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The six teams advancing to the final of this year’s Faculty of Natural Sciences Make‑A‑Difference Competition have been announced, with projects ranging from cancer diagnostics and vaccine transportation to sustainable printing and fire‑prevention tools.

This year has attracted the highest number of applications since the competition was established in 2014, which invites Imperial undergraduates to apply their scientific skills to develop low‑cost, high‑impact solutions to real‑world problems. 

This year, 34 teams registered, with 32 of those going on to submit outline proposals. From these, the judging panel has chosen its six finalists. 

Over eight weeks this summer, they will receive funding, lab space and mentorship to develop their proof-of-concepts. The winning team will be announced at the final in October, where they will be awarded up to £7,000 in prize money. 

This year's finalists truly embody the spirit of FoNS MAD and will, without doubt, make a real difference!” Dr Thibault Bertrand FoNS MAD Committee Co-Chair

Dr Thibault Bertrand, FoNS-MAD Committee Co-Chair and Associate Professor in Statistical Mechanics, said: “This is yet another exciting year for FoNS MAD, with a record number of outstanding applications making the selection process exceptionally competitive.  

“This year’s six finalist teams are tackling pressing societal challenges: Low-cost cancer diagnostics, personalised women's health monitoring, sustainable prototyping materials, smart rehabilitation technologies, life-saving fire emergency and vaccine-delivery innovations. They truly embody the spirit of FoNS MAD and will, without doubt, make a real difference!” 

Meet the finalists 

Eviso 

Eviso is made up of Isla Binks from the Department of Mathematics, Eve Sharma from the Department of Physics, as well as Obioma Osuji from the Department of Mechanical Engineering. 

They are developing a low-cost toilet-mounted device that passively tracks women’s urinary biomarkers to deliver hormone and metabolic health insights. 

EcoPrints 

EcoPrints is made up of Liam Nguyen from the Department of Life Sciences, Ansh Agarwal from the Department of Design Engineering, and Wenda Wu from the Department of Mathematics. 

They are looking to create a biodegradable, more sustainable and easily recyclable 3D printing filament. 

KidniCheck 

KidniCheck includes team members Alexander Holliger, Baba Zack, Mousavizadegan Arshia and Shu Liu, all from the Department of Life Sciences. 

They are designing lateral flow urine tests that enable rapid, non-invasive early screening for kidney cancer. 

SHLOK Vest 

Team members Bihadu Jayaweera, Reilly Webster and Sharen Shivagumar, from the Department of Physics, as well as Pratyusha Singh, from the Department of Mathematics, make up SHLOK Vest. 

They are developing a multifunctional vest paired with an app to support stroke survivors with a focus on visual neglect, monitoring of health data and muscle rehabilitation. 

Primus 

Primus is made up of Rhys Wijeratne from the Department of Design Engineering, alongside Bochang Lu from the Department of Physics. 

They are developing a system that detects likely occupant locations during a fire and shares them with firefighters to speed up rescues. 

Kalyb 

Kalyb includes Flynn Li, Kaiqi Song and Yubo Gao from the Department of Life Sciences, alongside Bella Zheng from the Department of Physics. 

They are designing a low-cost, electricity-free device that records the number of freeze events experienced by vaccines during transport.