Our 2019 poster presenters for the Bright SCIdea Challenge have been selected!
On Tuesday 19 March 2019, our shortlisted teams, including our finalists, will enjoy a series of expert talks before pitching their science-based innovation to our panel of judges. The teams and other guests from across SCI’s network will also have the opportunity to meet with prominent industry figures on the day.
This year, after a number of high-quality submissions, SCI has invited four more teams to present their SCIdea in a poster competition, which will run throughout the day.
Here are our 2019 poster presenters:
TEAM 1: GlubioTech
- Alison Ryder – Integrated PhD Sustainable Chemical Technologies, All University of Bath
- Vicky De Groof – Integrated PhD Sustainable Chemical Technologies
- Jinghui Liang – Integrated PhD Sustainable Chemical Technologies
- Anna Kinsella – PhD in Chemistry
Describe your product or service in one line.
A bio-derived and biodegradable adhesive for cardboard boxes.
Why did you enter the Bright SCIdea Challenge?
We wanted to take this opportunity to gain a better understanding of how to translate early stage research into real world products and how start-ups are formed. Being a multidisciplinary team, we thought it would be a fun challenge to develop our own idea and work on a project outside of our individual research areas.
TEAM 2: HappiApi
- Sarah Goodband – PhD in Soft Matter Physics, All University of Durham
- Rachel Goodband – PhD in Soft Matter Physics
- Mathew Litwinowicz – PhD in Soft Matter Chemistry
Describe your product or service in one line.
Year-round protection for honey bees against the paracitic mite varroa destructor.
Why did you enter the Bright SCIdea Challenge?
We all love research and the Bright SCIdea Challenge allowed us to explore a new research interest that was not strictly within the framework of our PhDs. It was fun meeting as an interdisciplinary team to discuss ideas, learn about new techniques and discuss our own research, and then mesh all these ideas into a product that could really change the future of beekeeping. To ensure that good scientific ideas become products relies on businesses developing from start-ups, and so gaining experience from the challenge allowed us to get some training and learn about the whole process.
TEAM 3: NovaCAT
- Ivalina Minova – PhD in Chemistry, University of St Andrews
- Stefan Nastase – PhD in Chemistry, Cardiff University
- Toyin Omojola – PhD in Chemical Engineering, University of Bath
- Haocheng Xi – MA Advertising and Marketing, University of Leeds
Describe your product or service in one line.
Advanced characterisation of microporous materials for innovation in industrial catalytic processes.
Why did you enter the Bright SCIdea Challenge?
The team NovaCAT was formed initially through a series of UK catalysis conferences where we met and discussed our individual techniques to obtaining mechanistic insights on an industrial process. Stefan and Toyin worked separately with Ivalina during laboratory visits at Diamond, Harwell, UK. Haocheng was invited to join the team as a marketing and branding executive. We found out about the challenge at our universities, and Ivalina and Toyin are SCI ambassadors. The competition is an opportunity to learn and develop entrepreneurial skills and provides a platform in advancing scientific ideas to the marketplace.
TEAM 4: On-line Analytics
- Alisa Doroshenko – PhD in Chemistry, All University of York
- Jonah Conway – MSc Human Resource Management
- Tom Darwin – MSc Cyber Security
- Alexandra Dudkovskaia – Mathematics
Describe your product or service in one line.
Real-time continuous gas analysers: qualitative and quantitative.
Why did you enter the Bright SCIdea Challenge?
On-line Analytics is a multidisciplinary postgraduate team from the University of York containing chemistry, physics, programming and management components. We aim to become the global leaders on integrated systems real-time gas analysis.
Our common interest in entrepreneurship and science was a key influence in building this team. The experience of going through the Bright SCIdea Challenge also provides a structured path for us to develop critical skills to enable the transition of idea into a commercially viable business.
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