UHI staff and students selected for national entrepreneurship programme
Students and staff from around the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) have been selected as part of the 2023 Converge cohort. The company creation programme provides support to staff, students and graduates of Scottish universities and research institutes to turn their ideas for products and services into reality. This year’s successful candidates are:
Dr Georgina Robinson, Research Associate/Fellow at SAMS
Dr Robinson offers a solution to the issue of organic waste in the Scottish aquaculture industry. The scalable biotechnological approach can convert waste into high value, sustainable feed ingredients in the form of marine worms, rich in protein, lipid and omega-3 fatty acids.
The technology can be co-located at aquaculture production facilities to deliver circular aquaculture. This innovative approach enables us to grow high quality polychaetes year-round for UK and global export markets. In doing so, the technology creates a circular economy, reducing waste disposal costs and impacts, and create low carbon alternate feed ingredients.
Roma Gibb, a BSc nursing student who set up Person Centred Solutions Ltd
Person Centred Solutions has developed the Bed Band, an innovative product which helps people with mobility issues get a good night’s sleep. This patent-pending innovative support system will help users maintain a comfortable position in bed. This aims to reduce insomnia, pressure sores, pain and discomfort. Improving sleep can increase energy and self-sufficiency while lowering care requirements, generally improving the wellbeing of the person using it.
Aleksandra Czech-Seklecka, a postgraduate student at UHI Inverness who has developed VanFill
VanFill is an app which helps reduce carbon emissions and transportation costs for transport providers. This is achieved by optimising and reducing the number of empty and half-empty runs of transport providers by connecting them conveniently with businesses and individuals looking for transportation of their goods. The app will:&
- Reduce costs for businesses whilst simultaneously adding an as yet untapped revenue stream for transport providers
- Help optimise the supply chain and better utilise the logistics network which will reduce emissions and traffic
- Create convenience as everything is done via one app (also payments)
- Help Scotland in reaching Net Zero by 2045
Theodora Hunt, a business and management student at UHI North Highland who set up Dr Goat
As a first-generation farmer with a small goat herd and a business and management student at UHI, Theodora wants to actively contribute to the food and drink sector in Scotland. She would like to finalise the development of a goat milk stout and seaweed beer based on the goat milk she produces at her smallholding.
Goat milk has more protein, more calcium, more magnesium, along with less fat and less lactose, making it a healthier alternative to cow milk. Both these products would be brand new to the UK market.