The chance to work on real-world applications, mix with Microsoft's elite, win cash prizes and a trip to Seoul has proved inspirational, writes Karlin Lillington

The final goal is a software product that might get venture capital funding, draw commercial interest, or even take home $25,000 in prize money. But the short-term aim for 10 software design and programming teams from Irish universities and colleges is to come first next week in the Irish leg of Microsoft's software design competition, the Imagine Cup, and travel to South Korea for the finals.

Now in its fifth year globally, this is the first time that Microsoft's Imagine Cup - which challenges third-level students to design software according to a yearly "Imagine..." theme - is open to Irish college entries. The focus for entrants this year is to "imagine a world where technology enables a better education for all".

National winners get an expenses-paid trip to Seoul for the finals in August, where finalists in nine categories will share €130,000 in prizes and have the chance to be coached towards commercialising their application.

The Irish finalists come from across the third-level spectrum - University College Dublin; NUI Galway; Cork Institute of Technology; University College Cork; Galway/Mayo Institute of Technology; Limerick Institute of Technology; Tipperary Institute of Technology; University of Ulster; and three separate entries from NUI Maynooth.

"It's a real challenge - a worldwide competition and definitely something for the CV," says NUI Maynooth second-year computer science and software engineering student Eric McClean. His team has created a programme that teaches sign language in an interactive way utilising motion capture techniques.

Liam Cronin, Microsoft's Imagine Cup Ireland programme manager, says more than 200 students in Ireland entered the competition.

The final of the Irish competition takes place next Thursday at Microsoft headquarters in Sandyford, Dublin. Each of the 10 teams will make a short presentation to judges in the morning. From those, three semi-finalists will be selected, who then will make 15-minute demonstrations to a larger audience in the afternoon, reminiscent of the high-speed pitches entrepreneurs make to venture capitalists.

Appropriately enough, one of those assessing the student projects is a venture capitalist. Former country manager for Microsoft Ireland Kevin Dillon is now with Atlantic Bridge Partners. Other sponsors include Enterprise Ireland and PC manufacturer Lenovo.

Cronin says the competition is "an opportunity for us to partner with the academic community, work with students and further links in the community".

He says a competition like the Imagine Cup also allows Microsoft to talk to some potential future employees - something of which students like McClean are keenly aware.

Entering the competition has also pushed them to a deeper level of programming and learning, he says, noting that he had to learn the complete ins and outs of a computer language he'd only touched upon previously. Teams come up with their own application and research, design and program it. "It's definitely given us a flavour of what it will be like working on real-world projects," McClean says.

Faculty adviser Tom Lysaght at NUI Maynooth - who is delighted to have three teams among the 10 finalists against all- island competition - says the event has been "hugely motivational".

"Students get to work on real-world applications that could become a sellable item. Plus they forge links to a very large software company and a possible future employer."

Why does he think Maynooth had such a good turnout? "Staff here were really encouraging of the students and have been willing to give them extra time to complete assignments. Also, Liam [ Cronin] came and gave a very inspirational talk to the students."

The prospect of a trip to Seoul didn't hurt either, he adds.

The Irish competition features software goodies for all the finalists and a range of prizes for the first through third placing teams. The winners will take home Lenovo laptops and head on to South Korea in the summer, while their institution will get a €1,000 prize.

The stakes in Seoul are significant, with the first place team in the software design segment, in which the Irish team will compete, taking home $25,000.

Whichever team wins next week will have the summer to refine and polish their application for Seoul, where it will be scored 15 per cent on problem definition, 60 per cent on design, 15 per cent on development, and 10 per cent on presentation.

The same judging elements will hold for the Irish competition, says Cronin. Students will need to show innovation, impact and usefulness in their application. "And also, we'll want to see what degree of passion the students bring to the project," he says.

Lysaght has confidence that his students can hold their own not just in Ireland but internationally.

"It's their chance to make a mark. They want to be winners."