At a glance

• Value: €3,000 per annum for three years
• You must be a current UCC Student to be eligible for this scholarship
• Questions about this scholarship can be directed to Fiona O’Shea fiona.oshea@ucc.ie

UCC is pleased to announce the creation of the new Dr. Séamus McDermott Entrepreneurial Scholarship thanks to a generous philanthropic gift from The Liffey Trust.

The scholarship will be awarded annually to promote the concepts of entrepreneurship, job creation, entrepreneurial development and education for life in the minds of undergraduate student entrepreneurs. Ten first year students will receive this scholarship, worth up to €9,000 in total per individual and disbursed in equal sums over a maximum period of three years per recipient. One of the 10 scholarships will be awarded each year.

Eligibility

The Dr. Séamus McDermott Entrepreneurial Scholarship is open to all UCC registered students in the first year of their undergraduate studies. The successful recipient of the award each year will receive a tranche of the full scholarship spread equally over a three-year period.

Application Process

All UCC first year students will be invited to submit applications in a form of a 2,000-word essay via an electronic submission process. 

To apply, please click on the link : APPLICATION FORM

Timelines

• Call for submissions – (Early October each year) - 2nd October 2023
• Closing date for submissions – Mid November - 15th November 2023
• UCC Panel meets to consider applications – First week in December
• 5 candidates shortlisted and issued to the Liffey Trust for final selection – last working week in December
• The Liffey Trust Selection process – Early January
• Scholarship announcement – Mid-late January

Selection Process

The Scholarship will be awarded based on an essay (max. 2,000 words) submitted by the first year student applicants. The submission will address matters of personal engagement in entrepreneurship, job creation and entrepreneurial development. Consideration of submissions will be in line with the timelines outlined above.

The Initial Selection Panel in UCC will consist of four academic College Representatives, one from each College nominated by the respective Heads of College, and a representative that might be nominated centrally by the University. The Representative of the College of Business and Law will be the Chair of the Initial Selection Panel and will have a casting vote where the panel cannot reach consensus. The UCC Panel will select the 5 top applicants in respect to the quality of their submissions, based on clearly outlined criteria and the Initial Selection Panel’s discussion, for consideration by the Liffey Trust. The final decision on each award will be made by the Liffey Trust based on the submitted shortlist of 5 applicants.

Please note, if any recipient of a “Dr. Séamus McDermott Entrepreneurial Scholarship” withdraws from the programme for which they have registered or fails to continue throughout the year to meet the attendance and other requirements for the programme including examination entry, they may be required to repay to the University the whole or part of the scholarship.