Dr Séamus McDermott Entrepreneurial Scholarship 2026 Awarded at UCC

University College Cork recently welcomed Mr. Aidan Corless, Chairperson of the Liffey Trust, for a roundtable discussion focused on entrepreneurship, innovation, and the vital role of philanthropy in higher education. The visit also marked the announcement of the 2026 recipient of the prestigious Dr Séamus McDermott Entrepreneurial Scholarship. 

Awarded by the Liffey Trust and established at UCC through the Cork University Foundation, the Dr Séamus McDermott Entrepreneurial Scholarship, is a competitive award designed to foster innovation and entrepreneurial thinking among first-year undergraduate students. Now in its third year, the scholarship continues to support students who demonstrate the ambition and capability to create meaningful real-world impact through enterprise and innovation. 

The 2026 scholarship has been awarded to Michal Szczepan, an emerging student entrepreneur with a strong track record of initiative and resilience. Michal’s entrepreneurial journey began during his school years with small-scale ventures and has since evolved into more complex projects, including a PC building and repair business. Through these experiences, he has developed practical skills in sales, teamwork, and problem-solving, while overcoming challenges such as fraud and supply chain disruptions. 

Michal has also demonstrated leadership and creativity through projects such as EduCat (later rebranded as ScreenPaws), which aims to enhance children’s learning through structured screen time. He currently serves as Campus Director for the Hult Prize at UCC and is Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Ganzy, an emerging EdTech startup focused on personalised study tools for Irish students, with ambitions to scale nationally and internationally. 

Aidan Corless said, “It was a pleasure to meet Michal Szczepan, who embodies everything the Seamus McDermott Scholarship stands for, a commitment to solving problems and driving meaningful change. Michal has already explored several micro-business ventures and has learned valuable lessons, including resilience, which will serve him well on his entrepreneurial journey. He demonstrates passion and energy, along with the work ethic required to build a successful business. We are delighted to have Michal as our 2026 Scholar and look forward to introducing him to fellow scholars in Trinity, UCD, DCU, and the University of Galway. I would also like to thank Carol Walsh, Professor Joe Boque, Dr Lana Repart, Dr Sally Cudmore and the entire team who invest their time, expertise and energy in encouraging students to consider entrepreneurship”. 

Kerry Bryson, CEO of Cork University Foundation said, “At its core, the Dr Séamus McDermott Entrepreneurial Scholarship represents an investment in students and the solutions they will create for society. Each award signals a strong vote of confidence in a student’s potential and the scalability of their ambition. On behalf of UCC, I sincerely thank Aidan and the Liffey Trust for their continued support”. 

Previous recipients of the scholarship include Ronan Curley (2025) and Hugo Guenebaut (2024), bringing the total number of supported students to three, each at different stages of their academic journey. 

“At UCC, we were delighted to establish this long-term fruitful relationship with The Liffey Trust. The Dr. Séamus McDermott Entrepreneurial Scholarship at UCC is such an important vehicle for promoting the concepts of entrepreneurship, job creation, entrepreneurial development and education for life in the minds of undergraduate student entrepreneurs. This Scholarship directly supports UCC’s Strategic Goal 1 to create an innovation culture and entrepreneurial campus as it enables entrepreneurial students to be recognised and supported on their journey to create new and better solutions to societal challenges”, stated Dr Lana Repar, Co-Chair Dr Séamus McDermott Entrepreneurship Scholarship Committee UCC. 

The roundtable discussion provided a valuable platform for students to reflect on their entrepreneurial ambitions, share insights, and discuss the challenges they face. The conversation also underscored the broader role of philanthropy at UCC, not as an add-on, but as a catalyst for innovation that empowers students to think creatively, take risks, and pursue ambitious ideas. 

Professor Joe Bogue, Co-Chair Dr Séamus McDermott Entrepreneurship Scholarship Committee UCC, noted that the Dr. Séamus McDermott Entrepreneurial Scholarship at UCC had, in a short space of time, become an integral part of UCC’s vibrant Entrepreneurship Ecosystem.   

Dr Sally Cudmore, Director of Innovation said: “The Dr Séamus McDermott Entrepreneurial Scholarship plays a vital role in helping students at UCC develop the skills, mindset and confidence needed to succeed as entrepreneurs. Beyond financial support, the scholarship enables students to fully engage with UCC’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, such as the supports provided through UCC’s SPARK programme such as Start-up Lab, Ideas for Impact Hackathons, entrepreneurial student community, industry connections and start‑up advice clinics, as well as UCC’s modules from CUBS on Developing and Entrepreneurial Mindshift. By harnessing these resources, scholarship recipients can develop their talents, test ideas and build ventures that have real societal and economic impact.”