UHI Business Competition – 2021
Back to Competitions | The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) Business Competition is a well-established and high-profile competition open to all students across 13 UHI sites. The competition reaches out through a broad regional marketing campaign to approximately 40,000 FE, HE and Postgraduate students and researchers based in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, with a strong focus on supporting students both at the application, shortlisting and post-competition stage. Although open to the wider community, the competition regularly attracts 70% of its entries from the UHI student population. The competition aims to inspire, encourage, and support participants to develop enterprising and entrepreneurial behaviours and skills and encourage them to consider their role in solving societal problems through innovation. It regularly attracts entries from a range of subject areas including engineering. UHI is keen to find initiatives that increase the number of engineers who participate, and Engineers in Business helps achieve this aim. |
Winner - Best Engineering Business Idea for Boxfluence
Matej Papp and Ahmed Nassar, Engineering Gruadates, Aberdeen University – £1,000 Engineers in Business Prize
Matej and Ahmed’s idea is to integrate engineering design with an understanding of combat sports. They developed Boxfluence to create a range of novel training equipment that will be needed in any combat sports gym. Boxfluence aims to be recognised as one of the few in the industry that carries a green initiative and supports youth.
Winner - Best Researched Idea for Money Mate
Marc Forbes, HNC Aircraft Engineering Student, Perth College UHI – £1,000 Engineers in Business Prize
Money Mate is a business that tracks lost wallets and keys using a phone app. Money Mate sends a replica bank card or key to customers that have a tracking device linked to the app. The bank cards and keys are customisable to look however the customers wish.
Winner - Best Presentation
Steve Hunt, BSc Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Student, Inverness College UHI – £1,000 Engineers in Business Prize
Steve’s idea is to sell licences for an improved and cheaper proton source design needed for scientific and medical use. Current designs cost upwards of £2 million to buy, or £400,000 to license. Steve’s business will build a portfolio of intellectual property that will be developed without needing to have a manufacturing facility.
Positive feedback
This is the third year that EIBF has sponsored the UHI competition, and we are delighted with the judges’ selections in awarding EIBF prize money. The incredible support and sponsorship from EIBF enable the university to promote the competition to engineers from across all 13 colleges and research institutes that make up the University of the Highlands and Islands. The opportunity that this affords our engineers cannot be underestimated. By entering the competition students’ self-efficacy is heightened and aspirations to become entrepreneurs realised.
Roz Thomas, Enterprise Lecturer
The University of Highlands and Islands’ (UHI) Centre for Enterprise and Innovation