Student and academics compete for £150,000 in creation competition

Published On Thu 9 Jun 2016 by Cara Longmuir

Automatic bike gears, a website to help diabetes sufferers, and a style magazine have made it to the final of a top entrepreneurial competition, and they have all been developed at the University of Dundee.

Staff members Dr Deborah Wake and Dr Laszlo Csetenyi, and student Alberto Negro have secured their places in the final 30 of the Converge Challenge.

The Converge Challenge is a high profile entrepreneurship development programme for staff, students, and recent graduates of Scottish Universities and research institutes, with entrants competing for a £150,000 prize fund.

The University of Dundee’s Enterprise Gym co-ordinator, Teodora Handrea said, “This is great news for the university and all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes.

“This year’s entries are inspirational and we wish them the best of luck.”

Dr Wake is looking to expand her MyDiabetesMyWay website. This allows patients to have online access to test results, clinic letters and their very own treatment plan. It is already available in Scotland, but she wants to take it to a global market.

Dr Csetenyi wants to develop Instashift, a mechanism for bikes to change gears automatically. The system can be installed in existing bicycles or added during manufacture.

Alberto Negro is looking to expand 5 STYLE (5style.eu), a minimal luxury fashion and design magazine. His vision is to create a lifestyle brand that spans continents, targeting Millennials with an interest in products with a minimalist design.

Dr Olga Kozlova, Director of Converge Challenge, said,“This year we have a diverse range of applicants with very strong representation from all the key industries in Scotland including tourism, food and drink, renewables, life sciences and the creative industries."

The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in Edinburgh on Thursday, September 22^nd.

For media enquiries contact:
Cara Longmuir
Media Relations Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
Tel: +44 (0)1382 385243
Email: c.z.longmuir@dundee.ac.uk