Press release: Harnessing start-up solutions to improve lives —
Summary
Up to \xa38 million of Scottish Government funding is being made available to help start-up businesses and entrepreneurs solve public sector challenges.The latest round of the Scottish Government CivTech programme invites companies and individuals to come up with innovations and products that will improve lives and practices across a wide range of public sector areas.Applications to submit ideas to tackle nine different Challenges are now open. They range from cutting pharmaceutical waste to using technology to improve public engagement in politics. Additional Wildcard Challenges are anticipated to launch in the coming weeks.Successful applicants will work with their Challenge Sponsor to develop their proposal and pitch for a place in the programmes Accelerator phase, which offers both financial and practical support to develop the business and market the concept to the public sector.Since it launched in 2016, around \xa320 million of Scottish Government funding has been invested in the CivTech programme, with 90 companies and entrepreneurs helped to grow and develop.These include bioscience company SilviBio and Tape for Trees, which developed new seed germination technologies to help Forestry and Land Scotland increase the efficiency and survival rates of its tree seedlings.