Bright Ideas Challenge

Durham University’s Bright Ideas Challenge was partially supported by an Engineers in Business prize fund. The Bright Ideas Challenge is an elevator pitch competition open to the university’s current engineering, computer science or bioscience students, or multi-disciplinary teams comprising students from these degree categories. Students were inspired to develop innovative solutions for real-world problems and were provided with online support and advice throughout the competition. The students pitched their innovations via two-minute-long videos for the chance to win the Emerald, Ruby or Topaz Engineers in Business prizes.

Emerald Award: GelomX

Project:

Cian Rynne was awarded a £1,500 prize for his innovation GelomX.

GelomX was founded in January 2023 as an alternative gel-based media company to provide solutions for unsustainable practices in the commercial horticulture sector.  The aim is to provide new gel-based media to grow plants and provide other gel-based solutions to industry.

Awarded: £1,500

Ruby Winner: Mixed Reality (MR) Headsets

Project:

Yunzhan Zhou, a PhD candidate in Computer Science, was awarded a £1,250 prize for his Mixed Reality Headsets innovation.

Yunzhan is developing a new typing method for mixed reality (MR) headsets. His goal is to enhance the user’s information input experience by replicating the sensation of using a physical keyboard. He is working on the premise that MR headsets will eventually replace cell phones and laptops as the next generation of digital assistants but innovative information input techniques are necessary for this revolution.

Yunzhan said: “While there are currently various methods available for inputting text using these headsets, none of them offers users a truly seamless and effortless experience. We are developing a new typing method that replicates the sensation of using a physical keyboard, enhancing the user’s information input experience. We envision MR headsets replacing cell phones and laptops, becoming the next-gen digital assistants for everyday life.”

Awarded: £1,250

Topaz Winner: Novel Diagostic of Alzheimer’s Desease

Project:

The Topaz team (William Earl (pictured), Jack Clark (pictured), Safia Qureshi, Piers Smyth, Josh Day and Rhys Davies) was awarded a £1,250 prize for its innovation.

Current therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease are most effective when administered in the early stages of the disease. The winning Bright Idea offered a novel diagnostic of Alzheimer’s disease that detects the disease up to 15 years before symptom onset. This will maximise the potential of therapeutics, will lead to more high-quality life years, and will allow sufferers and their families time to prepare for the future.

Awarded: £1,250

Positive feedback

The Engineers in Business Competition prize fund and the support from the charity have been very helpful in elevating the visibility of Durham University’s Enterprise Team and its efforts with engineers.

This support has expanded our outreach to engineering, computing, and biosciences students, surpassing the success achieved in the previous year. The outcome was a remarkable influx of high-quality applications from diverse segments of our population, including individuals who had not previously been involved in enterprise activities.

As a result of this process, we proudly selected three exceptionally deserving winners to receive the Emerald, Ruby, and Topaz awards. Throughout the competition we engaged 19 talented and enthusiastic participants, showcasing their innovative ideas during various stages, including the launch, support, and competition results sessions. It’s been heartening to witness such an enthusiastic response from the engineering community. We’re excited to present the winning innovations and acknowledge the brilliant minds behind them.

Once again, we extend our gratitude to the Engineers in Business Competition prize fund and the charity’s support in empowering our students to unleash their entrepreneurial potential and make a meaningful impact in their fields of expertise. We look forward to continuing this partnership and fostering even more innovation and creativity in the years to come.

Paul Stafford
PGR Enterprise Manager
Durham University