SimPatient wins Kickstart Entrepreneurial Spirit Award at National Converge Awards
The team behind the AI-powered patient simulator SimPatient has been recognised at the 2025 Converge Awards for its innovation, entrepreneurial drive, and potential to transform clinical education. Senior Lecturer and Project Lead Dr Andrew O’Malley accepted the Kickstart Entrepreneurial Spirit Award at the ceremony in Edinburgh on 2 October.
Hosted by Converge, Scotland’s leading academic entrepreneurship programme, the annual event celebrates the most promising university-led ventures. This year’s ceremony, attended by Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes, awarded £400,000 in funding across 22 prizes to institutions throughout Scotland.
Developed in the School of Medicine, SimPatient is a cutting-edge training platform that uses a proprietary AI model to simulate realistic patient interactions. Supporting text, voice, video, and extended reality interfaces, it is trained on thousands of real-world consultations to create a safe, responsive environment where students can repeatedly practice clinical skills. The platform also provides dynamic feedback to deepen learning and build confidence.
Reflecting on the award, Dr O’Malley said:
“This award recognises not only the innovation behind SimPatient, but also the growing importance of AI in shaping the future of healthcare education. We’re excited about the potential this technology has to support learners and institutions globally.”
The accolade follows SimPatient’s recent inclusion in OpenAI’s Global Faculty AI Project, further underscoring its international relevance.