University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) extends deadline for £8000 business idea competition
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Budding entrepreneurs have a little longer to share their best business ideas and have a chance of sharing in £8000 of prize money.
The University of the Highlands and Islands is extending the deadline for its annual business competition, which is now in its sixteenth year.
Potential entrants now have an extra week, up until noon Tuesday, March 29, to put the finishing touches to their money-making ideas.
Run by CREATE, part of the centre for remote and sustainable communities based at Inverness College UHI, the competition is open to anyone living in the Highlands and Islands, Moray and Perthshire, as well as all students studying across the University of the Highlands and Islands partnership.
All finalists who make the 15-strong shortlist will receive feedback and support from some of the region’s top entrepreneurs and business advisors to take their idea forward. They will also be invited to meet the competition judges to discuss their ideas further on finals day on Wednesday, May 25, ahead of that evening's prize-giving ceremony.
Prizes are available in a number of categories, with a special cash prize for the best engineering ideas thanks to sponsorship from the Engineers in Business Fellowship.
This was won last year by Matej Papp and Ahmed Nassar for their business, Boxfluence, and their idea for a transportable and lightweight portable boxing ring called GoSparTM.
Last year’s top prize went to Simon Hay, from Fortrose, and his idea featuring a vertical freight farming system designed to grow sustainable crops in Scotland year-round. Simon took home a cash prize of £1000 and a combined legal and accountancy package from sponsors’ Johnston Carmichael and Harper Macleod LLP.
Vicky Johnson, director of centre for remote and sustainable communities, said: “The University of the Highlands and Islands partnership has a key role to play in supporting the region’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Encouraging and enabling entrepreneurship will play a key role in that recovery. We have seen this business competition change people’s lives by providing them with the confidence and support they need to turn their idea into a reality.”
The University of the Highlands and Islands Business Competition has attracted more than 1600 entries since it launched 16 years ago and has awarded more than £86,000 in cash prizes.
Apply online at www.createhighland.com/business/competitions.aspx by noon on Tuesday, March 29, 2022.
