Research commercialisation - Proof of Concept Fund: successful projects
List of successful applicants to the fund.
University of Edinburgh
NeurEYE: validation of the service model, regulatory framework, and value proposition for a retinal imaging platform for dementia risk assessment - £247,098.96
An AI-enabled retinal imaging platform that aims to detect early signs of neurodegenerative disease through routine eye examinations.
Advancement of Rotational Internal Flow Layer Engineering (RIFLE) vascular tissue to commercial production for industry adoption - £247,355.95
A human tissue engineering platform that creates laboratory-grown blood vessels to improve drug testing and reduce reliance on animal models.
Field Validation of a Biochar-Immobilised Microbial System for Accelerated Remediation of Weathered Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soil - £124,970.00
A low-carbon bioremediation technology that combines hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria with biochar to clean up oil-contaminated land more effectively than existing methods.
High-throughput single-molecule screening of oligomer modulators for neurodegenerative drug discovery - £124,325.04
An advanced drug screening platform that can directly detect and measure toxic protein oligomers, the key drivers of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
University of Glasgow
VasQX – Bridging the commercialisation gap for the next generation of vascular implants for dialysis patients in Scotland/UK and the USA - £249,877.04
An innovative “self-reporting” dialysis graft that uses embedded biosensors to detect early signs of blockage and monitor graft health in real time.
Picti: A Scalable Drug Discovery Platform for De-Risking Pharmaceutical Company Portfolios - £249,499.00
An innovative drug discovery platform that identifies hidden drug-binding sites on proteins within living cells.
Green_Nitrofix: Developing a Low Cost, Zero Emission On Farm Nitrate Production System - £124,702.55
A novel fertiliser technology that produces nitrate fertiliser directly from air, water and electricity, enabling sustainable, on-farm production without fossil fuels or hazardous chemicals.
University of Aberdeen
Scensai: An Electronic Nose for the beverage industry - £186,468.96
An affordable handheld chemical sensing device for beverage quality control.
A First-in-Class Muscle-Targeted Therapy to Preserve Lean Mass and Metabolic Health During Weight Loss - £124,765.00
A novel therapy to preserve muscle mass during weight loss, addressing a key limitation of current obesity treatments such as GLP-1 drugs.
Development of a Non-Invasive Stool-based Lateral Flow Diagnostic for Detection of Pathological TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP‑43) Aggregation - £124,837.85
A simple, non-invasive diagnostic test for chronic gastrointestinal disorders based on detecting abnormal TDP-43 protein aggregates in stool samples.
University of Strathclyde
Revalint: Proving Certified Component Remanufacturing as a Scalable Alternative in Aerospace - £247,267.00
A high-performance, sustainable alternative that extends component life, reduces downtime and costs on an aircraft shaft.
Smart Tablet AI Identification of Neurodevelopmental Conditions: Early, Accessible, and Scalable - £124,411.00
An AI-powered digital screening tool that uses a 15-minute game on a standard iPad to identify children at risk of neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism.
Rapid diagnosis of endometriosis using patient hormone profiling - £124,927.50
A blood test for endometriosis that could replace the need for invasive diagnostic surgery.
University of St. Andrews
Merra-log - a low cost marine and aquatic environmental multi-sensor - £124,934.08
A low-cost environmental monitoring system that uses smart aquatic sensors and wireless communications to collect and transmit high-quality marine and freshwater data in near real time.
InVivoMab: Viral vector platform for long-term delivery of therapeutic antibodies - £122,920.00
A novel PIV5-based platform that enables patients’ own cells to produce therapeutic antibodies, potentially reducing the cost and improving the accessibility of monoclonal antibody treatments.
Herriot Watt University
Kinera: De-Risking an Extended-Wear Wearable for Parkinson’s and Essential Tremor - £124,303.66
A wearable health monitoring device for people with Parkinson’s disease and Essential Tremor that continuously tracks movement symptoms across multiple body locations over several days.
Robert Gorden University
SPIRES: AI Supervisory Optimisation for Island and Remote Hybrid Energy Systems - £249,898.05
An AI-enabled optimisation platform that helps operators manage remote hybrid energy systems more efficiently by analysing weather, generation, battery and demand data.