Munster Technological University (MTU) held its Prize for Innovation Showcase and Awards ceremony last week, with a TB prevention project taking the top gong.

The awards are part of MTU's month of enterprise, with the annual competition presenting cash prizes to student entrepreneurs whose inventions and ideas demonstrate creativity, novelty, and market potential.

The top prize of €4,000 and the title of 'MTU Entrepreneur of the Year' was awarded to a multi-disciplinary team of third-year Chemical and Biopharmaceutical Engineering and Sustainable Energy Engineering students from MTU’s Bishopstown campus for their solution for TB prevention in cattle.

The group's product is called TBGuard, and it protects cattle by preventing badger access to a herd's water or feeding troughs.

The device provides high levels of biosecurity and practicality, offering farmers herd protection, reduced transmissions, and a way to safeguard their livelihoods and the future of their operations.

The winning product was developed under the guidance of Ian O’Sullivan, MTU lecturer in the department of Process, Energy and Transport Engineering.

Regional programme manager for 3rd Level Student Entrepreneurship at MTU, Carole O’Leary, praised the winners.

"It’s inspiring to see all these young innovators applying their skills to make a genuine difference, not just locally but potentially on a global scale,” O'Leary said.

This year's total prize fund was €14,500, and the competition was contested by over 270 students forming 78 teams or individual applications across MTU’s six campuses in Cork and Kerry.

The competition, now in its 24^th year, is sponsored by the Cork and Kerry Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs).

MTU Rubicon Centre manager, Paul Healy, addressed the audience at the awards and said: “They say it takes a village to raise a child — well, it takes a university like MTU to raise aspiring entrepreneurs.”