Ivan McPhillips, GMIT Business School lecturer, and co-founder of the GMIT Youth Entrepreneur Summer Camp, has won the 2021 Enterprise Ireland Academic Award in recognition of his involvement in and the promotion of the annual Student Entrepreneur Awards competition since 1997.
The Rahoon-based academic, who lectures in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Rural Development in GMIT’s Galway city campus, was announced as the winner of a trophy and a cheque for €1000 from Enterprise Ireland at the virtual awards presentation ceremony last weekend.
Accepting his award, Mr McPhilllips said he was very honoured to be the winner of this year’s award and to accept it on behalf of GMIT.
“This year will be my 24th year since first becoming involved with this competition in 1997. I estimate that approximately 5,000 of my students have entered this unique competition over the years resulting in three student teams winning the overall award and six student teams winning the Cruickshank Award plus another 24 GMIT student teams getting through to the Top 10 Finals.”
“This is the 40th Year of the Enterprise Ireland Student Entrepreneur Awards competition which is open to all third level students from all academic disciplines and courses of study on the island of Ireland. The awards are co-sponsored with Enterprise Ireland by Cruickshank, Grant Thornton, and the Local Enterprise Offices.”
“I wish to thank Deirdre Lusby, Eamon Walsh and his colleagues in the School of Business, Dr Edna Curley and colleagues at our Mountbellew Agricultural College campus and colleagues in our Schools of Engineering, Science, and Design and Creative Arts, Galway International Hotel School, George McCourt and his staff in the GMIT iHubs for their support to me and my students in this competition over the years.
“I also want to give a special thanks Dr Gabriel J Costello for his huge engagement with me in developing and preparing inter-disciplinary teams between his students in the School of Engineering and our students in the School of Business for this competition in recent years. Finally, I want to thank all the students current and past who I worked with it in their preparation for this competition over the years.”
Deirdre Lusby, Head of Department of Business and Accounting, said Ivan’s unique input has been the source of many business ideas and his commitment to student entrepreneurship has been the starting point of many success stories. His connection with his students is legendary in GMIT and beyond.
Dr Rick Officer, VP Research & Innovation, said that this is great recognition of Ivan’s phenomenal contribution over many years. His support for student entrepreneurship has transformed many lives for the better. His positive influence on our young people attending our student entrepreneurship summer camps has been profound. His selfless gratitude expressed for his colleagues and mentees is hugely reciprocated by them.”
Dr Edna Curley, Head of the GMIT Mountbellew Agricultural College, says: “Having been Ivan’s extern for many years, the lengths that Ivan goes to for his students, the guidance and support that he offers so willingly is an inspiration to us all. As for so many of our GMIT colleagues, Ivan has been a true friend to Mountbellew and our students. The regard with which he is held in here in Mountbellew is a rare joy. We could not be more proud and truly delighted for you and yours.”
Ivan McPhillips was one of the founders and a director from 2001 to 2014 of SCCUL Enterprises Ltd, which developed and built the Ballybane Neighbourhood Village Project and Ballybane Enterprise Centre. Ivan was one of the founder mentors in May 2012 of Bizmentors® which was established by SCCUL, and he remains active as a mentor.
Bizmentors® is a mentoring programme for business owners and start-up / emerging businesses, social enterprises and community groups, which aims to provide free access to business expertise and wisdom to people in businesses, social enterprises and community groups who may otherwise have difficulty accessing such expertise.
A Former Gaeltacht co-operative manager and Regional Manager of a Gaeltacht LEADER company, Ivan is also a former director of Irish Rural Link and St. Columba’s Credit Union. Ivan is a member of Communities Creating Jobs. Since September 2018, Ivan has been a member of the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy Employment Subgroup established by the Department of Justice.
Ivan is a well-known guest contributor to Irish language current affairs programmes such as RTE Nuacht, Tg4 Nuacht and 7 Lá and RTE Raidio na Gaeltachta Nuacht and current affairs programmes.
