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��ҹѰ�� has two finalists in this year’s Converge Awards, as the ocean research charity seeks to find innovative solutions to some of the major issues in marine science.

As a partner of the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI), ��ҹѰ�� is represented as a finalist in the Converge KickStart Challenge and the Blue Economy Award.

Prof. Adam Hughes leads the Ampere project, nominated in this year’s KickStart Challenge final.

Ampere aims to use a techno-ecological solution to enable oysters and corals to grow more rapidly and survive climate stresses, such as warming and ocean acidification.

The global biodiversity crisis is driving the collapse of key marine ecosystems, particularly coral and oyster reefs. Efforts exist to restore these vital calcifying habitats, but traditional methods are expensive – facing a $14.6 billion funding gap – and often fail to keep pace with the pace of change in these environments.

Ampere will use autonomous, low-cost, modular systems to enhance calcification in these keystone species. By enabling corals and oysters to grow more rapidly and survive climate stresses, Ampere hopes to unlock direct investment in habitat recovery through biodiversity credits and marine net gain.

��ҹѰ�� UHI Masters student Thomas Bartram and his company MycoMara AI is nominated in the Blue Economy Award category.

MycoMara AI aims to create an AI-enabled library of underexplored marine fungi to identify novel bioactive molecules for biotechnology and pharmaceutical discovery. Focused on areas including antibiotics, oncology, inflammation and fibrosis, MycoMara AI aims to tackle global health challenges such as antimicrobial resistance while promoting the sustainable use of marine biodiversity.

The Converge Awards take place today (Thursday) at the Barony Hall, Glasgow.

For the first time, 15 out of the 18 participating universities have finalists represented, the widest pool of institutions in Converge’s 15-year history.