The Business of Science Conference (BoSC) recently took place in Leeds, with Leeds Trinity University proudly sponsoring the Innovation Award for the Primary age group.

The conference welcomed industry professionals, academics and schools to celebrate the development of ground-breaking science, innovation and invention across the Leeds City Region and throughout the UK. This was the first time the conference was hosted in Leeds, with more than 200 people in attendance, following three successful years in Manchester and Liverpool.

The new location of the conference saw the introduction of the Innovation Award, aimed at schoolchildren and young adults wanting to solve problems through science. The winning entries showcased their ideas in front of industry-leaders at the conference. They also received £1,000 towards school resources.

Dr Leigh Hoath, Senior Lecturer in Science Education at Leeds Trinity University, was on the judging panel alongside Steve Bennett (Founder of BoSC), Dr Geoff Mackey (Director at BASF), Dr Jaclyn Bell (Senior Teaching Fellow at Imperial College London), James Baker from Graphene@Manchester and Annette Bramley (Director of N8).

The winning entry for the Primary Innovation Award came from Western Community Primary School in Wallsend who invented an app called Scan-tastic in response to the current environmental issue surrounding plastic use. The app was designed to scan products to determine how much plastic they contain, inform users how to recycle materials, and suggest plastic-free alternatives to give consumers a better understanding of what they are buying.

Dr Hoath also led a teacher research group who were also in attendance at the BoSC to present their research posters to industry-leaders with backgrounds in science.

Dr Hoath said: "It was such a proud moment to present the pupils with their prize for the Innovation Awards. Their Scan-tastic app was certainly an inspiring solution to plastics recycling. The Business of Science conference offered so much in Leeds this year with opportunities across all sectors and I look forward to future involvement next year."

Dr Geoff Mackey, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Director at BASF, said: "The Innovation competition is all about people dreaming about the difference science can make, changing lives positively. It's fabulous to see the ideas and thoughts of primary students come to life."

The Business of Science Conference takes place annually, with Birmingham set to be the host city in May 2020. For more information please visit theBoSC website. ???