Meanwhile, The University of Strathclyde has two finalists - Synaptec a cost-effective instrumentation measurement solution offering high level control, monitoring and protection system to the power industry and Savitur Metrics, a spectroscopy measurement system for effective monitoring quality control for waste reduction at chemical and pharmaceutical plants
This year, Converge Challenge received 111 entrants from academic staff and students with business ideas from across Scotland. The growth that Converge Challenge has enjoyed since its inception in 2010 is testament to how important competitions like this have become to higher academia. Year on year, there has been a continuous growth in applicants to enter Converge Challenge – these come from staff and students across the Higher Education campuses the length and breadth of Scotland. It leaves Converge Challenge as the ‘beacon’ within Scotland’s burgeoning entrepreneurial ‘ecosystem’ from within the nation’s higher education sector, as Dr Olga Kozlova, Director of Converge Challenge explains;
“Invention and a strong ‘can do’ attitude have prevailed across our Universities down the years which reinforces the message that we remain a strong country full of entrepreneurial flair and vision for ideas creation, all actively encouraged by our universities.
“The Converge Challenge programme represents an opportunity for Scotland's students and researchers to develop their knowledge and commercial skills, but it is the growth that this national competition has enjoyed over the past five years that is so rewarding.
It's only when you look around the world and you see what other universities are doing to encourage a consistent flow of academic entrepreneurs that you realise Scotland can be proud of its achievements.”
The final of the Converge Challenge takes place in Edinburgh on Tuesday 30th September at the Edinburgh Conference Centre, Heriot Watt University, where the keynote speaker will be Professor Anne Glover, Chief Scientific Advisor to the European Commission.
