In a hard-fought ‘Dragon’s Den’ semi-finals contest at Lancaster University Management School on 5 June, eight teams pitched their ideas for potential new ventures .

Established seven years ago by leading universities in the UK and China, the China UK Entrepreneurship Challenge is open to undergraduate and postgraduate students from either country. It is designed to bring together existing business and student-led start-ups, and provides a platform for international entrepreneurs to hone their business plans and attract potential investors.

The business idea proposed by the Lancaster MBA team, Blue Sky, was for technology designed to reduce the environmental impact of coal-fired community boilers in China, with a business plan developed by Niladri Gupta, Helen Su and Robbie Dong.

The other teams selected as finalists came from the Universities of Cambridge and Nottingham. DiagMole (Nottingham) focused on technology for detecting the composition of foodstuffs, Elves Biotech (Cambridge) on biodegradable polymers and precise-release microspheres, and H2GO Power (Cambridge) on hydrogen-powered battery technology.

At the national finals, to be held on 9 July at the Bank of China headquarters in London, the four teams will compete for cash prizes totalling £7,000. The eventual winners will also have the opportunity to visit China to develop their ideas on a visit organised by the China Innovation Development Association (CIDA).