Innovation boost for academic entrepreneurs

Today sees an expansion of our 2025 Programme with the launch of two new limited-edition challenges focused on hydrogen and the performing arts. Driven by recent collaborations with the Henry Royce Institute and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, both initiatives will run in parallel with our existing challenge categories allowing us to train and support an additional 20 academic entrepreneurs this year.

Marking an important step in our mission to provide crucial support to a wider range of groundbreaking ventures, we hope to empower a new wave of academic innovators driving impactful change in green energy solutions and the performing arts.

Fuelling the Future: Driving Hydrogen Innovation

Hydrogen offers a compelling pathway towards decarbonisation with Scotland’s universities at the forefront of hydrogen research. Created in partnership with the Royce Hydrogen Accelerator, an initiative supported by the Henry Royce Institute, our new limited-edition Hydrogen Challenge is aimed at academics developing hydrogen projects with commercialisation potential. Open to projects at all stages of the hydrogen supply chain where there is a material development, successful applicants will benefit from business training, a strong peer network and the chance to compete for a £20,000 prize pot of equity-free cash. 

Empowering the Performing Arts

Co-developed in association with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, our new limited-edition Performing & Production Arts Challenge is aimed at students, recent graduates and university staff looking to transform their creative skills into sustainable enterprises. Designed to help performers, producers and technicians navigate the entrepreneurial realities of the performing arts industry, successful applicants can expect bespoke business training from leading practitioners in Scotland’s creative industries. There is also £5,000 in equity-free cash to be won.

Winners will be announced at the 2025 edition of the Converge Awards on 2 October. 

Adam Kosterka, Converge Executive Director comments:

“Groundbreaking ideas, spanning diverse sectors, are taking shape across our universities every day – ideas that deserve our support and recognition. By launching these two new limited-edition challenges, we are extending our reach and impact while broadening the scope of university-driven innovation. 

Applications for these two limited-edition challenges are now open until Wednesday 30 April. For more information, please visit the Hydrogen and Performing Arts Challenge pages on our website.