Over the summer months, eleven student entrepreneurs working on ten projects crossed over to the Rubicon Centre to begin Cork Institute of Technology's Student Inc. which is a summer programme that supports student entrepreneurs at CIT.  Students are from a multitude of undergraduate courses in CIT including Culinary Arts, Herbal Science, BIS, Creative Digital Media, Business Studies, Marketing, IT Management, PR and New Media. The programme is led by student enterprise Interns Emilie-Kate O’Mahony and Miriam Adair; who play an important role in guiding these student entrepreneurs to develop and excel. Each budding entrepreneur receives €4,000 to fund their business (expenses, equipment and a wage to offset a summer job) as well as a fully serviced office at CIT's and Ireland’s premier incubation centre, the Rubicon Centre.

A major selling point of the programme is the peer to peer learning, not only between the eleven talented student entrepreneurs; but from the relationships that are built with a number of experienced resident entrepreneurs in the Rubicon Centre and the exposure to over sixty companies. The programme offers the participants training and workshops in various aspects of business start up to ensure they are well informed in any decision they make. They will also receive mentoring sessions on a one to one basis with industry specific mentors. Student Inc., has been accredited academically so upon completion each participant will receive five academic credits at level 8 for the work they complete throughout the summer with their final evaluation in the form of a presentation on August 31st 2018. Dr. Helen McGuirk Head of Hincks Centre for Entrepreneurship Excellence provides this academic support to the students on completion.

Over the last few months George Bulman from the Rubicon Centre and Dr. Helen McGuirk Head of Hincks Centre spent time in Vietnam educating the students on entrepreneurship via training and workshops. The prize for the winners was a trip to Ireland’s premier incubator, the Rubicon Centre which will allow them to work on their business ideas during the Student Inc. Programme. Paul Healy of the Rubicon Centre and Dr. Orla Flynn, VP for External Affairs have been involved in the judging of previous competitions.

Student Inc., was funded by the Cork Institute of Technology, the Local Enterprise Office, Enterprise Ireland and CAMMS (Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and Management Systems) with the office space and staff expertise sponsored by the Rubicon Centre. Training and additional supports are provided by staff of the institute. Mentors were supplied by John McSweeney of the Small Business Advice Programme and by the Rubicon Centre.

Without the support of the various interested parties internally and externally, Student Inc. would not be possible. These parties are passionate about student entrepreneurship and want to see the ten projects develop in the coming months as well as witnessing the eleven students maturing both personally and professionally over the Student Inc., programme.