SETU Waterford research team wins major award
ictured (fourth from left) is Dr Ultan McCarthy at the EIT Food Seedbed Programme awards
A research team from the Department of Land Sciences at South East Technological University has secured a major European accolade after winning the 2025 Best Market Discovery Prize in the ‘Fair & Resilient Food System Mission’ at the European Institute of Technology (EIT) Food Seedbed Incubator Programme.
The six-month programme is aimed at transforming science and technology based innovations, that can help solve global food system challenges, into market-validated businesses.
The award-winning team in Waterford developed Eye-Q, an innovative digital technology designed to help tackle food loss and waste across global agri-food supply chains.
A SETU spokesperson said, through an intuitive and user-friendly platform, Eye-Q supports decision-making for businesses, retailers, and consumers, helping to reduce food waste at every stage of the supply network.
Designed with scalability and accessibility in mind, the technology has the potential to strengthen food security while supporting international sustainability goals and more resilient food systems.
Dr Ultan McCarthy, Department of Land Sciences at SETU, expressed delight in the win, commenting: "Being part of the EIT Food Seedbed Incubator 2025 Cohort Network allowed the Eye-Q team to connect with a global community already making a difference in food waste reduction and to further develop Eye-Q for international impact.”
The EIT Food Seedbed Incubator Programme acts as a venture catalyst for the European food sector, supporting early-stage science and engineering teams to validate agri-food innovations, better understand market needs, and accelerate the development of new start-ups.
Eleanor Kent, Head of the Department of Land Sciences at SETU, added: “Eye-Q aligns strongly with SETU’s wider mission to tackle food waste, support sustainable agriculture, biodiversity, and environmental stewardship."
"The technology addresses a significant global challenge and demonstrates how applied research can create meaningful economic, environmental, and societal impact," she said.
Meanwhile, Dr James O’Sullivan, Head of Innovation and Commercialisation at SETU, who worked closely with the Eye-Q team, said: “This award is an important recognition of the innovation potential within SETU’s research community and highlights the strength of collaboration between researchers and the university’s commercialisation supports.”
The success of Eye-Q highlights Ireland’s growing reputation as a leader in sustainable agri-food innovation, demonstrating how research, collaboration, and digital transformation can deliver real-world impact.
The Eye-Q project is also supported through the Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation Fund Programme under project CF-2024-2360-A.
