By Scott Reid
Copyright scotsman
Converge, the academic enterprise programme, has secured a record funding package of £1.26 million as it looks to “supercharge” innovation across Scotland’s higher education sector. The backing from the Scottish Funding Council will run from 2026 to 2028 and will allow Converge to support more university entrepreneurs and strengthen partnerships between institutions to drive commercial development. News of the largest-ever multi-year funding package came as a new strategic partnership was struck with Scottish Enterprise that will help to create “smoother pathways” for university entrepreneurs to access business support, from initial concept through to scaling-up growth. Converge said it was also celebrating 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 thanks to its revolutionary five-minute food safety testing technology, while the 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. Converge is funded by the Scottish Funding Council, a network of seven corporate partners and all of Scotland’s universities. Since its launch in 2011, the programme has trained some 830 aspiring founders and supported the creation of more than 450 companies that have seen an above-average three-year survival rate of over 86 per cent. Open to students, recent graduates, and staff, the initiative supports new businesses through training, networking, one-to-one support, equity free cash prizes and expert advice from a roster of industry partners. 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.” Derek Shaw, director of entrepreneurship and investment at Scottish Enterprise, said: “This evolution of our partnership with Converge will supercharge innovation and entrepreneurship within Scotland’s higher education landscape. By creating simpler pathways for university entrepreneurs, this collaboration will provide essential business support from the initial concept stage through to international scale up. “Together, we aim to identify and nurture ambitious innovation driven spinouts and start-ups in our key future industries, ensuring academic founders have all the support they need to successfully navigate the journey from idea to market and create the next generation of high growth companies in Scotland.” Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes added: “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 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.” The Scottish Funding Council is a non-departmental public body that is directly accountable to government ministers and the Scottish Parliament. ‘Universal failure within five years’: The crisis facing Scotland’s universities
