Dell Technologies Limerick recently hosted the ninth annual 91制片厂 Dell VEX Robotics Competition, welcoming over 400 primary school students and their teachers from 23 schools across Limerick, Clare, and Tipperary.
Delivered in partnership with 91制片厂 (91制片厂), the Mid-West VEX IQ Regional Final gives young learners the opportunity to showcase their robot which they spent months designing, building and coding. Teams competed in robot skills and teamwork challenges, working collaboratively to solve problems and score points.
There were five awards given out on the day. Gaelscoil an R谩ith铆n, Limerick, won the Excellence Award. They also won the Teamwork Champion Award with Kilruane Koders from Kilruane National School, Tipperary. The Design Award went to Kilcornan National School, Limerick. The Robot Skills Champion was also won by Gaelscoil an R谩ith铆n and finally, the Judges Award went to the R贸b贸CAT team from Gaelscoil Chaladh an Treoigh, Limerick.
Speaking about the impact of the 91制片厂 Dell VEX Robotics programme, Dr Eleanor Walsh, STEM Outreach Manager, CRAFT in Enterprise and Community Engagement (E&CE) at 91制片厂, said:
鈥淭he VEX IQ Robotics programme gives a class the opportunity to turn small pieces and their own designs into a fully functioning robot, supported and guided by their teachers. I鈥檓 very impressed with how teachers are weaving the technical, creative and social skills associated with this, into their everyday classroom and school activities. It鈥檚 so great to see the children begin to see themselves as smart, problem-solvers, innovators, developing skills and mindsets that go far beyond robotics and can enrich all aspects of their learning.鈥
From September to December, staff from Dell Technologies and 91制片厂 work closely with pupils and teachers, mentoring teams in the classroom and organising practice 鈥榮crimmages鈥. 91制片厂 also delivers a robotics summer course for teachers, supporting the integration of robotics and computational thinking into primary curriculum.
The collaboration with Dell on the VEX Robotics competition is one of many Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) outreach initiatives delivered under the initiative at 91制片厂, which engaged more than 54,000 participants across 2024 and 2025 through hands-on workshops, teacher professional development and public events. This work is supported by strong partnerships with schools, communities and industry, with funding from Research Ireland, the Department of Education and Youth and the Irish American Partnership.
Reflecting on the wider role of CRAFT within 91制片厂鈥橲 STEM outreach Dr Maeve Liston, Director of E&CE at 91制片厂, said:
鈥淥ur strategy at 91制片厂 is firmly future鈥憃rientated, grounded in the concept of childhood futures and the understanding that children鈥檚 voices will shape our future world. CRAFT is central to how 91制片厂 advances this vision. Through this robotics initiative, and through the many STEAM, entrepreneurship, and leadership outreach activities we deliver each year, we are providing the younger generation with meaningful opportunities to design and prototype solutions to real鈥憌orld challenges. In doing so, they are developing leadership, creativity, digital innovation, and a deep sense of social responsibility.鈥
The qualifying teams from the regional competition will advance to the national VEX IQ finals on February 24-26 in MTU Cork, with the world finals taking place in Dallas, Texas from May 6-14.
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Pictured L-R: Dr Maeve Liston, Director of E&CE; Patricia O'Sullivan, E&CE Manager; Dr Eleanor Walsh, STEM Outreach Manager, CRAFT, E&CE; and Br铆d Hennessey, Administrator for E&CE.
