The inaugural Bright SCIdea Challenge winners, Team Glucoguard, received a commemorative plaque this week that will be displayed at their university, UCL.
Georgina Hines
Ivan Parkin, Libby Linfield, Ian Bradshaw and Geraint Thomas. Image: SCI
SCI visited UCL last week to unveil a specially commissioned plaque to honour the inaugural winners of the Bright SCIdea Challenge, Team Glucoguard. The plaque is placed in the university’s Natural Sciences Common Room in the Kathleen Lonsdale Building.
One-third of Team Glucoguard and ‘Chief Financial Officer’ Libby Linfied and Dean of the Faculty of Mathematical & Physical Sciences Professor Ivan Parkin were present at the reveal, alongside UCL Professor Geraint Thomas and SCI’s Marketing & Membership Manager Ian Bradshaw.
All in their final year at UCL when they entered the competition, Libby has stayed at the university to pursue a Masters in Astrophysics and will continue onto the Airbus graduate scheme when she graduates next summer.
Her teammates, Camillo Moschner and Jack O’Shea, have since left UCL to pursue PhDs in Industrial Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge and Cell Biology at the University of Edinburgh respectively.
The winning team Glucoguard with judges Robin Harrison, Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne, Inna Baigozina-Goreli and Victor Christou. Image: Andrew Lunn/SCI
Team Glucoguard won the 2018 Bright SCIdea Challenge for their innovative business based on a genetically modified bacterium for the treatment of type II diabetes.
Speaking to the UCL Press Team about his experience, Jack said: ‘Taking part in this competition has definitely changed the way I think about scientific research. I now believe that any scientist can benefit to knowing how businesses can be created from ideas, and if more scientists had this knowledge, more innovative start-ups would get off the ground […] and make the world a better place.’
Are you a UK/ROI student with a passion for science and a flair for business? Form a team of 3-4 students, find a scientific solution to a real-world problem and submit a business plan for a chance to win £5000!
Register your interest by Friday 30 November 2018 to get access to our exclusive training videos and business training day held on Friday 7 December 2018 at SCI HQ in London.
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