By Eliseah Robinson, BIA Innovator Campus, Ireland
Over the coming months, students from universities in Ireland, Germany, The Netherlands, Slovakia, and Poland will embark on the SME Goes Digital Challenge – a learning initiative that connects multidisciplinary university students, educators, and SMES to co-create solutions addressing digitalisation challenges in the food and beverage sector.
Maynooth University launched the Irish edition of the SME Goes Digital Challenge with factory visits to participating SMEs. These visits introduced students to their assigned businesses, deepening their understanding of real-world digitalisation needs and helping to set expectations for the project.
As part of this activity, Maynooth University students visited BIA Innovator Campus for a factory tour of Rosaleen’s Kitchen, one of our onsite food producers, and an engaging Q&A session with Climaticus, participants of the Smart Regions BIA Accelerator program.
Meet our participating SMEs
- Rosaleen’s Kitchen, Crust Gluten Free
Established in 2012, Rosaleen’s Kitchen is an award-winning, Irish-owned, certified gluten-free artisan bakery supplying delicious baked goods. During the visit, Rosaleen met with her assigned multidisciplinary student team for a factory tour to discuss their digital challenges and plan the next steps.
- Climaticus
Climaticus are a bio-economy partner to the F&B industry, offering innovative technology and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions that help businesses manage energy costs and reduce their environmental impact. Conor and Maurice, the founder and CEO, met with their assigned student teams for an engaging Q&A session to present the company, discuss digital challenges, and begin developing potential solutions together.
The Role of BIA Innovator Campus
As a national centre for food innovation and excellence, BIA Innovator Campus played a key role in driving SME participation in the challenge, leveraging our strong networks of food and beverage entrepreneurs and businesses. Through these collaborations, we continue to champion meaningful university-industry partnerships that foster innovation, build digital capacity, and accelerate the sustainable growth of the food and beverage sector.
Next steps
The SME Goes Digital Challenge will conclude in January 2026 with national Pitch Events where student teams will showcase their proposed digital solutions to industry challenges through compelling presentations. We look forward to learning about the students’ work. Stay tuned in the New Year for updates!