A company spun out of technology developed at Lancaster University’s School of Computing and Communications has won the prestigious “Digital Innovation of the Year” Third Sector Award for a fundraising app designed for East Anglian Air Ambulance.

If Give - an innovative business which allows users to donate money to causes depending on if or when certain conditions are met – has been working with the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) since 2023 to adapt their technology for use in the EAAA’s “Missions” app. The Missions app enables supporters of EAAA to give micro-donations of as little as 10p each time the crew are tasked to somebody experiencing a medical emergency.

If Give was founded in 2022 by PhD student Ludwig Trotter, alongside Professor Nigel Davies and Mike Harding, all based in SCC. It originated from a major research collaboration between Lancaster University, the University of Edinburgh, and Northumbria University as a way to counteract the decline in people donating to charitable organisations by using “programable dynamics” to create an engaged giving experience.

The Missions app was recognised at the Third Sector Award’s 20^th anniversary, which was hosted in London on 20^th September. The Third Sector Awards was established to recognise UK-based charities, social enterprises, and other non-profit organisations, in addition to corporations who provide support for the sector.

On the receipt of the award, Ludwig commented: “Our success of winning Digital Innovation of the Year at the Third Sector Awards is a testament to Lancaster University’s commitment of fostering innovation and delivering real-world impact, not only through teaching and academic research but through the exploitation of knowledge to develop market-driven solutions that drive economic growth and societal impact. As a spin-out of Lancaster University, we are proud to be part of the Lancaster family and grateful for the fantastic support we have received from all our colleagues, in particular, the Research Commercialisation team and University leadership. Initiatives like Impact Accelerators and ICURe have provided an environment that has enabled us to unlock the full potential of our research and transform it into an award-winning product.”

The Lancaster University research behind the technology was supported through the UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) EP/N028198/1, UKRI Impact Accelerator Account and the If Give opportunity has been supported by Innovate UK’s ICURe (Innovation to Commercialisation of University Research).