The week of 19th October 2026 was Maynooth University’s annual Research Week and also saw the return of IVI’s Digital Oktoberfest, for our biggest schedule yet with a full week of events.

On Monday 19th October, IVI’s Prof. Markus Helfert and Prof. Brian Donnellan joined a fascinating session on ‘Human Agency and Creativity in the Age of AI.’  This research showcase, co-hosted with the Arts and Humanities Institute, explored the role of human agency and creativity in an age increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. Bringing together perspectives from across the arts, humanities and related disciplines, the event examined how AI is influencing creative practice, decision-making and human experience.

On Tuesday 20 October our Digital Health & Wellbeing Cluster Lead Marco Alfano lead his exhibition on ‘AI for Your Health and Wellbeing: Explore,Understand and Take Control’. The drop-in session allowed exploration of how AI and digital technologies can empower people to better understand, manage and take control of their own health and wellbeing. Participants could experience and try on digital health solutions including the newly developed MyWell app.

Also on Tuesday, IVI and the Hamilton Institute hosted a joint panel discussion ‘Beyond the Hype: Technology Myths and theSociety We’re Building’ with IVI speakers including Director Prof. Markus Helfert, Cluster Lead Dr. Tadhg MacIntyre and from MU’s department of Design Innovation, Dr. Linzi Ryan, and Dr. Claudia Roessing acting as chair. The discussion asked what emerging technologies can actually do, what evidence should justify trust, and how society can shape their use. The Hamilton Institute’s technical and mathematical expertise complements IVI’s work on organisational adoption, governance, design and value creation, meaning a valuable cross-perspective discussion. Points included what is genuinely new – or not! – about AI technologies, the surprising benefits of data centre construction, and what ‘trust’ means when working with AI agents.

On Thursday 22 October, our signature event ‘Where Research Meets Real-World Impact’ was held in Maynooth University’s TSI Building. The full morning session showcased a range of different IVI projects and some of the new and upcoming research from our team and community.

The morning began with another GoGreen Trails walking tour of the campus led by Sara Lynch, following successful walks at the IVI Summit 2026 and other events. Back at the TSI building, after welcomes from Prof. Helfert and MU Vice-President for Research & Innovation Prof. Rachel Msetfi, Naoise Ó Cearúil TD, Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Spokesperson on Artificial Intelligence & Gaeltacht Affairs, delivered a speech on the importance of research and innovation in the digital, data and AI space. As a Maynooth alumnus Naoise was able to speak from experience!

The morning continued with a presentation from IVI Affiliate Researcher Dr. Wael Rashwan on his recent research in AI-powered enterprise, showing the breadth of IVI-afiliated research across Maynooth University. Attendees also heard from IVI Operations Manager Paul Heynen, discussing our SME-focused programme ReThink | ReDesign, and Roshmita Kanungoe and Dr Michael Hanley discussing DIGIFABS.

The showcase was attended by guests from across Maynooth University and beyond, from researchers to external partners and business leaders and the various students who stopped by on their way to and from lectures – showing that IVI sits at the middle of a vibrant, active community of learners, workers and researchers.

The afternoon of Thursday 22 October saw the first meeting of our Innovation Team on AI Governance, bringing together IVI’s research with expertise from practitioners, business leaders and researchers. As this open innovation community continues to develop we look forward to co-creating solutions to the real challenges organisations face.

Learn more about our Innovation Teams and how to become a member here.