Academic enterprise programme Converge has secured its largest-ever multi-year funding package of £1.26 million over the next three years from the Scottish Funding Council.

The investment will allow Converge to support more university entrepreneurs and strengthen partnerships between Scotland’s universities to drive commercial development.

Alongside this major funding announcement, Converge has also revealed a new strategic partnership with Scottish Enterprise that will help to 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.

The announcements come as Converge celebrates its 2025 award winners across four main categories, sharing a total prize pot in excess of £400,000.

University of Strathclyde’s Biosers claimed the top Converge Challenge prize with revolutionary 5-minute food safety testing technology, while University of Dundee’s New-Found-Hope won the Create Change category with the world’s first patent-pending early-intervention trainer for children with gait challenges.

University of Edinburgh’s Aeroflow secured the Net Zero prize, sponsored by SSE, with aerodynamic HGV trailers that reduce drag by 33%, and University of the Highlands and Islands’ Gestura won the KickStart category with AI-powered sign language translation technology.

Adam Kosterka, Executive Director of Converge, said: “This funding commitment and strategic partnership represent a watershed moment for academic entrepreneurship in Scotland. As we celebrate our 2025 award winners, whose groundbreaking work demonstrates the incredible potential within Scotland’s universities, we’re also securing the foundations for future success.

“The multi-year Scottish Funding Council investment provides the stability we need to plan long-term support for university innovators, while our collaboration with Scottish Enterprise creates enhanced end-to-end connectivity across Scotland’s innovation ecosystem. Together, we’re building a more coordinated approach to supporting brilliant ideas from Scotland’s universities as they develop into globally competitive businesses.”

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, startups and spin-outs. 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.”

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Converge is funded by the Scottish Funding Council, a network of seven corporate partners and all 19 of Scotland’s universities. Since its launch in 2011, the programme has trained over 830 aspiring founders and supported the creation of over 450 companies that enjoy an above-average three-year survival rate of over 86% (Beauhurst data, as of September 2025).

Open to students, recent graduates, and staff, Converge supports new businesses through intensive business training, networking, 1-2-1 support, generous equity free cash prizes and expert, professional advice from its roster of industry partners.

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