PGR students triumph at YES competition

A team including postgraduate research (PGR) students from Newcastle University has achieved remarkable success at the recent Your Entrepreneurs Scheme (YES) Competition, held at the prestigious Royal Society in London.

The team, DiagnosTree, won both the Best Consideration of IP Strategy and the Social Media prize for active engagement throughout the competition.

DiagnosTree, comprising of Sara Ilic, Kathleen Bialik and Cameron Read, three BBSRC students from Newcastle University, George Weston, a BBSRC student from Durham University and Taylor Wellfare Reid, a MRC DiMeN DTP student from Newcastle University, impressed the judges with their hypothetical innovative business plan.

The Best IP Strategy award, sponsored by Potter Clarkson, recognised DiagnosTree's exceptional consideration of intellectual property in their hypothetical business plan. Additionally, the Social Media prize highlighted the team's active engagement and effective communication throughout the competition.

Additionally, PGR student, Melissa Greenwood represented Newcastle University in the team Vitamize of Food Consortium CTP, which won the Best Collaboration and Teamwork award.

The YES Competition is a globally recognised initiative designed to raise awareness among Master and PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, research fellows, and technicians about the commercialisation of ideas.

For the past 28 years, the competition has united teams driven by dedication, curiosity, and a desire to learn. Participants develop business plans for start-up companies based on hypothetical but plausible ideas, addressing societal challenges such as the ageing population, sustainable food production, and global warming.

Taylor Wellfare Reid from the DiagnosTree team said:

"Partaking in the YES competition was a great opportunity to gain experience of what it is like to work in the biotech startup industry, delve into new areas of research, and learning new skills, while continuing my PhD work,”

“Our team, DiagnosTree, won both the intellectual property prize and social media award in the final at the Royal Society in London. We were pleased to win these in particular as everyone in our team contributed across both sections."

Senior Lecturer, Dr Richy Hetherington, commended the team’s achievement:

"The team's success is a great advert for our collaborations and partnerships. Their pitch was brilliant and well worth the accolades bestowed by the experienced judging panel."

The YES Competition continues to be a valuable platform for developing researchers, providing them with the skills and experience needed to commercialise their ideas and make a positive impact on society.

A huge congratulations to all Newcastle University PGR students who participated in the YES Competition.