Tay5G, a Tay Cities Region Deal project in collaboration with the Scotland 5G Centre and industry partners, has today announced the winners of its Challenge Fund.

Aiming to accelerate the development of innovative projects using the power of 5G, the competitive funding initiative is supported with around £430,000 of Scottish Government funding as part of its £2m investment in Tay5G.

Winners of the challenge include Digiflex, Neutral wireless working with QTV, James Hutton Ltd, and Scotland Re:Design.

The fund attracted extensive interest and the winners, chosen from a wide range of great ideas, represent a diverse range of innovation across various sectors.

“From improved farming to smarter city planning, broadcasting advances to virtual try before you buy fashion, these winning projects demonstrate the enormous variety of uses for this cutting edge 5G technology,” Scottish Government wellbeing economy secretary Neil Gray said.

Supported by the adoption of 5G technology, these projects aim to bring about advancements in fashion, agritech, smart cities, and broadcasting, driving economic growth, and delivering tangible benefits to businesses and communities in Scotland and beyond.

Digiflec, a Dunfermline-based tech company, have become one of four successful applicants selected for their smart cities, digital twins, and Internet of Things (IoT) project.

By harnessing the power of 5G connectivity, Digiflec aims to create smart city solutions to improve the quality of life for residents and enhance urban infrastructure efficiency.

To do this, the company employed the use of LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) equipment to create two Smart urban areas monitored by the CiiM (Connected Intelligent Infrastructure Monitoring) systems. This allows for the development of smart, real-time traffic and people monitoring and management systems that are fully anonymised aiming to improve urban living and sustainability.

Steven Gillan, Digiflec Company Director said: “I’m absolutely delighted that Digiflec emerged as one of the four companies to win a portion of the Tay Cities Deal Tay5G Challenge Fund.

“This is about more than just funding, it’s about pioneering the future with 5G communication technology. Digiflec are on a mission to redefine urban living with real-time monitoring, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the evolution of Scottish smart cities.”

Another winner is James Hutton Ltd, the commercial arm of the James Hutton Institute, a world-leading agriculture and agritech research organisation. The company as secured funding of its innovation which leverages 5G technology to enhance precision in farming practices, increase crop yield and quality, and support sustainable agriculture.

By developing sensor networks, adding automation, and utilising real-time data analytics, the company aims to provide farmers with valuable insights and recommendations to optimise farming operations, reduce resource consumption, and improve overall productivity.

The technologies boast the ability to ‘revolutionise’ agricultural practice and contribute to a more efficient and socially responsible food production system.

Glasgow-based Neutral Wireless is another winner for the Tay Cities Region Deal challenge, with their sustainable mobile wireless technology company working in partnership with broadcasting company QTV. Leveraging 5G technology, they aim to further enhance broadcasting infrastructure that supports high-quality, low-latency live streaming and remote production. This aims to enable broadcasters to deliver immersive and engaging content to viewers, regardless of their location.

By embracing 5G capabilities, their work will help to ensure a seamless viewing experience for audiences.

Moving along to a completely different sector, Scotland Re:Design has been awarded funding for their immersive experience fashion project, which merges the worlds of fashion, textiles, and technology.

Combining virtual reality, augmented reality, and 5G connectivity, Scotland Re:Design will work with designers to create interactive fashion experiences that allow customers to virtually try before buying.

This futuristic concept could transform the textile and retail sectors, contribute to reducing waste and provide a unique shopping experience to consumers.

Tay5G and the Scotland 5G Centre continue to encourage and support the development of innovative 5G projects, fostering Scotland’s position as a leader in technological advancements. By embracing the opportunities presented by 5G, Scotland is set to unlock new possibilities and create a brighter future for its industries and citizens.

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“I congratulate the winners on their innovative use of 5G technology, which promises to improve quality of life and drive sustainable economic growth within the Tay region,” secretary Gray said.

“The Scottish Government invested £2 million in Tay5G through the Tay Cities Region Deal and is working to ensure our substantial investments in Scotland’s digital infrastructure make the maximum impact on lives and livelihoods.”

Dundee City Council’s Fair Work, Economic Growth and Infrastructure Convener, Councillor Steven Rome, said: “The Tay5G Challenge Fund was designed to help the Tay city region growth sectors embrace 5G networks and enhance their business by optimising processes, increasing capability through to enabling new products and services.

“The winners have certainly risen to the task. Each project represents genuine innovation with the power to harness the latest connectivity technology and transform sectors of the economy from fashion to farming. They all have real potential, and I look forward to seeing how they develop going forward.”

The Scotland 5G Centre says: “The Scotland 5G Centre’s (S5GC) Dundee hub is pleased to be a partner of the Tay5G in this Innovation Challenge. As a purpose built 5G testbed location invested in the region, and at the heart of the technological innovation ecosystem, S5GC supports research and development on enabling technologies for applications where 5G connectivity plays a key role in transforming key industries. We are looking forward to supporting the winners alongside the process in this unique opportunity the region is offering.”