating the use of antibiotics in the poultry industry.

Describing his project, Warren says, “Acidose 1 is an electronic device that regulates the pH of the poultry water supply with complete accuracy. Lowering the pH helps food producers prevent the growth of harmful bacteria in the chicken’s gastrointestinal tract, which can lead to digestion problems and other common diseases in the animals.”
The Awards marked the 37th year of the prestigious Student Entrepreneur Awards which is led by Enterprise Ireland and is co-sponsored by Cruickshank Intellectual Property Attorneys and Grant Thornton. The awards are open to all third-level colleges across Ireland and are part of a major national drive aimed at encouraging students to recognise entrepreneurship as a viable career option. 

In additional to the €5,000 cash award from the Enterprise Ireland Award, Warren will receive mentorship and professional advice from Cruickshank Intellectual Property Attorneys relating to areas such as Intellectual Property (IP) rights and patents.

“The mentorship will be particularly useful as I try to set up my business. I hope to start manufacturing the device and I am seeking to secure patents. The additional funds will be invested back into the business to help get me up and running as soon as possible.”

https://studententrepreneurawards.com/