CENSIS – the Scottish Innovation Centre for sensor and imaging systems and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies – has launched an accelerator challenge to help companies bring new IoT cyber security products and services to market.
Successful businesses will receive a package of co-ordinated support over several months, including assistance from CENSIS’s engineering team, business development guidance and introductions to support organisations, as well as a bespoke workshop with Scottish patent and trademark specialists, Scintilla IP.
One overall winner will also secure a spot at the semi-finals of Scottish EDGE, the UK’s biggest business funding competition.
Any Scottish company or individual with an interest in the cyber security sector, and an idea or concept ready to be developed, is invited to enter.
Applications are already being reviewed and will continue to be assessed on a first-come, first-served basis until the deadline of 29th May.
The competition follows the success of the innovation centre’s IoT Explorer challenge in 2017, which saw eight successful companies awarded with a support package to help develop their ideas for commercial use.
Cade Wells, business development manager at CENSIS, said: “Scotland has an exciting role to play in the widespread adoption of IoT adoption. Before long, we expect to see this type of technology influencing and benefiting most, if not all, industries.
“We hope that our cyber security challenge will help to build trusted, robust products and services to aid growth while also providing support to companies that have great potential.
“We’re keen to work with Scottish businesses of any size, helping them to realise the potential of IoT technology. There are no limits to the ideas we will consider awarding the support package, but target sectors could include energy, manufacturing, tourism, healthcare, and transport.”
The challenge forms part of a Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Government supported cyber challenge programme, which was launched at the CENSIS Technology Summit in November 2019. The wider programme aims to boost Scotland’s adoption of IoT technologies through the development of cyber security products and services.
