Health and care innovators secure four prizes at Converge 2026

Two pioneering Heriot-Watt University ventures have secured four awards at Converge 2026, Scotland’s leading programme for university entrepreneurs and innovators.

TissueMetrics and RecoverPX were recognised at the annual Converge Awards, held at Barony Hall in Glasgow on Thursday 1 October, securing a combined £80,000 in cash prizes alongside packages of in-kind specialist business support.

The success continued a strong track record for Heriot-Watt at Converge, following a record four awards for University innovators in 2025.

TissueMetrics, led by Professor Michael Crichton, was named runner-up in the flagship Converge Challenge, securing £25,000 and further in-kind support. The venture also won The Data Lab Special Prize, worth a further £20,000.

The awards were accepted on behalf of TissueMetrics by Research Associate Sara Medina-Lombardero.

TissueMetrics is developing an innovative acoustic skin sensor designed to improve how inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis are assessed and treated. Its technology measures changes within the layers of the skin as treatment progresses, with the ambition of bringing more objective, dermatologist-quality assessment into community healthcare settings.

Professor Helen Bridle’s RecoverPX also celebrated a double success, winning both the Ventures Lab Special Prize and the Blue Economy Special Prize. The Venture Lab award brought £10,000 alongside a package of tailored business support, while the Blue Economy award secured a further £25,000 for the venture.

RecoverPX is developing a next-generation water sampling platform to improve the detection of pathogens, initially focusing on Cryptosporidium. Combining advanced filtration with automated and remotely operated systems, the technology aims to improve pathogen recovery and enable faster responses to potential contamination events. It has already been validated with several UK water companies and is being developed for use across laboratories, treatment plants and field settings.

The evening's celebrations were opened by Heriot-Watt’s new Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nola Hewitt-Dundas, who welcomed entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, industry partners and supporters from across Scotland’s innovation community.

In her address, Professor Hewitt-Dundas reflected on the importance of creating the right conditions for innovation to flourish, including access to expertise, networks, investment and opportunities to connect research with real-world need. She also highlighted Heriot-Watt’s pride in having been the home of Converge for the past 15 years and in supporting a programme that helps university entrepreneurs across Scotland turn promising ideas into economic and societal impact.

Professor Chris Turney, Deputy Principal for Research and Innovation at Heriot-Watt University, reflected:

“This is a fantastic achievement for Michael, Helen and their teams, and a powerful reflection of the quality, ambition and real-world relevance of the innovation taking place across Heriot-Watt's Global Research Institutes.

“Both TissueMetrics and RecoverPX show what can happen when outstanding research is combined with entrepreneurial thinking and a clear focus on solving real challenges. We are incredibly proud to support our researchers in taking those ideas beyond the University, building the partnerships, confidence and commercial pathways that can turn innovation into lasting impact.

“To see two Heriot-Watt ventures recognised with four awards at Converge is a tremendous result, and I warmly congratulate everyone involved.”

The awards followed a highly competitive Converge programme. A record 123 start-ups and spinouts were initially selected to take part in 2026, with finalists progressing through specialist business and investment training before pitching their ventures to expert judging panels.

At Heriot-Watt, the GRID (Global, Research, Innovation and Discovery) ecosystem provides the University interface for Converge and sits at the heart of its support for academic entrepreneurship and commercialisation. The University’s Business and Enterprise team works with researchers across disciplines and career stages to explore commercial opportunities, develop propositions and help promising innovations progress towards market and scale.