Over 1,000 secondary school students are hoping to impress on day one of the 54th BT Young Scientist and Technology exhibition.
The President will kick off proceedings at the RDS in Dublin this afternoon.
Some 550 projects have been submitted, and 60% are from female students.
This year winner(s) of the event, to be announced on Friday, will be presented with a cheque for €7,500, (an increase from €5,000), a trip to the historic Bletchley Park and the BTYSTE perpetual trophy.
The 2018 overall winner(s) will also represent Ireland at the 30th EU Contest for Young Scientists when it is hosted in Dublin in September.
Judging will begin today, with the exhibition open to the public tomorrow.
Managing Director of BT Ireland, Shay Walsh, says he is looking forward to the event.
"It's infectious - the buzz will be absolutely phenomenal here," he said.
"It's going to be fantastic, it's going to be a lively event this year."
On @3NewsIreland at 10 I've a preview of the @BTYSTE competition, officially getting underway tomorrow. Speaking to some really smart kids about physics & pretending I understood what they were on about 🙄 pic.twitter.com/YDMAeZWW8m
— Deborah Naylor (@DebsNaylor) January 9, 2018