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ATU PhD Students Win First Place in Global WTUN Student Innovation Competition
Two PhD students from Atlantic Technological University achieved first place in the prestigious World Technology Universities Network (WTUN) Student Competition 2025.
Two PhD students from Atlantic Technological University achieved first place in the prestigious World Technology Universities Network (WTUN) Student Competition 2025.
The winning team consists of researchers from the ATU Galway campus, Chethaka Gamage and Dhanushi Rodrigo, both PhD candidates in Business. The team beat out 20 global university teams with their groundbreaking project, ATU CropConnect, a platform that helps make farming more sustainable by bringing together older and younger generations and combining traditional knowledge with new technology.
As Dhanushi and Chethaka explain, “CropConnect is designed to bridge generational gaps in sustainable agriculture, with a focus on preserving traditional Irish farming knowledge and supporting rural resilience. The project involves engaging with elder farmers and their knowledge built over decades, an AI mentor trained on this content, and a gamified learning experience for young and new farmers. We believe this approach offers a scalable, locally adaptable model with global relevance to other WTUN member regions.”
This year’s WTUN Student Competition challenged students to develop innovative, local solutions addressing one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), under the 2025 theme: “Sustainable Innovation for Planetary Health – Local Solutions for Global Problems.”
“Winning the WTUN Student Competition was such a memorable moment”, said Dhanushi. “As someone researching supply chain sustainability learning, this project really brought my interests to life. For me, ATU CropConnect is about more than just technology, it’s involves connecting people, generations, and knowledge. It showed how local wisdom and new tools can come together to build to build sustainable, resilient communities. I am grateful for the opportunity to share my ideas on this global platform and very proud of this win representing ATU and Ireland’.
Chethaka Gamage commented on the achievement saying, “Winning first place in the WTUN Student Competition was an incredible honour and a proud moment for us. It confirmed our belief that meaningful innovation can start from local challenges and be shaped into global solutions. Through ATU CropConnect, we aimed to connect generations, preserve agricultural heritage, and show how AI can serve rural resilience. We’re grateful for the opportunity to represent ATU on an international stage and share our vision for sustainable change.”
ATU CropConnect directly engages with SDG Goals #4 (Quality Education), #8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), #9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), #13 (Climate Action), and #15 (Life on Land). The project centres on rural resilience and intergenerational knowledge transfer in Irish farming communities.
Dr Ciarán Ó hAnnracháin, Chair Operational Board for the WTUN, commented on the significance of their success and the WTUN:
“The WTUN plays a crucial role in enabling global opportunities for learning, research and collaboration. This win is a fantastic achievement, and we’re delighted that our PhD students will have the opportunity to showcase their work on a global platform. Addressing the SDGs demands a deep understanding of the regions most affected, particularly in Southeast Asia, Africa and South America. The WTUN enables our staff and students to engage directly with counterparts across these diverse regions.”
Their academic supervisors, Dr George Onofrei, Dr Gabriela Gliga and Dr Amaya Vega, echoed their pride in the project’s success:
“We are incredibly proud of our students for winning first place in the 2025 WTUN Student Competition. Their project, ATU CropConnect, is a powerful example of how innovative thinking can bridge generations and strengthen knowledge transfer in agri-food systems. Their achievement reflects a deep commitment to sustainability and building community resilience through inclusively harnessing emerging technologies such as AI. Competing on a global stage, they have shown how local insights can inspire global solutions. We congratulate the team on this well-deserved win.”
As part of their award, Chethaka and Dhanushi have been invited to present their project at the World Technology Universities Congress (WTUC) in October 2025, where their work will be showcased to international academic and industry leaders.
For more details about the 2025 WTUN Student Competition and the full list of winners, visit: https://www.wtu-n.net/2025/06/wtun-student-competition-2025-the-winners/
For more information, please contact jorden.mcmenamin@Atu.ie/ 074 918 6127
