University of the Highlands and Islands Announces Business Competition 2023 Winners
An ambitious plan to establish Scotland’s first net zero airline to provide affordable and sustainable flights across the Highlands and Islands has taken the top prize in the UHI Business Competition.
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Top prize winner Thomas Eccles of FlyHIghland Ltd
Thomas Eccles from Nethybridge, the founder of FlyHighland Ltd, was named the overall winner at an awards ceremony at the UHI Inverness campus. He impressed the judges with his pitch to be an aviation innovator by operating aircraft using hydrogen propulsion from the airport at Wick.
He was motivated to improve Scottish flight connections after being shocked by the price of a last-minute flight from Shetland. Thomas intends to work with a leader in aerospace concepts and is in the process of raising funding topurchase aircraft and gain the necessary permissions.
Thomas said: “I am overjoyed that FlyHighland has been awarded the top prize. It’s a tremendous honour to be recognised for our commitment to communities because we’re driven by the stories at the heart of the isolated communities we want to serve, and I’m deeply touched that we’ve been recognised for that.”
Other winning ideas included:
A vegan food blend containing seaweed.
A glow-in-the-dark mini golf course in Stornoway.
Replacing prescription information leaflets with QR codes on medication boxes.
Complementary therapies for pregnant women in Moray.
An open-source computer games development company.
An energy-saving service to counter inefficient electrical installations.
The Rose Street Roundhouse, a new events venue in Inverness.
The UHI Business Competition, run by CREATE which is part of the Centre for Living Sustainability at UHI Inverness, is now in its 17th year. It encourages enterprise and innovation by supporting people to take their first steps on the road to starting their own businesses.
It has now reached the significant milestone of presenting more than £100,000 in prize money since the competition began in 2006.
This year’s ten winners are:
Top prize, £1000 and a combined legal and accountancy package – Thomas Eccles of Nethybridge. Sponsored by Gold Sponsors, Harper Macleod LLP and Johnston Carmichael Chartered Accounts.
Best Student Award, £1000 – Lonja Mavric Mrak, HNC Business student at UHI Inverness. Sponsored by UHI.
Best Computing Student, £1000 – Ethan Barnes, HNC Computing student at UHI Perth. Sponsored by Engineers In Business Fellowship.
Best Cultural and Environment Award, £1000 – Jack Marley McIntyre, STEM Coordinator (Technologist) at UHI Inverness. Sponsored by Engineers In Business Fellowship.
Best Presentation Award, £1000 – Joselyn Turner and Holly Richardson, UHI students. Sponsored by Northern Innovation Hub.
Best Engineer Award, £1000 – Dean Frazer, a BEng (Hons) Electrical and Electronic student at UHI North Highland. Sponsored by Engineers In Business Fellowship.
Best Commercial Award, £500 – John Murdo Maclennan and James Morrison from Stornoway. Sponsored by Whyte and Mackay.
Youth Entrepreneurship Award, £500 – Taylor Black a Fashion and Textiles student at UHI West Highland. Sponsored by Northern Innovation Hub.
Best Social Impact Award, £500 – Ashley Robson from Spey Bay. Sponsored by Silver Sponsor, The Apprentice Store.
Best Researched, £500 – Louise Whitten from Hopeman. Sponsored by Whyte and Mackay.
The keynote speaker was MasterChef 2022 finalist, Sarah Rankin, who was born and raised in the Highlands. She combines running her own marketing agency with life as a food writer, chef demonstrator and private dining caterer.
She told the finalists: “You will have no regrets entering this competition. It will take you places you never imagined; so be brave.”
The competition attracted 77 entries from students across the UHI partnership, as well as entrepreneurs living in the Highlands and Islands, Moray, Perthshire and Argyll.
Professor Chris O’Neil, Principal and Chief Executive of UHI Inverness, said: “Our region is phenomenally important economically and this competition has had a huge impact on the entrepreneurial spirit of its people. It has again highlighted the great potential for innovative local business ventures, and I have no doubt that the future is very bright for our winners. Their resourceful ideas and solutions demonstrate the enterprising drive and initiative that we strive to nurture.”
This year’s judges were Shane Healy, Distilling Director at Whyte and Mackay; Mairi MacDonald, Enterprise Manager at the Royal Bank of Scotland; Gillian McGill, IMPACT30 Programme Manager at Skillfluence Ltd and Rojan Kumar Subramani, Founder and CEO of DigiTechtive and member of the Board of Management of UHI Inverness.
Mairi MacDonald said: “It’s a privilege and a pleasure to be involved in the UHI Business Competition once again. With entries stretching from Perth to Shetland, and a 22% increase in applications this year from 2022, we had the difficult task as judges of shortlisting 77 applications down to just 15 finalists. This competition really encompasses some of the very best innovation in the North of Scotland, and I was particularly delighted to see the diversity of thought and the true drive behind the ideas. Some of them made us laugh and some of us made us cry, particularly the ideas with real social impact. Well done to all the finalists on your pitches, and for putting your ideas forward in the first instance. A huge congratulations to all of the winners – I look forward to supporting your ongoing business journeys.”
Shane Healy said: “The ideas spanning business, sustainability and social enterprise were of the highest quality. We at Whyte and Mackay are deeply committed to our local communities and I’m very proud to be involved again with the competition. Well done to all 15 finalists and to all those who entered. We all can make a difference in growing Scotland, and this is a brilliant occasion because it shows how people can bring their dreams to fruition.”
Gillian McGill, IMPACT30 Programme Manager at Skillfluence Ltd said: “I’m delighted to have been invited onto the panel to review this year’s applications alongside my fellow judges. The level of creative thinking, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit has been incredibly impressive. I was really excited to hear the final presentations and I’m hopeful that we will see some of the applicants on IMPACT30 in the near future, as HIE’s fully funded programme can provide the essential tools, skills, knowledge and mentorship required to help grow their businesses.”
Rojan Kumar Subramani said: “It is an honour for me to have been invited to join the panel along with my fellow judges. It was great to hear all the different ideas and a lot of them were focussed on social and environmental impact. Fort William was my first test location for my social enterprise Digitechtive VR fitness and tourism pilot services. Using technology to enhance the Scottish Highlands and support social impact is important to me. Therefore, I will continue supporting the winners and finalists. They all had passion to solve a problem with an enterprising idea and I look forward to seeing these ideas continue to grow.”
The UHI Business Competition is organised by strategic partners CREATE, UHI and UHI Inverness, with additional funding and support from The Apprentice Store, Engineers in Business Fellowship, Harper Macleod LLP, Johnston Carmichael, the Northern Innovation Hub and Whyte and Mackay.
Professor Neil Simco, Deputy Principal Academic and Research at UHI, presented gifts to the winners and told them: “One of the reasons UHI exists is to make a difference and we are pleased to support young people who have the skills, energy and commitment to take forward business ideas that make a difference across the Highlands and Islands, Perthshire, Moray and Argyll.”