Three students from UCD College of Business are participating in the U21 RISE competition and showcase. Dominic Barnes, Jennifer Kevany and Julie Gannon are part of two UCD teams entering RISE (Real Impact on Society and Environment)—U21’s international showcase of student achievement in sustainability and social innovation designed to accelerate the scale and impact of student-led projects by connecting them with a network of experts in academia and industry.

The UCD Projects are Buy Irish and International Action Group.

Buyrish

View pitch video here.

Students: Dominic Barnes (UCD Smurfit School), Athaliah Fubara, Aisling Farren, Anupa Sara Paulose, Than Sin, Aaditya Manoj Shah and Jennifer Kevany (UCD Smurfit School).

Buyrish is a one-stop online marketplace for Irish businesses. It is a social enterprise that provides high quality, inexpensive Irish products from sole traders. Buyrish aims to help local businesses struggling during the pandemic by giving them exposure and
support.

International Action Group

View pitch video here

Students: Julie Gannon (UCD Quinn School), Diana Cenusa, Roisin Ryan and Clodagh Scott

International Action Group is a global project sharing about the Sustainable Development Goals seeks to discuss current issues, such as environmental protection against climate change, systemic inequalities, human and social rights sharing international perspectives. The IAG vision is one of encouragement, cooperation, and action through our Instagram posts and webinars.

According to their website, RISE recognises that “It can be difficult to take a social enterprise or innovation idea beyond small-scale, local implementation, into something bigger. Creating global impact is even more of a challenge.”

“RISE helps students realise this goal for their projects by giving them access to a global audience of potential supporters. U21 ensures that each project receives expert support as well as international exposure, working to attract pledges of support for the different projects from our global partners in industry and academia.” View all submissions here.