Indian student bags British enterprise prize

An Indian engineering student from the University of Nottingham fought off stiff worldwide competition to be awarded the overall prize at a British government-backed entrepreneurial contest.
Ashutosh Pathak is working on developing a much cheaper, more efficient pipe inspection and leakage detection system.
His impressive skills secured his Brobotics team, which boasted participants from seven countries and five continents, USD 7,500 in Amazon web credits and a working space to help them develop their ideas further.
"Winning this award has given us all great confidence in our entrepreneurial ability. Not only was this competition a great opportunity to work as a team with people from all over the world, it allowed us to each develop our business acumen too," Pathak said.

The international enterprise competition was held to mark the launch of UK Trade and Investment's (UKTI) Sirius Programme, a pioneering scheme to bring the world's best entrepreneurial talent to the UK.
The 12-month start-up support and acceleration package is open to students and recent graduates with an early-stage business idea or business plan.

Successful applicants receive a full range of support including investment, a place in one of the world's best business accelerator programmes, mentoring and logistical help with relocating to the UK.
"We can't wait to apply for the Sirius Programme with the hope of being one step closer to transforming our business ideas into a reality within the UK," Pathak added.

UKTI had announced the launch of Sirius at the annual Entrepreneurs' Festival in Manchester last month, which attracted a diverse range of business ideas from across 40 countries including as many as 14 from India.
Nick Baird, chief executive of UKTI, said, "The calibre of all the entrants from the festival was superb, but Ashutosh and his team had the edge across the board. It is great to hear that they will be applying for the Sirius Programme as this is be one of the most comprehensive start-up support packages offered globally, and the best in Europe."
The Sirius Programme is part of UKTI's commitment to supporting global graduate talent by helping young people from around the world develop and make their business ideas a reality in Britain.