Converge celebrates 15 years of innovation with record-breaking Awards night

Celebrating 15 years of empowering university entrepreneurs, Converge has unveiled the winners of its 2026 awards, with 20 innovators from 12 institutions sharing a prize fund of more than £410,000.

From endometriosis diagnostics to disruptive chip technology, this year’s award recipients exemplify the strength of Scotland’s innovation ecosystem and the transformative potential of the research, innovation and ideas emerging from its universities.

Scottish innovators developing a handheld “electronic nose,” capable of detecting chemical changes or quality issues in drinks within seconds, have been crowned the winners of the flagship Converge Challenge. 

Led by Marcus Campbell Bannerman and Ammar Elhoweris at the University of Aberdeen, the venture is developing an affordable portable sensor designed to flag subtle changes in a product before they become costly quality issues, reducing reliance on lengthy specialist laboratory analysis. The innovation could give breweries, distilleries, wineries and other drinks producers rapid insight directly on the production floor.

Adam Kosterka, Executive Director of Converge, said: “For 15 years, Converge has supported ambitious founders to take promising ideas beyond the university environment and turn them into sustainable businesses. Scensai’s success shows the potential for technically sophisticated research to be developed into a practical tool with real-world applications and significant commercial potential.”

This year’s Awards carried extra significance, marking 15 years since Converge was founded in 2011. Over that time, the programme has grown into Scotland’s national company creation and entrepreneurship initiative for the university sector, helping to support the creation of more than 500 companies.

Among those addressing guests at the ceremony was Professor Stephen McArthur, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, who has a personal connection stretching back to the programme’s beginnings.

Professor McArthur is co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Bellrock Technology, which was Converge’s inaugural winning venture in 2011.

Professor McArthur said: “Converge gives academic entrepreneurs from across Scotland’s universities the support, skills and confidence to turn ideas into successful ventures. Bellrock Technology, which I co-founded with Adam Brown, won the inaugural Converge Challenge in 2011 before spinning out from Strathclyde and securing investment. I know first-hand the difference that support can make.

“It’s a privilege to return to Converge this year as Principal of Strathclyde and as a keynote speaker. Universities are vibrant sources of ideas and innovation, but turning those into successful businesses takes the right support. Converge plays an important role in helping Scotland’s academic entrepreneurs make that journey.”

Converge is preparing to launch Converge 2.0 in 2027, an evolved offering which will broaden its support and introduce more tailored, sector-specific pathways for ventures at an advanced stage of development.

The full list of Converge 2026 winners and runners-up is as follows: