Category: google

Google introduces multisearch – for when words alone aren’t enough

Often we don’t have all the words to  explain exactly what we are looking for. For example, trying to find the perfect, unique piece of clothing or finding a tutorial to recreate hard-to-describe nail art.

Now there is technology to help! Google multisearch is here to help you uncover the information you’re looking for — no matter how tricky it might be to express what you need.

Multisearch does this by allowing you to search with text and images at the same time meaning that you can go beyond the search box and ask questions about what you see. With multisearch, you can ask a question about an object in front of you or refine your search by color, brand or a visual attribute.

For example, you can screenshot a stylish orange dress and add the query “green” to find it in another color. You can snap a photo of your dining set and add the query “coffee table” to find a matching table or you could take a picture of your rosemary plant and add the query “care instructions”.

How to use multisearch on Google Lens:

  1. Simply open up the Google app on Android or iOS

  2. Tap the Lens camera icon

  3. Either search one of your screenshots or snap a photo of the world around you eg, the stylish wallpaper pattern at your local coffee shop.

  4. Then, swipe up and tap the “+ Add to your search” button to add text.

Google open applications for 2023 scholarship to support women in Computer Science Education

Google has now opened applications for the 2023 Generation Google Scholarship for women in computer science in Ireland which will see each successful applicant being awarded €5,000 annually, for the duration of their undergraduate studies.

Launched in 2020, this is the fourth year of the scholarshipIn that time, 40 recipients have been awarded scholarships with two 2022 Generation Google scholars now interning at Google’s Dublin campus. The aim of the programme is to further gender equality in the field of computer science in Ireland, by encouraging women to excel in computing and technology, and become active leaders and role models in the industry.

Ruth Bergin, a recipient of the scholarship last year said: “The Generation Google scholarship has boosted my career immensely. I received mentoring from an Engineering Director at Google, who offered me excellent career advice and helped me improve my technical interview skills. I completed an internship at Google Zurich, during which I even got the chance to visit the US on a business trip! I’ve presented to a Google Vice-President, to Senior Directors, and to Directors. Beyond all of that, I’ve met so many female role models in the tech space – from my intern host to the scholarship programme team. When I applied, I didn’t realise just how many experiences and opportunities would open up to me – or that I’d even be chosen at all! I’d urge any student pursuing a tech career to apply.

Welcoming the 2023 programme, Jessica McCarthy, Director of Engineering at Google Ireland, said: “Since 2020, Google has helped inspire a new generation of women to begin careers in computer science. In that time, our Generation Google Scholarship programme has encouraged women to study in the computer science & engineering fields, offered support and mentorship to women and helped foster a positive view of the working experience for women in tech. We are pleased to announce applications are now open for 2023. We look forward to welcoming a new intake to join the already 40 scholarship recipients of this dedicated programme.

Open for applications now, the Generation Google scholarship is an extension of the global programme and scholarships will be awarded based on the applicant’s strength of impact on diversity, demonstrated leadership and academic background.

The ten Generation Google Scholars will each receive a €5,000 award for the duration of their undergraduate studies. Scholarship funds will be distributed to selected scholarship recipients, on an annual basis, for the duration of the student’s undergraduate programme for up to four years.

Those eligible to apply must be currently enrolled as a first or second year undergraduate student at a university /institute of technology in Ireland. They must intend to continue pursuing their Bachelors degree at a university/ institute of technology in Ireland for at least the 2023-24 and 2024-25 academic years. They must be studying computer science, computer engineering, or a closely related technical field, demonstrate a strong academic record, and exemplify leadership and show a passion for increasing the involvement of women in technology.

Those wishing to apply for the Generation Google Scholarship for women in Computer Science in Ireland, can do so by visiting the Google scholarships page. Applications will be open until 16 May 2023.

For questions on the scholarship programme students can email generationgoogle-emea@google.com.

This Earth Month watch time unfold with Google Earth’s 3D globe

April is Earth Month and to mark the occasion Timelapse in Google Earth is now updated with new imagery from 2021 and 2022. Watch time unfold and witness nearly four decades of planetary change from 1984 to 2022 — all thanks to this 4D interactive map, made from millions of satellite photos.

Timelapse in Google Earth is a global, zoomable time-lapse video of the planet, providing evidence of earth’s dynamic changes — from irrigation systems emerging in the deserts of Egypt and meandering rivers shifting over time in the Amazon rainforest in Pucallpa, Peru to volcanic eruptions, logging and wildfires changing the landscape of California’s Lassen National Forest. The imagery also captures ways cities have adapted to combat climate change — like offshore wind farms in Middelgrunden, Denmark and a large-scale solar installation in Granada, Spain.

Climate related changes to the planet is also something people in Ireland are actively searching for on Google, as seen with several of the entries in the Top Trending climate change topics in Ireland*.

 

  1. Flea market

  2. Drought

  3. Environmental, social and corporate governance

  4. Wind turbine

  5. Solar energy

  6. Climate

  7. Heat wave

  8. Tropical cyclone

  9. Wind power

  10. Greenhouse gas emission

 

Check out  the updated visualization today in Google Earth at g.co/timelapse, and on YouTube via g.co/timelapsevideos.

Google.org announces next phase of grant funding to support local employment opportunities in Dublin

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD announced funding support of €300,000 by Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, to fund nonprofits supporting local employment opportunities through the Local Employment Task Force.

Launched in 2021 with support from Google, the Employment Task Force aims to find sustainable employment solutions for long-term unemployed people from the south inner city and provide training and development opportunities. This latest grants by Google.org will fund skills programmes by two nonprofits in the local area:

 

  1. The Anchorage Project – a community-based training programme in the Ringsend and Irishtown area. The new skills based training will support 70 students to obtain an ITEC certified level qualification and  soft skills to enable them to gain sustainable employment in the beauty and hospitality skills industry.

  2. The Irish Nautical Trust – Google.org will continue its support of this hugely successful scholarship programme for students to access marine skills and technology. Launched in October 2021, this community-based environment maritime training programme educates local unemployed people and school leavers on the environment. Of 30 recent graduates, 28 have gained employment with ongoing support being provided to the remaining two. The funding supports access for students to obtain a certified level of maritime skills and enable them to gain sustainable employment in the marine industry.

At the event, Minister Donnelly also presented graduation certificates to 10 parents of children with special needs. Each recipient completed Google’s inaugural Special Needs Assistants scholarship programme. A further 10 scholarships were announced by Google covering the Docklands community.

Welcoming Google.org’s funding support to the Anchorage Project and the Irish Nautical Trust, Minister Donnelly said: “The employment opportunities both these programmes provide to the students will play a key role in not only their own futures but that of the wider community. While the State has a role to play, I would call on industry to join companies like Google and enhance their efforts to increase community employment. I have been informed that the majority of previous recipients of the Irish Nautical Trust Marine Skills & Technology scholarship programme secured employment and I look forward to hearing how all scholarship recipients fare in the months ahead”.

He added, “I would also like to sincerely congratulate today’s SNA certificate recipients and commend them on their passion and commitment to facilitating inclusive education in our community.  SNAs play an invaluable role in supporting the education and well-being of students with additional needs in schools and these parents commitment to not just the education of their own children but those of the wider community is especially commendable”

David Sneddon, VP, Google Ireland, said, “Today is about recognising the importance of having access to training in your community. I would like to specifically congratulate those who graduated. All those who received a certificate today are mothers of children with additional needs who are passionate about their wider community. We are also delighted to continue our support of the Irish Nautical Trust, an integral member of our Employment Task Force, and we look forward to developing our relationship with the Anchorage project. Google Ireland remains committed to supporting our local community and addressing their needs in partnership with the community.”

Jimmy Murray, Irish Nautical Trust, said, “The Irish Nautical Trust’s mission is to create a marine training apprenticeship programme to train and certify young people in maritime skills to allow them to secure and maintain long term sustainable employment. However, our work is only possible through support from the government and organisations committed to continuing the nautical skills tradition in Dublin. We are thrilled that this grant from Google.org will support a further 30 graduates through the training scheme”.

Last evening’s event was to present certificates to the first 10 parents of children with special needs who completed the Special Needs Assistants (SNA) qualification with support from Google. This programme was established by Google’s Education Taskforce, a group consisting of the seven local schools in the area, who identified the need for SNA support. At the same time the local Neurodiversity network in the community made up of over 60 families from Irishtown, Ringsend and Pearse Street (NIRP) approached Google seeking training support in the field of SNA and digital support.

Google supported 10 scholarships for the NIRP group. 10 parents successfully achieved level 5 and 6 qualifications in the field of SNA. They carried out their work experience in the local schools supported by the Education Task Force. Following the initial success of the programme, Google has now announced its intention to fund a further 10 scholarships in the Docklands community.

Sleep better with Google this World Sleep Day

Google searches for Sleep are at an all time high. How can I fall asleep faster? Why can’t I sleep? How much sleep do I need? Did I sleep well? are just some of the questions people turn to Google for help with everyday. Google Search trends are telling us that phrases like “sleep,” “sleep apnea” and “night routine” are trending more than ever and with World Sleep Day coming up on the 17th March, here is some Google products and features that can help to create routines for winding down, enjoying a deeper rest and waking up feeling your best.

How your Pixel phone can help you rest undisturbed

Many people keep their phone on their nightstand but with that comes the temptation to  scroll through emails and social media, or check every notification instead of getting some rest. Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7 and Pixel 6a come with features that can help people avoid this. Flip to Shhh puts the phone into Do Not Disturb mode when laid face down, and Digital Wellbeing lets users manage time spent on the phone while setting limits on certain websites and apps. When it’s in Bedtime mode, Pixel can also help people understand the quality of their sleep using AI to analyze audio such as coughs and snores during the night.

How Pixel Buds Pro can tune out the world

Whether it’s bustling city noise or a snoring partner, it can be hard to find peace and quiet when it’s time to wind down. Pixel Buds Pro have Active Noise Cancellation with Silent Seal to help block outside noise. Pair with Pixel Watch or Pixel Phones for a mindful meditation from YouTube Music in the evening. See our Pixel Buds Pro review and pixel watch strap review and if you need a case look here.

How the Pixel Watch and Fitbit Versa 4 detects personal sleep trends

Pixel Watch and the Fitbit Versa 4 are both equipped with sleep tracking features that are powered by Fitbit’s sleep technology. Combining accelerometer data, heart rate variability (the changes in time between beats) and proven machine learning algorithms, Pixel Watch and the Fitbit Versa 4 can estimate how long people spend in light, deep and REM sleep stages, as well as time awake each night. Users can wake up to their Sleep Score and better understand personal sleep trends so they can experiment and make adjustments that work for them. 

How Nest Hub (2nd Gen) can sense sleep quality
Prefer not to wear a watch to bed? Nest Hub (2nd Gen) with Sleep Sensing tracks sleep without a camera, using a low-energy radar that analyzes movement and breathing. Wake up with gentle sounds and a soft change in light then check out the sleep summary to see sleep length, disturbances like coughing or snoring and whether the bedroom temperature got too low or high.

How Google Home app can automate the bedtime routine

Setting a consistent routine is one of the best ways to improve sleep over time. By creating a Personal or Household routine in the Google Home app, people can cue actions like turning off the lights or the TV at a certain time and playing relaxing meditation music on the Nest Hub (2nd Gen). If the room gets too hot or cold at night, the Nest Hub can be used the following night to make adjustments like changing the temperature on the Nest Thermostat.

New ways Google Maps is getting more immersive and sustainable

Today Google is announcing new updates to Google Maps that will help people explore and navigate in new and more sustainable ways in a more immersive and intuitive map. AI is bringing these changes to life with updates for immersive view and Live View, along with new features for electric vehicle (EV) drivers and people who walk, bike or ride public transit. Some updates will be available from today with some launching in Dublin over the coming months.

 

Immersive view: rolling out now

Immersive view is an entirely new way to explore a place — letting you feel like you’re right there, even before you visit. Using advances in AI and computer vision, immersive view fuses billions of Street View and aerial images to create a rich, digital model of the world. And it layers helpful information on top like the weather, traffic, and how busy a place is.

Say you’re planning a visit to Trinity College. You can virtually soar over the campus and see where things like the entrances are. With the time slider, you can see what the area looks like at different times of day and what the weather will be like. You can also spot where it tends to be most crowded so you can have all the information you need to decide where and when to go. If you’re hungry, glide down to the street level to explore nearby restaurants — and even take a look inside to quickly understand the vibe of a spot before you book your reservation.

To create these true-to-life scenes, Google uses neural radiance fields (NeRF), an advanced AI technique, transforms ordinary pictures into 3D representations. With NeRF, Google Maps can accurately recreate the full context of a place including its lighting, the texture of materials and what’s in the background. All of this allows you to see if a bar’s moody lighting is the right vibe for a date night or if the views at a cafe make it the ideal spot for lunch with friends.

Immersive view starts rolling out today in London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Tokyo. And in the coming months, it’ll launch in even more cities, including in Amsterdam, Dublin, Florence and Venice.

Explore and navigate with AR

Search with Live View uses AI and augmented reality to help you find things around you — like ATMs, restaurants, parks and transit stations — just by lifting your phone while you’re on the street. Google recently launched search with Live View in London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, San Francisco and Tokyo. In the coming months, the feature will be launched in Barcelona, Dublin and Madrid.

 

Make driving an EV easy

We’re also seeing more drivers and car companies move toward electric vehicles. As a result, Google Maps is introducing new features for EV drivers with vehicles that have Google Maps built in.

 

  • Adding charging stops to shorter trips: On any trip that’ll require a charging stop, Maps will suggest the best stop based on factors like current traffic, your charge level and expected energy consumption. Now you can worry less about remembering to charge, no matter where you’re headed. And if you don’t want to visit that particular station, you can easily swap it with another one with just a few taps.

  • Very fast charging stations: The ‘very fast’ charging filter will help you easily find stations that have chargers of 150 kilowatts or higher. For many cars, this can give you enough power to fill up and get back on the road in less than 40 minutes.

  • Charging stations in search results: Google Maps will also show you in search results when places like a supermarket have charging stations on-site. So if you’re on your way to pick up groceries, you can more easily choose a store that also lets you charge your car there.

 

 

Get glanceable directions while navigating

No matter what mode of transportation you’re taking — whether you’re walking, biking or taking public transit — Google Maps is making it even easier for you to get around.

With glanceable directions, you can track your journey right from your route overview or lock screen. You’ll see updated ETAs and where to make your next turn — information that was previously only visible by unlocking your phone, opening the app and using comprehensive navigation mode. And if you decide to take another path, Google Maps will update your trip automatically. These glanceable directions start rolling out globally on Android and iOS in the coming months, and will also be compatible with Live Activities on iOS 16.1.

 

 

These are just a few ways that AI is helping us reimagine the future of Google Maps — making it more immersive and sustainable for people around the world.

Ten Irish SMEs announced as winners of You’re the Business Digital’s Acceleration Initiative

Google, Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices are today announcing the ten businesses that secured a truly unique, money-can’t-buy prize as part of the You’re The Business campaign launched last year. ‘You’re the Business’ is a programme that aims to accelerate Irish SME growth through digitalisation.

The successful businesses from across the country and a variety of sectors will receive a customised suite of digital supports from Google, expert sector and industry-specific mentoring across a range of technical areas that will help the ten SMEs to further develop their business. The selected businesses will also receive a €1,000 Google ads package each.

From family businesses to new businesses, from service to retail, the ten innovative and inspiring SMEs using digital to grow their businesses are:

  • Babogue (Kildare) – Certified Child Sleep Consultant, Erica Hargaden’s Babogue offers a suite of online video based sleep courses to help parents to manage the rollercoaster that is child sleep.
  • Camerino Bakery (Dublin) – Caryna Camerino runs the award-winning cafe and bakery and recently developed an online catering and cake ordering service.
  • Cullen Nurseries (Carlow) – Cullen Nurseries is a family owned business in Carlow, supplying top-quality native trees and hedging. Their award-winning site helps them offer an efficient online service with nationwide delivery.
  • DR Dogcare (Clare) – Animal lover Deirdre Ryan offers group or one-to-one training for dogs and their owners as well as a dog grooming service which can be booked through the website.
  • Prints of Ireland (Dublin) – Entrepreneurs, Heather and Peter’s online shop commemorates Irish landmarks with quality prints, totes and greeting cards.
  • Ryan Thomas Jewelers (Tipperary) – A family business selling luxury and hand-crafted jewellery in Clonmel for the last 43 years which can now also be purchased through the store’s website.
  • The Crafty Fox (Louth) – An award-winning fabric, crafts, and haberdashery supplies in Drogheda, supplying a large collection of top-quality products, as well as industry-leading workshops and classes which are available to book online.
  • The Cookie Co-op (Kilkenny) – A family business founded by Brian Walsh in 2020. Shoppers can order hand-crafted artisan cookies, muffins and bars online for next day delivery.
  • Velvet Cloud (Mayo) – Velvet Cloud is a range of handmade natural sheep’s milk yogurt and cheese, made on Flanagan’s family farm, and can be bought directly from their website.
  • Wonky Woolins (Galway) – Chloe Gardiner sells her wonky knitted toys from her well-designed website.

Speaking at the announcement of the winners, Caryna Camerino of Camerino Bakery said: “We launched our online shop in January 2020 just prior to Covid-19. Overnight, the website which had originally been designed to be our virtual shop window became our only shop window. Digitising our business meant that we were prepared for what came next and now the sales we make online are equal to the sales we make through the tills. We even grew the business through Covid. With Google’s help, we are now looking to reach new customers via online marketing, newsletters, and email campaigns”.

Research conducted by Google, developed in partnership with Amárach for the launch of You’re The Business last year found that almost half of SMEs believe they could more than double their turnover (40%) and profitability (45%) with an investment in digital skills. But, the research also showed that more than one in every ten SMEs based in Ireland (11%) are not yet using digital technology in their business – almost half (45%) of SMEs do not have their own website.

Alice Mansergh, Director for Small Business at Google, said: “Ireland is home to more than 250,000 small businesses, providing employment and services right across the country. Small businesses are at the heart of towns and communities across Ireland. With over 90% of Irish consumers now active online, businesses of all shapes and sizes stand to gain by ensuring they have their ‘online shop window’ – their website, their online profile – working well. At Google, we’ve been proud to partner with Enterprise Ireland and Local Enterprise Offices to bring help and support nationwide through ‘You’re The Business’. The program offers free training for all available on the You’re The Business website. We had a tough time picking 10 lucky winners to receive an even more customised prize package, such was the high standard of entries. My huge congratulations to our lucky winners: we’re excited to support their business vision and next chapter of growth online.”

Richard Murphy, Enterprise Ireland said: The You’re the Business initiative has been a significant boost to SMEs across the country.  To be able to open up Google’s expertise in digital and online promotion to all businesses is a huge step forward in helping these companies to maximise their online presence.  Both Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices have been working closely with clients supporting their journey’s to get online and grow online and this will only help those companies further.  To the winners we wish continued success and we look forward to supporting them as they grow both here in Ireland and hopefully internationally in the years to come.”

Padraic McElwee, Local Enterprise Offices said: “The impact of digital for small businesses has never been so keenly felt than over the recent years.  Many companies have had to become more agile, more digitally adept to survive and thrive.  Having helped thousands to get online with our Trading Online Vouchers during the pandemic, this was an opportune time to help these businesses upskill utilising the expertise of Google alongside our partners Enterprise Ireland.  The response to the You’re The Business campaign has been phenomenal up and down the country and to be able to open up these online resources to our clients has had a huge impact this year and will do in years to come.  I want to congratulate all the winners and no doubt they will go from strength to strength on the back of this partnership.”

Launched last year, You’re the Business – a partnership between Google, Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices – focuses on supporting Irish SMEs to upskill digitally and enhance their online capabilities. It continues to provide Irish SMEs with access to a series of live and on-demand training sessions, geared towards supporting companies at all stages of their digitalisation journey, including those at early stages right through to those more digitally-sophisticated businesses. The training consists of three modules that will help businesses.

For further information on the winners and the You’re The Business initiative, please visit: g.co/yourethebusiness

Google ‘Year in Search’ results reveal what Ireland searched for in 2022

As 2022 comes to a close, the Google Year in Search results give us a snapshot of what caught the country’s attention over the past year and what daily searches we all had in common.

This year’s top overall search is popular online word-game, Wordle! Wordle (& Heardle & Quordle & Globle & Nerdle & Foclach & Octordle) kept our brains ticking this year and while Wordle topped the overall list the game variations that popped up once the Wordle craze took hold featured on the most searched tech list. Wordle also featured on the How to list, with people turning to Google to find out ‘How to play Wordle’.

The war in Ukraine has also firmly shaped the results this year with Ukraine and Russia sitting in the top 10 overall searches and many people searching for Vladmir Putin. Search facilitated questions like, ‘What is NATO?’, ‘What is an Oligarch?’ and ‘What is the population of Ukraine?’ and provided the nation with answers in its effort to further understand the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Google Search helped us to get back out to the cinema this year as we searched for top new box office releases like The Batman, Uncharted, the classic film sequel, Top Gun: Maverick and Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin. It’s no surprise that the World Cup has found itself atop the sports-related searches as the tournament continues in Qatar. Ireland also keenly searched for the Australian Open and Ireland vs New Zealand (perhaps something to do with Ireland’s triumphant win against the All Blacks!).

Search also kept us all up to date this year on the latest Hollywood scandals with Johnny Depp and Amber Heard topping the most searched people list followed closely by Will Smith who hit the headlines after a dramatic 2022 Oscars Ceremony. We also looked to Search to stay informed on news cycles happening a bit closer to home as many of us searched for Liz Truss and Matt Hancock.

Every day, millions of people turn to Google to ask questions, and this year Covid related questions still feature in the top trending searches. ‘How to get a covid cert’ was the most searched question this year followed by ‘How to book a PCR’ .  Other questions on the list included ‘How to unblock your nose’ and ‘How to tie a tie’

In spite of the full reopening of bars and restaurants this year, the 2022 results confirmed that Ireland still loves a homemade cocktail with ‘Pornstar Martini Recipe’ topping the recipe list. Search also remained the go-to platform for inspiration for top food recipes like, ‘Mushroom Soup Recipe’, ‘Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe’ and ‘Overnight Oats Recipe’.

Search can help you find a world of information – and the way people use Search can be a window into the world. Take a closer look at this year’s trending lists at Google.com/2022.

 

Top overall

People

Wordle

Johnny Depp

Ukraine

Amber Heard

Queen Elizabeth

Will Smith

Aisling Murphy

Vladamir Putin

World Cup

Liz Truss

Heardle

Novak Djokovic

The Jeffrey Dahmer Story

Anna Delvey

Johnny Depp

Matt Hancock

Russia

Michael Owen

Anne Heche

Sinead O’Connor

 

Losses

Sports

Queen Elizabeth

World Cup

Aisling Murphy

Australian Open

Anne Heche

Ireland v New Zealand

Olivia Newton John

Nations League

Betty White

AFCON

Taylor Hawkins

Ireland v South Africa

Ray Liotta

GAA Fixtures

Aaron Carter

Winter Olympics

Shane Warne

Liverpool vs Real Madrid

Bob Saget

Ireland v Ukraine

 

Movies

Tech

The Batman

Wordle

Uncharted

Heardle

Thor Love & Thunder

Quordle

Top Gun

Globle

Banshees of Inisherin

Nerdle

Encanto

Foclach

Black Adam

Octordle

The Lost Daughter

James Webb Telescope

Don’t Worry Darling

fifa 23 web app

The Good Nurse

iPhone 14

 

Recipes

How to

Pornstar Martini Recipe

How to get covid cert

Mushroom Soup Recipe

How to book PCR

Spaghetti Bolognese Recipes

How to play Wordle

Overnight Oats Recipes

How to do Antigen

Tomato Soup Recipe

How to solve a rubik’s cube

Baked Oats Recipe

How to tie a tie

Chicken Breast recipes

How to unblock your nose

Beef Bourguignon recipe

How to spell askew

Chocolate Brownie Recipe

How to help ukraine

Raspberry Jam Recipe

How to apply for fuel allowance online

 

What is

What is NATO?

What is Monkey Pox?

What is Wordle?

What is an Oligarch?

What is an NFT?

What is Aphasia?

What is Hepatitis?

What is the population of Ukraine?

What is Salmonella?

What is the Met Gala?

Google.org provides €500,000 to support Ireland’s social entrepreneurs

Google Ireland has today announced that its philanthropic arm, Google.org, is providing €500,000 in funding to Social Entrepreneurs Ireland (SEI) and INCO. The grants will support social entrepreneur-led organisations in Ireland to grow their impact and those interested in being considered can submit an expression of interest from today, 5 December.

Leveraging the funds from Google.org, SEI and INCO will support underserved social entrepreneurs to scale their organisations. SEI will use the funding to run the Changing Ireland Accelerator Programme (CIAP), a twelve-month initiative for underserved social entrepreneurs needing support to accelerate their impact. Running in parallel to the CIAP, INCO will disperse the funding as cash sub-grants administered to the participants.

Speaking at the announcement in Google’s EMEA HQ, Dublin, Adaire Fox-Martin, President of Google Cloud International and Head of Google Ireland said:

“Social enterprise is an increasingly crucial component of a resilient, equitable, and sustainable economy. By providing the sector better access to capital, talent, markets, and technology, businesses such as Google have the opportunity to meaningfully serve the communities they operate in and advance impactful humanitarian and environmental causes.  These grants reflect Google’s continued commitment to supporting social entrepreneurs around the world and to the principle that entrepreneurship can be the best way to tackle some of the world’s greatest challenges. 

“We want to encourage ambitious change-makers to submit their expression of interest in the Changing Ireland Accelerator programme today.”

Tim Griffiths, CEO of Social Entrepreneurs Ireland said:

“Social Entrepreneurs Ireland is thrilled to work with INCO and believe that this catalytic funding will help brilliant, social entrepreneur-led organisations to scale up and accelerate the impact they are having across Ireland reaching the most underserved communities.”

Mathieu Planchard, Global Head of Development at INCO said:

“This initiative represents a concrete step towards building a more diverse and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem. The combination of capacity building support and strategic grant funding is the right recipe to break down the barriers faced by underserved founders in Ireland today. It’s a real privilege for INCO to work alongside SEI and to receive support from Google.org.”

Social Entrepreneurs Ireland is a not-for-profit organisation committed to the vision of accelerated social change through the power of people. Its mission is to harness the cumulative power of people through programmes, direct funding and an experienced community of alumni, funders, and sector leaders. Since its foundation in 2004, SEI has supported more than 550 social entrepreneurs across the country. Alumni of SEI programmes include Pieta House, AsIAm, Irish Community Air Ambulance, GIY, FoodCloud and the Irish Men’s Sheds Association.

INCO is a global nonprofit on a mission to create a more socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable economy. Across 40+ countries around the world, INCO  accelerates the growth of impact-driven businesses, and offers free education programs to the workforce of tomorrow. Since 2021, INCO has been leading StartSocial, an initiative supported by Google.org, to provide funding and capacity-building to over 400 social enterprises across Europe.

Today’s announcement by Google is an integral part of its European-wide commitment to supporting Social Entrepreneurs building on a pledge of €20 million cash funding through the Google.org Social Innovation Fund to support underserved social innovators across Europe.

Expressions of interest in the Changing Ireland Accelerator Programme are welcome via the dedicated page on the SEI website from 5 December 2022. The selection process will launch in February 2023 with successful applicants appointed to the programme from June 2023.

Google.org will be fully funding the costs of this programme in 2023 with a grant of €500,000.