Second North East Scotland ICURe Discover cohort closes, building on three active spin-outs from cohort one

The second cohort of Innovate UK ICURe Discover in North East Scotland has concluded, with twelve teams completing the programme and presenting at the Options Roundabout in March. The 2026 cohort was delivered through a partnership between Innovate UK ICURe, the University of Aberdeen, Robert Gordon University, ONE Life Sciences and Scottish Enterprise, with Robert Gordon University and Scottish Enterprise joining for this round.

Two cohorts in, the case for the North East Scotland ICURe Discover route is clear. Open to researchers across the region, it is producing teams that go on to build companies of genuine commercial substance, and it is doing so in a way that contributes directly to the national ICURe pipeline and to the high-growth potential projects the wider innovation system is set up to support.

Three companies from a cohort of ten

The clearest evidence sits in the first cohort. Of the ten teams that took part in 2024, three are now operating as active spin-out companies. WellBrain Ltd is developing EEG-based technology aimed at detecting early signs of dementia-related changes in brain function before symptoms appear. Dioka Therapeutics Ltd is working on a new medicine for hypertension based on University of Aberdeen research into the body’s natural mechanisms for regulating blood pressure and is currently at the pre-clinical stage. Ikarians Healthtech Ltd is building an AI-supported platform that integrates patient data and wearables, designed to help healthcare professionals support patients between appointments.

Three active spin-outs from a cohort of ten, working across neurology, cardiovascular medicine and digital health, is a strong outcome at this stage of the model’s development. It also speaks to the kind of high-growth potential the UK innovation system is increasingly focused on identifying and backing early.

An ICURe Discover, anchored in the region

The North East Scotland ICURe Discover programme follows the same eight-week structure, the same market-validation approach and the same standards as ICURe Discover delivered nationally. What is distinctive is that it is open to researchers from institutions in the region and is delivered by partners with established roles in the local innovation ecosystem. Cohort participants are based at ONE BioHub in Aberdeen, which acts as the physical hub for the programme and gives teams access to the wider life sciences cluster developing around it.

That regional anchoring widens the funnel of researchers entering ICURe Discover. The result is a larger and better-connected pipeline of teams testing their ideas against real markets, with onward routes already mapped to where they need to go next.

The 2026 cohort reflects the partnership in its current shape. Twelve teams took part, eight from the University of Aberdeen and four from Robert Gordon University, working across life sciences, digital and technology, and clean energy. According to Sergio Dall’Angelo, Lecturer in Biosciences at the University of Aberdeen and a participant in the cohort, what sets the approach apart is the discipline of going out to test ideas in the market. “The main difference from the academic pathway is the market pull approach, which is completely different, I would even say the opposite, from the academic way of thinking. You go out and interact with potential customers to understand their needs and verify whether your idea or technology can solve a problem that someone is willing to pay for.” That reframing, from technology-push to customer validation, is what the ICURe Discover stage is built to deliver.

Onward routes into the national pipeline

For teams emerging from ICURe Discover with a credible commercial proposition, the onward routes are clear. ICURe Explore offers further market validation and investment-readiness support for those preparing to spin out or license. Scottish Enterprise’s High Growth Spinout Programme provides equity-free funding to academic-founded companies pursuing high-growth potential, and integrates closely with the regional partnership. Both routes feed into the same national pipeline that has produced 390 spin-out companies through Innovate UK ICURe since 2014. “ICURe plays a core role in the support available to academic entrepreneurs, helping them test ideas, build market insight and take first steps towards commercialisation,” said Dr Deborah O’Neil OBE FRSE, Chair of the ONE Life Sciences Board. “Rooted in the regional ecosystem, North East Scotland ICURe Discover is a powerful and distinctive part of the pathway from research to impact.”

A foundation to build on

The two cohorts delivered to date have established what the North East Scotland ICURe partnership is capable of, and the 2026 round has broadened the institutional base it rests on. “The regional model is designed to meet researchers where they are, in the institutions and ecosystems they already work within,” said Veronica Ferguson, Head of ICURe Regional Hub for Scotland at Innovate UK ICURe. “What we have seen across the first two cohorts in North East Scotland is that this approach produces real outcomes for teams, and feeds directly into the national ICURe pipeline. The partnership with the University of Aberdeen, Robert Gordon University, ONE Life Sciences and Scottish Enterprise gives us a strong foundation to build on as we look ahead.” Three active companies from the first cohort, twelve teams through the second and a strengthened partnership now in place is a foundation worth building on.