CivTech reveals winners of its latest effort to help the Scottish public sector

CivTech has announced the latest companies to help tackle challenges the public sector is facing.

The programme's ninth round focuses on areas such as nature management, women’s health, and cyber resilience. 

A total of 13 companies have made it through to the final accelerator stage, with projects making use of AI, satellites, and other cutting-edge technology for their solutions. 

Announcing the winners at today’s launch of the accelerator stage, innovation minister Richard Lochhead said: “Solutions being developed through the latest CivTech Accelerator promise to have a positive and meaningful impact on Scotland’s society and people. Using the very latest technology, including artificial intelligence, we are tackling real-world challenges to help build a stronger and fairer economy. 

“Our focus is on creating opportunities for a highly productive, competitive economy, providing new jobs, embedding innovation and boosting skills.” 

CivTech Round 9 will share a fund of up to £7.48m. 

Throughout the coming months, winners will collaborate with their sponsors to develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), with a demo day set to occur in May.  

Adora Digital Health, Lumino, and Cohesion will work to help women understand menopause better and access appropriate support. 

2Excel Aviation and AAC Clyde will use aerospace technologies to provide early warning on stress, pests, and disease across flora while Excel Aviation and BH Wildlife Consultancy will track deer in real time to improve forest management and ecological restoration. 

AR-SQ Limited hopes to make public sector procurements’ supply chain more efficient and secure, and Lupovis and Swordbreaker look to enhance cyber resilience and strategies to manage cyber-crime attacks. 

Interrobang will work to make public services more accessible, with Netcompany enhancing these services’ communications channel. 

By the commercialisation stage, companies hope to secure contracts worth up to £1.3m. 

Challenges sponsors range from Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Gardens and Forestry and Land Scotland to the Scottish Government’s Chief Scientists Office and other Scottish Government directorates. 

Launched in 2016, CivTech is the world’s first government-run accelerator for digital public services.  

Over the past seven years, it has set more than 90 challenges, with more than 110 companies reaching the accelerator stage.  

Prior challenges have led to the development of a virtual reality programme to familiarise people with giving evidence in court, an app to help people in tenement buildings organise and pay for repairs and the streamlining of connections with the local Citizens Advice bureau through AI and voice recognition technology.