A student who wowed judges at SciFest TUS Athlone has won a major international award thanks to his invention, which was designed to make taking medicine easier for people with hand-mobility issues.
Ronan Lyons, from Lanesboro Community College, received the prestigious Broadcom Coding with Commitment Award at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona, for his project CAPILL – Compliance Aid Promoting Independent Living Long-Term.
The award, presented at the world’s largest pre-college science competition, carries prize winnings of $10,000.
Ronan first captured attention when he won the regional SciFest competition held at TUS Athone in April 2025.
His project is an innovative medicine dispenser designed to improve medication compliance, safety and independent living for people managing long-term conditions and hand-mobility difficulties.
Describing the invention, Ronan said the project was: “A four-levelled dispenser that used a series of stepper motors to drop medication into an ergonomic cup that is presented when the patient’s fingerprint is scanned.”
In the abstract accompanying his project, Ronan explained:
“This compliance aid will make taking medicines easier and safer for the estimated 460,000 people in Ireland that suffer from conditions that have a large effect on hand mobility, such as rheumatism, arthritis and neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease.
“Most readily available blister packages and compliance aids require fine motor skills to remove the tablets from their packaging.
“I plan to make medicine compliance easier with my dispenser CAPILL as it drops the medicines into a specially designed ergonomic cup.”
Ronan also acknowledged the support he received while developing the project, thanking staff from the Faculty of Engineering and Informatics at TUS.
The Broadcom Coding with Commitment Award, sponsored by the Broadcom Foundation, recognises projects that use technology and innovation to address real-world societal challenges. The Broadcom Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Broadcom Inc, a global supplier of semiconductor and infrastructure software products.
Regeneron ISEF, which ran from 9–15 May in Phoenix, brought together more than 1,700 students from over 60 countries, regions and territories to compete for more than $7 million in awards and prizes.
Professor Vincent Cunnane, President of TUS, said:
“Ronan’s achievement on the international stage is hugely impressive and a wonderful reflection of the creativity, innovation and problem-solving ability being nurtured through SciFest. What stood out from the very beginning was the maturity of his thinking — clearly identifying a real-world problem and finding a solution with genuine potential to improve people’s lives. We are incredibly proud to have hosted Ronan’s SciFest journey at TUS and to see him go on to achieve this level of global recognition.”
This year marked a first for SciFest, with three student projects progressing to the international competition in Phoenix — and all three Irish entries secured awards on the world stage. The other Irish finalists were Addison Carey from Celbridge Community School, whose project explored post-quantum lattice-based cryptography, and Zack O’Leary from Clongowes Wood College whose project M.A.N.T.I.S. uses muon analysis, simulation and AI for non-invasive tomography.
Sheila Porter, Founder and CEO of SciFest, said:
“To be shortlisted for the world’s largest international pre-college science competition is an outstanding achievement and a testament to their talent, creativity and commitment to STEM. Regeneron ISEF is an amazing opportunity for young scientists to showcase their work on a global stage, and each of the students has been a wonderful ambassador for Irish science. I would also like to thank the organisers, judges, teachers, families and supporters who make this experience possible, and who continue to encourage and inspire the next generation of STEM talent.”
The SciFest National Final will take place later this year, with the next SciFest STEM Champion set to represent Ireland at Regeneron ISEF 2027.