Edel Mitchell Appointed Senior Programme Manager of FAST-IP
19th June 2024
AgTechUCD has appointed a Senior Programme Manager to manage the commercial and operational aspects of the new Food and Agriculture Sustainable Technology Innovation Programme (FAST-IP).
The goal of FAST-IP, a graduate entrepreneurship training programme to be delivered annually by University College Dublin (UCD) in partnership with Teagasc until the end of 2029, is to further enhance innovation in the food and agricultural sector. The programme will provide participants with the necessary skills to discover, develop and deliver ideas for new products and services in this sector and to accelerate the commercialisation pathway for these business ideas.
Edel Mitchell, the newly appointed Senior Programme Manager, has over 20 years of national and international cross sectoral experience spanning public, private and global consultancy sectors in Ireland, Europe, USA and Australia. She has a strong focus on regional development, building commercial and ecosystem partnerships, and developing tailored solutions to address unmet client and market needs, and is an alumna of the BioInnovate Ireland programme at University of Galway.
Edel said, “I am delighted to join UCD at this exciting time as we near the commencement of the inaugural FAST-IP programme in September. I look forward to working with the FAST-IP participants using design thinking methodologies to support the identification of unmet needs and development of innovative commercially scalable solutions in this exciting sector.”
She added, “In this new role I am particularly looking forward to partnering collaboratively with UCD and Teagasc to harness the collective domain expertise and wider industry networks. In addition, their farming, industry and entrepreneurial experiences and track record of supporting, fostering and spinning out successful start-ups within the Agtech sector will be instrumental in supporting the success of the FAST-IP programme.”
Gary Ryan, Director, AgTechUCD, said, “We are delighted to welcome Edel, a results driven leader skilled in business development, project management, investment pitching and cultivating commercial partnerships, to UCD as a member of the team which will be delivering the new FAST-IP programme in partnership with our colleagues in Teagasc.
A key aspect of her role will be to support and mentor mid-career professionals who want to pivot their careers to entrepreneurship focused on the development of innovative technologies to support sustainable practices in the agricultural and food sectors.”
He added, “Applications are still open for the first FAST-IP programme, and I encourage anybody with a strong interest in building a business that will deliver innovative solutions in support of sustainable agri and food sectors to apply now for the programme before it is too late.”
For further information and to apply for the programme by the deadline date of 21 June 2024 visit https://www.frsrecruitment.com/fast-ip
