Thirteen companies have progressed to the final stage of the CivTech Accelerator, offering solutions to various challenges in the environmental, healthcare, economic, and cyber-crime sectors impacting the public sector.

During the next few months, these winning companies will collaborate closely with their Challenge Sponsors to refine their solutions, aiming to develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). CivTech Round 9 boasts a significant investment of up to £7.48 million from the Scottish Government. By the end of the process, these businesses aspire to secure contracts valued from several hundred thousand pounds to £1.3 million.

CivTech, the world's first Government-run accelerator for digital public services, has previously facilitated the creation of numerous innovative solutions. These include a Virtual Reality programme to acquaint individuals with the court evidence-giving experience, an app simplifying repairs in tenement buildings, and AI and voice recognition technology to enhance the ease and speed of connecting with local Citizens Advice bureaus.

Revealing the winning companies today (Thursday 18th) at the official launch of the Accelerator Stage, the 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 investment in the CivTech programme is creating tangible and accessible solutions. This shows the tech sector’s appetite to use advances in areas such as AI, machine learning, satellite, and drone technology to make people’s lives easier and better.

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