Proof of the pudding is in the eating

A LOW-COST generator system for wind turbines and a system to detect abnormalities in DNA were among six projects that yesterday shared £1.5 million in "proof of concept" funding from Scottish Enterprise.

Strathclyde University took four of the six grants to develop: a fibre-optic sensor system for detecting pressure and temperature in deep sea wells; a technology to improve the solubility of drugs; a method of time-release drug delivery; and a generator for wind turbines.

St Andrews University collected a grant to improve the accuracy of atomic force microscopes, which are used to study biological samples and the surfaces of materials in the electronics industry.

The final grant went to Robert Gordon University, which is developing a system for detecting abnormalities in DNA. The system could be used in hospitals and clinics.

Since it began in 1999, the proof concept programme has invested £41m in 212 projects.