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 Hanora Ryan: [email protected]
UCC is pleased to open the 2025 application process for the Dr. Séamus McDermott Entrepreneurial Scholarship thanks to a generous philanthropic gift from The Liffey Trust.
The scholarship is 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 (note: this Application Form will accept responses from 24th of October 2025) : APPLICATION FORM
Timelines
Call for submissions – (October each year) - 24th October 2025
Closing date for submissions – November - 28th November 2025
UCC Panel meets to consider applications – December 2025
5 candidates shortlisted and issued to the Liffey Trust for final selection – Late December 2025
The Liffey Trust Selection process – January 2026
Scholarship announcement – Mid-late January 2026
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 between 5-10 top applicants (depending on the total number of applications) 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 5-10 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.