Youth Challenge 2008
13th October 2007
The hunt has begun to find the best young innovators in the Highlands and Islands.
The ICT Youth Challenge 2008 is looking for young people with bright ideas.
The annual challenge, launched this week, is supported by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), BT Scotland and Microsoft, and invites teams of young people to submit their ideas for information and communications technology and of the future.
The most promising ideas are then selected and teams invited to pitch their ideas to a panel of experts. After a number of rounds, the competition culminates with six teams being chosen to go forward to the Hothouse, an intensive week of team work and exert advice focusing on turning ideas into a reality and producing working prototypes of the ICT gadgets of the future.
Youth challenge operations director Rob Murray said: "The challenge is encouraging young people to think out of the box and come up with revolutionary innovative products or services. Young people work together to develop their team working skills, business skills, technical appreciation and are provided with support and technical advice from
experts that allow them to advance their brainwaves.
Taking part in the challenge can really make a difference. Several of the young people who we have worked with have decided as a result to take a completely different career path than they'd originally planned whilst others have advanced their ideas to patent status."
Last year's challenge saw The Microsoft prize category carried off by a Charleston Academy team consisting of Andrew Fraser, Alan Hercher and Tom Gallacher, who won a trip to visit Microsoft's world famous Redmond Campus in Seattle, USA.
Andrew said: "This is the icing on the cake after a great year. Taking part in the ICT Youth Challenge is a great opportunity for young people and we'd absolutely encourage others to get involved this year. Our visit to Seattle and Microsoft's campus was the trip of a lifetime."
John MacKenzie, development manager at Highlands and Islands Enterprise said, "The challenge is now in its fifth year and we are ramping up activity and adding new sponsors. Participant benefits are considerable and the prizes are simply breathtaking."
Teams interested in taking part in the challenge can find out more and submit their ideas on the website www.youth-challenge.co.uk
Related Businesses
Related Articles
Companies operating in Scotland's aquaculture supply chain industries are being encouraged to get involved in a major global networking opportunity. Aqua Nor is the world's premier event for the sector and a focal point for new customers and investors who are interested in Scotland.
The much-anticipated return of the funicular railway at Cairngorm Mountain will not take place in December, as had been hoped. Contractor Balfour Beatty has substantially completed an extensive remediation programme to strengthen the 1.8km viaduct, however detailed inspections have shown that further work is required in some areas.
A sand mining company in Lochaber is set to double its production and increase annual turnover by more than £2.6m. Lochaline Quartz Sand Limited (LQS) has secured up to £230,000 investment from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) towards the £855,000 costs of upgrading equipment on site.
The newly appointed head of business growth for Highlands and Island Enterprise (HIE) in Argyll and the Islands is to focus on expanding the agency's portfolio of business clients. Liam Orr, originally from Benderloch near Oban, took up the post in early December and leads HIE’s business growth team across an area covering Argyll and Bute, Arran and the Cumbraes.
An Aviemore-based adventure tourism operator has made significant progress in sustainability over the past two years by investing in e-bikes, e-vehicles and a carbon labelling system. Wilderness Scotland has reduced its scope 1 & 2 carbon emissions by 16 percent through its commitment to business decarbonisation.
The funicular railway at Cairngorm Mountain looks set to be back in action towards the end of December or early in the new year. Contractor Balfour Beatty has confirmed that, weather permitting, its current programme of remediation works on the viaduct that supports the railway is due to finish in the next week to 10 days, after which teams working for the company plan to demobilise from the mountainside.
Fetcha Chocolates is investing in new equipment to quadruple its capacity, increase turnover and create employment. An Argyll based chocolate manufacturer is investing in new equipment to quadruple its capacity, increase turnover and create employment.
Is your young business ready for the next step?. The Young Business Capital Grant helps young businesses and social enterprises (under 5 years old) invest in projects that stimulate growth.
Shell-volution is an ambitious industry-wide initiative supported by the public sector and the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) which has been awarded £4.4 million of investment from the UK Government as part of the Islands Growth Deal. This innovative, ground-breaking project is set to transform shellfish aquaculture, bringing sustainable growth and additional quality jobs in mussel farming, based on detailed investigations (mapping and monitoring) and creating a model for improving security and reliability of wild spat recruitment, through industry best practice.
A Nairn-based foundry, which has achieved international recognition for its larger-than-life bronze castings has invested in a £200,000 expansion to help it reach greater heights. An award of £60,000 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has helped Black Isle Bronze to improve infrastructure and purchase equipment to extend the range of projects the firm can undertake.
