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.

Hayleigh May and Andrew Callander from the University of Strathclyde took the top prize and over £67,000 in cash and in-kind business support for their breakthrough device, FoodShield, which detects deadly Listeria in just five minutes. The rapid-response technology will help to prevent outbreaks and costly recalls, potentially revolutionising global food safety

Record funding secures long-term stability

The winners’ announcement comes as Converge secures its largest-ever funding commitment of £1.26 million from the Scottish Funding Council, providing unprecedented stability for supporting university innovators across Scotland over the next three years.

The multi-year investment, running from 2026 to 2028, represents the Scottish Funding Council’s continued confidence in Converge’s role as a catalyst for Scotland’s innovation economy and will enable the programme to support more university entrepreneurs while strengthening partnerships between Scotland’s universities.

Strategic Scottish Enterprise partnership creates enhanced support pathways

Converge has also announced a new strategic partnership with Scottish Enterprise that will create smoother pathways for university entrepreneurs to access business support, from initial concept through to business growth. Both organisations will work together to identify promising intellectual property-rich ventures and provide a coordinated approach to help academic founders navigate the journey from laboratory to market.

Adam Kosterka, Executive Director of Converge, said: “At Converge, we believe Scotland’s universities are home to the next generation of world-changing innovations. This year’s winners exemplify exactly what’s possible when brilliant academic minds are equipped with the business expertise and networks to transform their ideas into commercially successful, impactful companies.

“With our new record funding from the Scottish Funding Council and strategic partnership with Scottish Enterprise, we’re creating an even stronger foundation to support university entrepreneurs on their journey from laboratory to market. Together with Scotland’s universities and our corporate supporters, we’re building an innovation ecosystem where transformative ideas can flourish into the businesses that will define our future economy.”

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “Coming hot off the heels of the Scottish Government’s Proof of Concept funding this increased, multi-year backing for the Converge Programme provides a real injection of support for our university researchers, start-ups and spinouts. Critically, it also brings added weight to our ambition to convert more of the world-leading innovations being generated in Scotland into successful business.

“To ensure we capitalise on the innovation and ingenuity within our academic institutions, it is vital that we work together across organisations and across sectors to create a supportive environment for our spinouts to start-up and scale-up. I am delighted that a strategic partnership between Converge and Scottish Enterprise is being developed, helping drive the joined-up support required to help our university entrepreneurs thrive.”

The full list of Converge 2025 winners and runners-up is as follows: