2023 Interreg AYCH International Creative Jam, France

Digital business and Innovation students Cathal Mc Farland and Andrew Holton took part in the 2023 Interreg AYCH (Atlantic Youth Creative Hubs) International Creative Jam. The three-day event brought together talented individuals at L’École de design in Nantes, France. As two of the five AYCH ambassadors selected from Ireland, Cathal and Andrew were given the opportunity to collaborate with L’Ecole de Design students and other AYCH ambassadors from European countries, including Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal, and the UK, all working towards the common goal of making a positive impact on the sustainable future.

The Institute for Methods Innovation (IMI), a non-profit educational organisation based in Ireland, provided guidance to these students by running a creative incubator focused on innovation and entrepreneurship. Before traveling to Nantes, Cathal and Andrew gained key insights about traditional entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship through their participation the incubator program, which continues to run after the event into June.

AYCH ambassadors from Ireland with IMI coordinator Bàrbara Levering

The international event challenged participants to generate, develop, prototype, and showcase their ideas related to sustainability. In addition to working with mentors and group members, Cathal and Andrew attended interactive workshops on exciting topics such as Artificial Intelligence and Economical Strategy. Each cross-cultural team successfully developed user-focused, impactful, and sustainable propositions which they pitched to a panel of judges on the final day.

Cathal Mc Farland working with his group prior to presenting

Image of Andrew Holton at the event

As Digital Business and Innovation students, Cathal and Andrew found this international event a great opportunity to apply key learnings from their course and solve real-world problems. They look forward to developing new ideas in IMI’s entrepreneurship incubation program prior to starting their 12-month (INTRA) work placements in June.