Exeter teams reach national final of student innovation competition
Two teams from the University of Exeter are celebrating after reaching the final stages of a prestigious national student innovation competition.
The teams have been named among the UK’s top ten student innovations, securing places in the 2026 Engineers in Business Fellowship (ESBF) Champion of Champions final.
It is the first time since Exeter began running its ESBF-funded pitch competition in 2019 that two teams have reached the national finals, highlighting the strength and ambition of student innovation emerging from the University.
The teams – ClearedToGo featuring students Thomas Malins and David Cooper, and PhageLink. Bio with student Liam Boot-Handford – will now take their ideas from Exeter to the national stage, competing against eight other student ventures at the Royal Academy of Engineering in London on 13 November 2026.
The finalists will receive a day of intensive coaching on 12 November before pitching their innovations to a national judging panel, with teams competing across two categories – Big Ideas, for undergraduates, and Startup, for postgraduate students. A total of £16,500 in prize money is up for grabs.
In the Big Ideas category, Exeter’s ClearedToGo is developing an AI-powered mobile app designed to help general aviation pilots improve safety through dynamic, aircraft-specific pre-flight checklists.
The app brings together real-time weather information, aircraft manuals and safety documentation to create tailored checklists for individual flights.
The team aims to address the limitations of static checklists and reduce the risk of human error, while creating a smarter and more efficient pre-flight process for student and private pilots.
In the Startup category, PhageLink.Bio is developing engineered viruses designed to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria and prevent infections before they start.
Its innovative approach tackles one of the major challenges facing global healthcare, using engineering and biotechnology to explore new ways of combating antibiotic-resistant infections.
Their success reflects the strength of the University’s connected enterprise support ecosystem. In addition to competing in the ESBF competition, both ventures have received support through the innovation initiatives in the Department of Engineering, the University’s Student Startups programme and wider Enterprise and Innovation programmes & events, demonstrating how a joined-up pathway of support can help entrepreneurial talent progress from early-stage ideas to nationally recognised ventures.
The ten national finalists will also compete in a £500 pre-show public vote, giving audiences the opportunity to back their favourite student innovation ahead of the final.
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