Business

24 Dec 08

The Oxford team [L to R]: Xiaoqi Feng, Gillian Petrokofsky, Rebecca Ross, Bartu Ahiska.

A team of graduate students from Oxford University have won the Environment Young Entrepreneurs Scheme (YES) competition with their idea for a business that could save threatened bee populations.

YES is a national competition that aims to encourage young scientists to develop the skills and contacts they need to turn research into commercially viable products. To compete they have to come up with, and then pitch, business ideas to a panel of potential investors.

The competition is run by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), in association with the University of Nottingham and with support from the Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

The Oxford team of Rebecca Ross, Bartu Ahiska, Xiaoqi Feng, Christina Vinson and Gillian Petrokofsky beat rivals from across the UK to the final and impressed the judges with their virtual business ‘ProBee’, which they say would offer a solution to the serious problem of colony collapse disorder in honey bees. 

ProBee ‘CEO’, Rebecca Ross, said, ‘Every third mouthful of food we eat is produced from crops pollinated by bees. But bee colonies across the Northern hemisphere are being devastated by disease which resists current chemical interventions, bringing severe consequences for agriculture and the environment.’

ProBee’s proposed solution would be to develop a unique feed supplement, utilising natural bacteria from bees to boost their immune systems. They say this could provide a safe, effective and low-cost solution to combat disease and ensure healthier bees and sustain crop pollination and honey production.

Dr Peter Ringrose, Chair of BBSRC and head of the judging panel, said: ‘We are delighted that these talented scientists are preparing themselves early in their careers to translate their research into benefits for the UK economy and society – an activity for which their grasp of the principles of finance, marketing and intellectual property will be absolutely vital.’

After learning that they were to be awarded the £1000 first prize Rebecca Ross said: ‘The power of this programme is how quickly we all came to feel that we really were entrepreneurs, just starting our own company. It has shown us the excitement of turning a research idea into a business which brings value to others, and I hope that this is something which we can continue during our own scientific careers.’