All Ireland Awards & Ceremony 2025
The All-Ireland Awards returned to its original home, at the historic Royal Irish Academy on October 9th 2025
The RIA is a place where scholarship, culture and innovation have been celebrated for over two centuries.
After outgrowing this illustrious space when our Summit became global we had always hoped to return when a special and proportional event demanded it, and we are glad this was the one that fit the bill.
This special event honours the exceptional achievements of students from across the island of Ireland, offering space to connect, reflect and share ideas. In the heart of Dublin, we’ll come together to celebrate not just academic excellence, but the bright future it represents.
This event is an exclusive evening, bringing winners, their family members, academics and institutional supporters together to celebrate the exceptional talent from the years’ Global Undergraduate Awards and in recognition of the strength of the collective Irish educational ecosystem.
Keynote & Featured Speakers
We were honoured to welcome Jack O’Meara as our Keynote Address for the All-Ireland Ceremony. It was more than a keynote address, it was a powerful reminder of what can happen when undergraduate curiosity is given the opportunity to flourish.
Nearly a decade after being recognised as Ireland’s Regional Winner in Engineering, Jack stood before a new generation of exceptional students not simply as a successful biotechnology entrepreneur, but as someone who had once been exactly where they were: driven by ideas, motivated by possibility and beginning a journey whose destination was still unknown.
Since receiving his Undergraduate Award in 2016, Jack has gone on to co-found pioneering biotechnology companies, helping to advance RNA medicines while building organisations that bridge scientific discovery with real-world impact. His career has demonstrated how undergraduate research can become the foundation for innovation capable of transforming lives.
Yet throughout his address, it was not accolades or achievements that resonated most deeply. Instead, Jack reflected on the value of intellectual curiosity, embracing uncertainty and recognising that the most meaningful careers are rarely linear. He encouraged students to pursue ambitious problems, remain open to unexpected opportunities and appreciate that the work they are doing today may have consequences far beyond what they can currently imagine.
His story embodies the mission of the Global Undergraduate Awards: celebrating excellence at the very beginning of a research journey, when ideas are still taking shape and potential is just beginning to reveal itself. It serves as a reminder that recognising outstanding undergraduate work is not simply about celebrating a single piece of research, but about investing in the people who will go on to shape industries, solve global challenges and lead future generations.
For those gathered at the ceremony, Jack’s keynote offered something invaluable – evidence that the distance between an undergraduate research project and global impact is often much shorter than it appears. His journey from award-winning engineering student to internationally recognised biotechnology entrepreneur illustrates the enduring value of supporting young researchers at the earliest stages of their careers.
As the newest member of the Global Undergraduate Awards Board, Jack now returns not only as an alumnus but as a steward of the programme that helped celebrate his own potential. His continued commitment reflects the strength of the Global Undergraduate Awards community—one where today’s winners become tomorrow’s innovators, mentors and leaders.
His keynote left graduates with a simple but enduring message: the research they undertake today has the potential to shape tomorrow, and every great contribution begins with the courage to ask an important question.
