Irish ed-tech company nominated for innovation award
CampusConnect founders Daniel Hinkley (left) and Declan Sweeney (right). Picture: Georgie Glass
Irish ed-tech company, CampusConnect, has been shortlisted as a finalist in the 2020 PIEoneer awards, the only global awards that celebrate innovation and achievement across the whole of the international education industry.
The CampusConnect app, which is used by a number of Irish universities, including the University of Limerick and Dublin City University, connects university applicants with current students and graduates of their course of interest.
By connecting prospective students with current students, universities can convert more student applications to student enrolments.
The app has proved particularly successful in securing more international student enrolments, with 70% of international students admitting they were more likely to choose to study at the admitting university after engaging in their peer community.
The company was nominated by Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and is the only Irish business to be shortlisted for the Digital Innovation of the Year - Technology award.
The award celebrates digital innovation that solves a problem faced by professionals in the international education sector.
Declan Sweeney, co-founder of CampusConnect said they were "thrilled" to be shortlisted for the award and was grateful for "the generous testimonials and words of support" from universities and colleges across the UK and Ireland who use the app.
Mr Sweeney is hoping the app will prove particularly useful during the Covid-19 pandemic, as many third-level institutions are forced to move online.
“With such limited opportunities for face-to-face interaction during Covid-19, it's critically important that students find other ways to build important relationships when starting out in college or university,” he said.
He said the importance of community building for students at third-level couldn’t be understated: “Students who are connected are more likely to succeed.”
