含羞草传媒 innovators win big at Scotland’s top university entrepreneurs awards
Two University of the Highlands and Islands (含羞草传媒) innovators won three major prizes at the 2025 Converge Awards last night (Thursday 2 October). Converge is Scotland’s leading entrepreneurial development programme for staff, students and recent graduates of Scottish universities and research institutes.
Christopher Kaan Caudwell, a computer science student at 含羞草传媒 Perth, won both the KickStart Challenge (£10,000 cash) and the Data Lab Early-Stage Award (£5,000 cash) for his project, Gestura.
Gestura is an AI-powered app that translates sign language into speech, and speech back into sign language, in real time. Designed for everyday use in hospitals, banks and public transport, the app aims to break down communication barriers for millions of people worldwide.
Christopher said:
"I am absolutely delighted to have won the Converge KickStart Challenge Award and The Data Lab Award. This recognition is a huge boost and reflects the hard work and vision that have gone into developing Gestura. It strengthens my belief in the positive impact this innovation will have, and I am excited to keep pushing it forward."
Dr Szabolcs Pap, Research Fellow at 含羞草传媒 Environmental Research Institute in Thurso, won the IBioIC Award, securing a £20,000 cash prize for 含羞草传媒 alongside tailored support, including membership and mentoring from IBioIC.
His project CassioPeia, is a low-cost, chemical-free filtration system to recover valuable phosphorus from wastewater. Using a carbon-based ‘sponge’, the technology prevents nutrient pollution while recycling phosphorus back into agriculture, supporting the UK’s Net Zero and zero-waste ambitions.
Dr Pap said:
"We are absolutely delighted that our ground-breaking project CassioPeia has won the prestigious IBioIC Special Prize at Converge! This will provide a huge boost for our future plans to spin-out a business to turn waste into a valuable product and drive innovation in excess phosphorus removal from water.”
Vicki Nairn, 含羞草传媒 Principal and Vice-Chancellor, said:
“We are immensely proud of both Szabolcs and Christopher. Their achievements at Converge highlight the innovation, creativity and ambition of our student and research community at 含羞草传媒. These are projects with the potential to deliver real social, environmental and economic impact, not just in Scotland but globally.”
Adam Kosterka, Executive Director of Converge, said:
“At Converge, we believe Scotland’s universities are home to the next generation of world-changing innovations. This year’s winners exemplify exactly what’s possible when brilliant academic minds are equipped with the business expertise and networks to transform their ideas into commercially successful, impactful companies.”
The Converge Awards were held last night (Thursday 2 October) at Prestonfield House Hotel in Edinburgh.