Earlier this month, the Bayes Centre celebrated the culmination of the Bayes Innovation Fellows 2024 programme with an inspiring showcase event which highlighted the transformative journeys of this year’s cohort of early-career academic entrepreneurs. Held on 05 June 2025, the event brought together researchers, colleagues, and collaborators to showcase the Fellows’ commercialisation journeys with each pitch being a testament to the programmes commitment to nurturing interdisciplinary innovation at the University of Edinburgh. The morning began with coffee, pastries, and warm conversation before opening remarks from Lynne Craig, Co-Director of Enterprise & Innovation for the Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI). She spoke of the importance of creating space and institutional support for academics to explore non-traditional career paths, particularly in translating research into real-world impact. The keynote address was delivered by Dr Paul Patras, Associate Professor in the School of Informatics and CEO of NetAI. Reflecting on his own path from researcher to founder, Paul shared invaluable insights into the realities of launching a spinout. He underscored the need to file patents early, stay adaptable, and prioritise clarity and value in investor communication. “Don’t be too precious,” he advised. “Learn to adapt and be flexible.” At the heart of the event was a series of compelling pitch presentations from the 2024 Fellows, each accompanied by short explainer videos that captured the impact of their ideas: Michael Mistry (School of Informatics) is tackling one of the UK’s most dangerous and labour-challenged sectors, warehouse material handling. His innovation seeks to automate repetitive, high-risk tasks through robotics, addressing both safety concerns and a shrinking workforce. Francesco Tudisco (School of Mathematics), Chief Scientific Officer of Miniml Ltd, translates advanced mathematical theory into real-world applications. Shiwei Wang (School of Engineering) introduced Neurostripe, a breakthrough in neurotechnology that enables simultaneous stimulation and signal recording via real-time analysis. With proven in vivo results, this tech could significantly improve early disease detection. Giovanni Stracquadanio (School of Biological Sciences) presented Zythera, a venture focused on personalised enzyme replacement therapy for patients with lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) - combining synthetic biology and AI to improve treatment outcomes and quality of life. Reflecting on the experience, Michael Mistry shared: I am primarily an academic and so have never been exposed to the challenges and steps I need to take to launch a venture. Having the support of programmes like these from my employer is incredible, I am in an extremely lucky position and can have the best of both worlds as an academic and aspiring founder – it softens the risk of entrepreneurship. The programme taught me how to create a pitch deck, something I have never done before and I now feel like I am confident enough to communicate my idea and engage with investors and have a foundational understanding of things such as branding and financing. The programmes impact was echoed by Emma Fyvie-Harper – Research Development Officer, who played a key role in delivering the initiative: It’s been inspiring to see the great strides the Fellows have taken. We’ve aimed to demystify topics like branding, intellectual property, and investment, and it’s clear that the Fellows have grown tremendously. They are now far better equipped to navigate the next stages of their commercialisation journey. Emma also emphasised the value of the programme: The Bayes Innovation Fellows programme is an important step in supporting Edinburgh’s development as an entrepreneurial campus. By providing time, expertise, and early-stage funding, we help early-career researchers translate their ideas into impactful ventures. We’re proud to contribute to an innovation ecosystem that supports research-driven solutions to real-world problems. The event closed with a celebration of the Fellows’ achievements and an invitation to follow their ongoing journeys as they move toward spinout creation, customer engagement, and further investment. Discover more about the Fellows and their ventures: Bayes Innovation Fellows 2024 Cohort Tags 2025 Publication date 02 Jul, 2025
