Award-winning technology aims to spot signs of disease without injections

FARMERS could screen cattle for bovine tuberculosis more quickly using artificial intelligence which examines images of the eye for signs of disease.

AI for the Eye, an early-stage project developed by founder Michaela Thorne from the University of Edinburgh, was named runner-up in the KickStart Challenge at the Converge Awards for technology being explored as a way to provide rapid, non-invasive screening directly on farms.

The system is being developed in response to bovine TB, which costs the UK more than £130 million annually and is currently monitored using testing which can be slow, invasive and unreliable.

Michaela Thorne, founder of AI for the Eye, said: "The money is going to be used to make the retinal imaging prototype for the cattle, which means we will be able to take the device on farm and image live animals. It means a lot because we can validate the business and push things forwards."

The approach could allow farmers and animal health professionals to carry out an initial check without repeatedly handling livestock, making large-scale screening quicker and less disruptive.

By providing results directly on farms, the technology aims to help identify animals which may require further investigation while improving animal welfare and supporting more efficient disease monitoring.

The system is intended to complement established veterinary testing rather than replace it, providing another source of information to support decisions about further examination and disease control.

AI for the Eye secured its runner-up position through Converge's KickStart Challenge, which supports early-stage university founders to test ideas, build commercial knowledge and explore how emerging technologies can be developed into sustainable businesses.

Adam Kosterka, Executive Director of Converge, said: "AI for the Eye is a strong example of university innovation being applied to a problem with very real consequences for farmers, animal welfare and the wider economy.

"For 15 years, Converge has helped talented people transform innovative ideas into sustainable businesses capable of delivering meaningful impact. Our role is to connect founders with the expertise, networks and opportunities they need to take those ideas beyond the university environment and towards real-world use."

Technology aimed at overcoming barriers to renewable energy was also recognised at the awards, with TA Technologies named runner-up in the Net Zero Challenge.

TA Technologies, led by founder David Campos-Gaona from the University of Strathclyde, is developing a system designed to make it easier and more cost-effective to move renewable electricity over long distances.

Its KineticLink technology aims to tackle pressure on the electricity network as more power is generated in remote locations, including offshore wind farms, while demand remains concentrated elsewhere.

The system is also designed to help keep the electricity network stable as traditional fossil-fuel generators are gradually removed, addressing two major challenges facing the shift towards renewable power through a single technology.

These infrastructure problems cost the UK around £1.5 billion last year. TA Technologies is aiming to ease existing constraints while helping more renewable electricity reach areas where it is needed most.

David Campos-Gaona, founder of TA Technologies, said: "What inspired me was that there was a lot of energy being wasted because it could not get connection to the power network. The bottleneck was transmission, and I had ideas about how to challenge that and began developing those into a commercial product."

He added: "If I can contribute to making the net zero targets a reality, I will feel like my research was well spent."

Another early-stage area of innovation was recognised through Converge's first Space Challenge, won by Edinburgh-based Pleiades Dynamics, led by Stephen Spice and Luke Scott.

Pleiades' Converge business case focused on ASTEROPE, a lower-cost rocket engine which the company is developing to be affordable and easier to manufacture, using off-the-shelf hardware and ablative cooling techniques. The engine is intended to power the company's first generation of test vehicle as part of its longer-term launch development plans.

Stephen Spice, co-founder of Pleiades Dynamics, said: "At the heart of what we are looking to do is bring more usability and openness to the Scottish and UK space sectors. We want to do that by trying to make our engines as cost efficient and accessible as possible."

The Space Challenge was introduced this year as a new collaboration with Space Scotland, The Higgs Centre for Innovation, Scottish Enterprise and Heriot-Watt University, adding a dedicated area of support for early-stage space ventures as Converge marks its 15th anniversary.

Formed in 2011, Converge has supported more than 1,000 aspiring academic entrepreneurs who have gone on to establish more than 500 companies.

Businesses taking part in the Converge programme have a three-year survival rate of 86%, significantly above the national average. This reflects both the strength of innovation emerging from universities and the quality, support and rigour of the programme.

Building on that milestone, Converge is preparing to launch Converge 2.0 in 2027, an evolved offering which will broaden its support and introduce more tailored, sector-specific pathways for ventures at an advanced stage of development.

The Converge Awards will remain at the heart of the programme as it enters its next chapter, continuing to provide a national platform for university founders seeking to turn new technologies into ambitious and sustainable businesses.