News
£125,000 Microfinance Fund launched to boost Scotland’s academic innovation pipeline
The Scottish Government and Converge have today joined forces to launch a new £125,000 Microfinance Fund aimed at accelerating Scotland’s pipeline of academic start-ups.
Designed to help students, graduates and university staff take that all important first step towards starting a business, the new initiative will allocate £5,000 to each of Scotland’s 19 universities with grants distributed through university channels.
Converge 2025: Awards, Record Funding and New Partnership
Converge has announced the recipients of its 2025 awards, from life-saving food safety technology to breakthrough medical devices, with 22 prizes sharing a total prize pot in excess of £400,000.
This year’s cohort celebrates another exceptional year of university-led innovation, demonstrating Scotland’s position at the forefront of global entrepreneurship and research commercialisation.
Scots University Projects Receive Gov Funding to Go Commercial
The Scottish government is awarding projects across ten Scottish universities with the £2.95m Proof of Concept Fund to support harnessing their ground-breaking academic ideas for commercial use.
Source: DIGIT
Edinburgh spin-out SeaWarm secures funding
University of Edinburgh spin-out SeaWarm has secured £550,000 to roll out its renewable heating system across Scottish communities.
The investment includes £250,000 from angel investment syndicate Equity Gap, £250,000 from development agency Scottish Enterprise and £50,000 from University of Edinburgh in-house venture fund Old College Capital.
Source: Business Insider
Supporting business growth in Midlothian
Midlothian Science Zone Business Forum took place on Tuesday 6th May led by Robbie Broomfield, Business Growth Advisor for Business Gateway Midlothian, who provided an overview of key business support mechanisms available in Scotland through Business Gateway and the broader enterprise agency landscape.
£326k given to insect protein research
Innovate UK has awarded £326,610 to help the UK insect sector address regulatory barriers.
This IBC-Net project, led by UK Agri-Tech Centre Ltd, will overcome regulatory hurdles in insect bioconversion, the process of using insects to break down organic waste into protein for animal feed, oils or fertiliser.
Scottish universities awarded £2m to ‘shape the future of science’
Five Scottish projects have been awarded more than £2m to tackle some of the most pressing health and environmental challenges.
Researchers based at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow have secured part of a £9m government fund for their projects which are poised “to push the boundaries of knowledge”.
Source: Holyrood
Scottish Biotech Innovator Secures Up To £1.1 Million Investment From Scottish Enterprise
Green Bioactives, a leader in the sustainable production of plant-based natural products through its proprietary Plant Cell Culture Technology platform, has secured grant of up to £1,097,016 from Scottish Enterprise. The grant will support an 18-month research and development initiative focused on the production and initial scale-up of natural products that are derived from plant cell culture, which will enable Green Bioactives to supply customers in waiting in the cosmetic and personal care industries.
Scottish biotech company secures £3.4 million
Scottish biotech engineering company uFraction8 has secured £3.4m in new investment, following the completion of a funding round led by Foresight Group.
Based in Falkirk with a fully-owned subsidiary in Poland, uFraction8’s microfiltration technology is designed to optimise cell and biomass production, offering an energy-efficient alternative to traditional methods used in the production of food, feed and bio-based products.
Source: Business Insider
Funding boost for fertility technology
Dyneval, a pioneering agriculture fertility technology company has raised £515,772 in a new funding round, including investment from Lifted Ventures, to advance its groundbreaking product, the Dynescan.
The Dynescan is the first semen analyzer capable of measuring semen quality over time under conditions mimicking the reproductive tract.