Edinburgh innovators collect haul of awards
Edinburgh innovators have secured a string of awards for university-developed ideas at the 2026 Converge Awards, announced on 1 October.
Leading the city’s success is WombWise, developed by Edinburgh Napier University data-engineering graduate Emily Youngs. Emily was crowned winner of the Create Change Challenge at the awards, which celebrate Scotland’s academic innovation.
WombWise has been developed to tackle the long delays many women face in securing a diagnosis of endometriosis and polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS).
Endometriosis is a chronic condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows elsewhere in the body. It affects around one in 10 women of reproductive age, according to the Endometriosis Foundation.
Through combining data from wearable devices such as smartwatches with an AI symptom tracker, WombWise aims to give women objective evidence they can take to their GP.
Emily said: “What we’re doing at WombWise is using wearable devices that are already on the market, like Oura rings and Apple watches, repurposing that data and looking for pain markers.
“We’re tracking women for pain rather than fertility and pregnancy, trying to see if they’ve got potential signs of endometriosis or PMOS and helping them towards a potential diagnosis."
WombWise was joined by fellow Edinburgh winners, including Stage Analytics from Queen Margaret University, which secured the Creative Fusion Prize, for technology that helps event venues and producers make better use of their data. Its real-time dashboards streamline information and provide stronger evidence to support decisions around scheduling shows.
The city’s Heriot-Watt University also celebrated success through RecoverPX, led by Helen Bridle, which secured the Ventures Lab Prize as well as a Blue Economy Prize for technology designed to help water companies detect potentially harmful contamination more reliably. Its first focus is cryptosporidium, a parasite which can contaminate water supplies and the technology has already been tested by several UK water companies.
Pleiades Dynamics, led by Stephen Spice from the University of Edinburgh, secured the Space Challenge award in the first year of this new category, funded by Space Scotland and the Higgs Centre for Innovation.
Juto Bio, represented by commercial lead, Jude Taylor from the University of Edinburgh, won the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre special prize. The company uses waste from Scottish whisky distilleries to grow tiny algae, which are turned into natural products that help crops grow. It offers farmers a cheaper alternative to treatments made from seaweed.
Adam Kosterka, executive director of Converge, said: “Edinburgh has an extraordinary concentration of academic and entrepreneurial talent and this year’s results demonstrate the breadth of innovation emerging from its universities.”
Converge works with staff, students and recent graduates to develop the commercial skills, expertise and connections needed to turn promising university ideas into sustainable businesses.
Backed by the Scottish Funding Council, a network of corporate partners and Scotland’s universities, the programme combines practical business support and training with equity-free funding.
Paul Devoy, interim chief executive of the Scottish Funding Council, said:
“The Converge Awards are a fabulous way to celebrate the university-led innovation that plays an important part in Scotland’s ambition to be amongst the world’s most innovative nations.
“All the participants in this year’s programme have contributed to new thinking and entrepreneurship, and this year’s winners and finalists represent exceptional creativity in solving global challenges.”
Formed in 2011, Converge has supported more than 1000 academic entrepreneurs, who have gone on to establish over 500 companies.
Businesses taking part in the Converge programme have a three-year survival rate of 86 per cent, significantly above the national average.
Pictured: Emily Youngs, developer of WombWise
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