Scotland’s universities paving the way to a better future

The future is coming and sooner than you think with 100 breakthrough ideas from Scotland’s universities now through to the 2024 semi-finals of Converge, Scotland’s springboard for university-born innovators.

Featuring emerging technologies that could change the way we eat, live, and safeguard our planet, this year’s shortlist includes ideas from across the length and breadth of Scotland with 18 Scottish Universities and Research Institutes included in the final cut. 

Split across four challenge categories – Converge, Create Change, Net Zero and KickSart – they include PalmAlt, a revolutionary, sustainable alternative to palm oil which could offer a solution to the damaging effects of palm cultivation. Led by Catriona Liddle, an academic at Queen Margaret University, the new proprietary solution includes a by-product from the linseed industry, fibre and rapeseed oil which can be produced locally, at global scale, and is cost-competitive. If adopted by the food industry to replace palm oil, it could significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions and the deforestation of global rainforests associated with palm production.

Another ground-breaking project in Food & Drink is Gledfield Distillery which uses oats to craft botanical spirits – reportedly a world-first. Founded by Highlands & Islands University graduate, Ciara Bow, the recipe is inspired by Ciara’s great, great grandmother who operated an illicit still in her croft in Ardgay. 

Other top performing sectors this year include the Life Sciences, Technology and Engineering; Renewable Energy and the Creative Industries with projects showcasing a clearer alignment between profitability and sustainability than ever before. In the Creative Industries, this includes BIO-WOOL, a multifaceted material created by University of Dundee graduate, Tom Stewart, to provide an innovative application for British wool. Tom, who hails from a farming background, was motivated to start his business after seeing farmers burn their fleeces in the face of collapsing wool prices.

Signalling the global attractiveness of Scotland’s universities, founders from ethnically diverse backgrounds make up 39% of the 2024 Converge cohort with nearly 50% coming from outside of the UK. 

Commenting on this year’s cohort announcement, Dr Claudia Cavalluzzo, executive director of Converge said: 

“Innovation thrives on the intersection of creativity, curiosity and market needs and nowhere is this more apparent than in our 2024 cohort. Representing the very best academic innovators from across our world-beating university sector, their ideas have the potential to fundamentally change life as we know it.

It’s this drive to create something new, to make the world a better place and to disrupt the status quo that has always fascinated me. It’s also one of the reasons why I love to spend time with entrepreneurs. I can’t wait to get to know this year’s cohort and look forward to finding out more about them and their businesses. 

Dr Cavalluzzo added: I’m also encouraged to see such a multitude of projects from diverse backgrounds this year. Scotland has always been a welcoming place, particularly in our universities. It’s great to see that they continue to attract top-tier students and researchers from around the world.”

All 100 semi-finalists will now be invited to attend in-depth business training with the most advanced projects invited to pitch their ideas live to an invited audience of investors, entrepreneurs and business leaders on 5 June in Edinburgh.  

For the full list of semi-finalists, see below:

Converge Challenge:

Create Change Challenge:

Net Zero Challenge:

KickStart Challenge: