Computer science students have been attending an innovation hub with industry experts in Co Galway to enhance their Leaving Certificate projects and pitch ideas for future start-ups.
The event is free of charge, and supported by the University of Galway and a number of local companies.
The Portershed in Galway city is an established hub for small businesses and start-ups, but it has been given over to a new breed of entrepreneurs in the tech space for the event.
Computer science students have gathered from Dominican College, Taylor's Hill, Educate Together, Galway Community College and St Joseph's Patrician College in the city centre, known as 'The Bish'.
The teams are a mix of the various schools, which collaborate on ideas to pitch to a judging panel.
The event is a Leaving Cert Hackathon and it is the brainchild of Ross Conboy, who teaches at The Bish.
"I teach physics and computer science in the school and I set this event up specifically for our fifth and sixth years," he said.
"The goal is to help them build connections, develop communication skills, and prepare for their Leaving Cert Computer Science projects," he added.
Mr Conboy said event is supported by Galway University and a European digital innovation hub called Data2sustain.
Data2sustain has been established in the northern and western region to help SMEs apply cutting-edge technologies and digital skills to their businesses.
It is also being used by public sector bodies to help make their services "more efficient".
Students immerse themselves in coding, prototyping and testing alongside the use of AI tools, the development of web pages and new businesses online.
They get to pitch their creative ideas to a panel of judges. The aim is to enhance programming abilities and develop presentation skills.
The teams are encouraged to brainstorm on "real world problems" and one of the projects being pitched is a way to help tackle the housing crisis.
Claire Leuridan-Slevin, a sixth year student at Taylor's Hill, wants to use a parsing technique in computer science to break down complex data that can be analysed and used to help people know when the price is right for them to buy.
"So we've got a database of all the houses sold in Ireland since 2010 and we hope to make predictions based on those trends," she said.
Ms Leuridan-Slevin said the team had "come up with the idea of an automated realtor who finds houses for people".
She said: "So there are plenty of platforms and websites that show you houses that you can buy, but what's missing is that people don't know when to buy the house.
"We're analysing trends from the past, sort of like the stock market, if you wish, and we're going to predict when the prices fall and when they rise."
"So, for example, a family can't afford a four-bedroom house today, but we can show maybe in the summer 2026 how they will be able to afford that house.
"In the meantime, we can show you houses that you can live in right now."
Tobi Eboka, who attends Educate Together and is on Ms Leuridan-Slevin's team, said he is "really enjoying" the workshop as he likes brainstorming with friends, and wants "to make a difference with his skill set".
"I want to develop a website that would make it easier for people to find housing near or on the outskirts of Galway city," he said.
"I want people to be comfortable where they are, especially from different countries, to be able to find suitable housing in Ireland - taking into account job issues, schooling and inflation," he added.
The team's aim, he said, "is to ensure that everyone gets a roof over their head at a price they can afford".
Rosemary Gallagher, the programme co-ordinator at the Portershed, said the event is "the sort of thing that we absolutely thrive on".
Ms Gallagher said: "We have over 30 students in attendance this weekend working on solving societal problems.
"For us, talking directly to students that are doing computer science at Leaving Cert level, who might then go on to do that in university, who might go on in careers in tech, who might even one day create a start-up.
"To us, these are the Portershed members for 5 to 10 years from now."
She said the "really important" aspect of the Leaving Cert Hackathon is that "they're not just exploring code, what they're actually doing here is exploring creativity".
"So they're getting a leg up in their Leaving Cert project because they have to do this coursework," she said.
"What they're doing here today is coming up with ideas in their groups, thinking about what they're going to build and how they're going to go about building it," she added.
Ms Gallagher said the teams are "purposely" put together in a mix from different schools so students bring as the students offer "different skill sets and bringing out the best in one another".
The event is now in its second year and Mr Conboy hopes to expand further afield
"We are actively looking at innovation hubs like the Republic of Work in Co Cork and the RDI Hub in Killorglin, Co Kerry, who are keen to come on board next year," he said.
"We also want to reach out to as many schools as possible because our aim is to make this experience accessible to students across the country who want to pursue a career in the tech sector," he added.
The theme of the event was inspired by British mathematician Clive Humby who coined the phrase: "Data is the new oil. Like oil, data is valuable, but if unrefined it cannot really be used."
