An innovative solution designed by a team from University of Limerick to help prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) – a serious hospital-acquired infection that can affect patients receiving mechanical ventilation in intensive care – has won the Engineers Ireland Siemens Innovative Student Engineer of the Year Award 2026.
The project, ExHalo GUARDIAN, was inspired by the personal experience of a team member, whose family member contracted ventilator-associated pneumonia, highlighting the real-world impact of the challenge the team set out to address.
The winning team, comprising Omar Amin and Benjamin O’Sullivan (both Newport, Co Tipperary), Roisin Power (Killoscully, Co Tipperary) and James Dollery (Kilfinny, Co Limerick), impressed judges with their pioneering approach to addressing a significant healthcare challenge through engineering-led innovation.
“Winning this award is an incredible honour for our team, and we’re proud to have the ExHalo GUARDIAN recognised by Siemens and Engineers Ireland for its potential to make ICU care safer. It was incredibly inspiring to be surrounded by such motivated and driven students, and we’re hugely grateful to our mentors and families for their unwavering support,” a member of the team said.
The annual competition, organised by Engineers Ireland and supported by Siemens, celebrates outstanding third-level engineering projects that demonstrate innovation, sustainability and commercial potential. The 2026 final, held on 22nd October, brought together six teams from universities across Ireland to present projects spanning healthcare, agriculture, energy and technology. The finalists showcased a range of innovations, from biomedical devices and agricultural systems to solutions designed to strengthen and modernise critical infrastructure.
