A contest which has given a helping hand to the brains behind some big business ideas is launched again today.
This is the third year the University of Aberdeen has staged its Blues Skies Thinking Business Ideas Competition which offers entrepreneurial staff and students a share of a £25,000 prize fund if their ideas come out on top.
A computer aid for stroke sufferers with sight loss, a revolutionary portable rock bolt tester to improve mine safety, a device to help solo horse riders load their animal into its horsebox and a cyber shop for the hiring of designer handbags were last year's winners.
Now organisers hope staff and students will be equally innovative with their suggestions for a brand new business venture.
The contest is the brainchild of Professor Dominic Houlihan, the University's Vice Principal of Research and Commercialisation. He said: "We were absolutely thrilled at the wide range of clever business ideas that we received from University of Aberdeen staff and students. I am delighted to say there are plenty of really innovative people within the institution.
"Aberdeen's pioneering and entrepreneurial spirit stretches back decades and we are hoping we will see even more of that spirit entering what is now our third Blues Skies Thinking Competition.
"We want to hear from staff and students who believe they have an idea that has the potential to be the next big thing.
"And it can be a business idea for any sector. So far we have had award winning ideas that could benefit the medical world, the fish processing sector, the equine industry, engineering, the retail sector and a web based service that could help launch indie bands.
"I'm very excited about the prospects!"
Last year Cath Dennis won first place and £4,000 in the staff category of the contest with her Solo Harness – a simple device which allows one handler to safely load a horse into its trailer.
She said: "The publicity I got from winning the Blue Skies Competition was brilliant. I was approached by Horse and Hound magazine, which ran a big article on my business Solo Equestrian, and this was then picked up by the media in the US and New Zealand. Through this exposure I was able to have prototypes of the harness tested completely independently and also build up a big mailing list for the business."
And last year University engineering student Ravindran Manoharan also scooped £4,000 after taking top place in the postgraduate category with his award winning idea of a new rock bolt testing device that could revolutionise safety in South Africa's diamond, gold and coal mines and beyond.
The 30-year-old PhD student's idea came amid University of Aberdeen research he was doing to assess the integrity of rock bolts.
He said: "The exposure and the experience gained from this competition were truly valuable. The contacts gained through the publicity was especially remarkable. To date a number of national and multinational companies have expressed a keen interest, which comes to show the true potential of such a system and the wider application area."
In an exciting development this year, a third prize category has been added, with the competition being opened to undergraduate students.
More details of how staff and students can get involved in this year's Blues Skies competition will be unveiled at a special event taking place tonight (February 21) at the University's IMS Atrium beginning at 6pm. All were welcome to attend.
For more details on how to enter the competition see:
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/blueskies
For more details of last year's winners see: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mediareleases/release.php?id=995
Meanwhile Cath, Ravindran and staffrunner-up Dr Arash Sahraie will all be talking about their innovations at the University's Innovate with Aberdeen, Frontiers of Excellence which takes place at Our Dynamic Earth on March 5. For more details of this event which is open to the public please see: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/innovate/