Seven West Lothian firms compete in the Alba Innovation Challenge

Dec 24 2009 by Alistair Watson, West Lothian Courier

SEVEN of the country’s most enterprising firms are bidding for a top prize to help them make it big in West Lothian.

The Alba Innovation Challenge was launched in the summer in a bid to attract the country’s best innovators to the county.

The challenge was taken up by 25 aspiring companies over the autumn, each one vying for the chance to win substantial business support and develop their idea in West Lothian.

The winner will claim a prize package worth over £50,000, which combines finance and business support provided by sponsors West Lothian Council, Scottish Enterprise, Alba Innovation Centre, Springfords and MBM Commercial LLP.

Project chair Alice Sinnet, West Lothian Council’s Business Gateway manager, said: “We are absolutely delighted with the high calibre of entries, which have exceeded all expectations for the first year of the challenge. As a result, this made the short listing to seven extremely challenging for the Project Board.”

The seven promising firms who have made the shortlist span the energy, IT, biotechnology and healthcare sectors, a testament to the range of skill and entrepreneurship that exists in Scotland.

They are: Paolo Di Prodi of Robomotic; Dan Arnold of Epistemy; Nicholas Psaila of Optoscribe; Peter Higgins of UWI Technology; James Lucas of White Label Technology; Guy Hunter of Alba Technology Bridges and Zimei Rong of Sensor Measurement Engineering.

Carol Wright, partner with competition sponsors Springfords accountants, said: “It is terrific to see such great talent and ideas coming through the applications. It made my job as a board member and judge extremely difficult but enjoyable.”

The seven short-listed candidates are now working towards an interview with an external panel of judges before an outright winner is announced at an event at Howden Park Centre in Livingston in February.

For those firms who didn’t make the final shortlist, the competition’s Project Board have offered support from Business Gateway and the Alba Innovation Centre to help make their business a success in West Lothian.

Stephen Morris, Alba Innovation Centre manager, explained: “Although these candidates were unsuccessful in making the short list, they all have huge potential. We hope to be able to work with them and help them grow and expand their idea in West Lothian.”

The Alba Innovation Challenge prize package of £50,000 includes free accommodation for a year in a fully-serviced suite in the prestigious Alba Innovation Centre; a cash prize of £10,000; low-interest loan funding of £20,000; links to advisory support; £7500-worth of accountancy services; and £7500-worth of legal services.