University of Sheffield teams represent Yorkshire and Humber in national Biotechnology Young Entrepreneurs Scheme final

11/12/2009

Two teams from the University of Sheffield will take part in the national final of the Biotechnology Young Entrepreneurs Scheme (YES) after sailing through the Yorkshire and Humber heat, sponsored by Yorkshire Forward.

The two University of Sheffield teams saw off stiff competition from teams from the University of Nottingham, the University of Derby, Sheffield Hallam University, the University of Leeds, the University of Bradford and Kings College London to reach Monday’s London final.

Biotechnology YES is an innovative competition developed to raise awareness of the commercialisation of bioscience ideas among postgraduate students and postdoctoral scientists. The competition aims to encourage an entrepreneurial culture in the UK bioscience postgraduate and postdoctoral base for the benefit of the UK economy.

Eagleyz – made up of Adam Smith, Grinu Mathews, Soheil Aghamohammadazadeh and Christopher Glover from the Departments of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology and Biomedical Science – pitched an idea for a chewing gum that changes colour when the user passes the legal drink-drive threshold.

SynthiBac – featuring second-year PhD students Tacita Nye, Adam Croucher, Laura Smith, Jayne-Louise Wilson and Richard Wheeler – decided on a company that provides an environmentally-friendly alternative to wood pulp for the paper industry using high quality, pure cellulose created from bacteria.

Jim Farmery, Assistant Director of Business at Yorkshire Forward, said: “It is indicative of the investment in innovative technologies in Yorkshire and Humber that two teams from the region have reached the final of this prestigious competition.

“The general high standard at the regional heat in Leeds demonstrated that the region is particularly strong when it comes to nurturing innovative minds, and I wish both teams the best of luck when they compete in London.

“There are excellent links between Universities and businesses in Yorkshire and Humber, and it is vital to the economic future of the region that we continue to develop those links as a means of encouraging graduates and postgraduates to further their careers in Yorkshire and Humber.”

Both teams will now go on to fight it out against some of the brightest young minds in the country at the London final on December 14 2009.

For case studies on SynthiBac and Eagleyz please contact Daniel Murphy using the details below.

ENDS
For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact Dan Murphy, Press Manager on 0113 3949904 or email Daniel.murphy@yorkshire-forward.com