With ideas like these, the UK's future is bright It is by taking such risks that new businesses are formed and all the shortlisted candidates should be applauded for the huge effort they have made. They have also been successful. From the shortlist it appears that manufacturing entrepre-neurs are alive and kicking. Of course, as would be expected, the digital space is also throwing up winners, such as CJS CD Keys, run by 18-year-old Corey Smith. Also heartening is the role universities are playing in providing the environment for budding entrepreneurs to test their ideas. Mr Smith is attending the Open University, the founders of Festival Loo are civil engineering graduates from Bristol University, Michael Korn of KwikScreen attended the Royal College of Art, Dr Shamus Husheer of DuoFertility is a Cambridge graduate and Dr Tim Woolmer, of YASA Motors, went to Oxford University. After much effort, the UK is finally making the right links between universities and enterprise, the type of relationship that has so advantaged America where the central role played by Stanford in the development of Silicon Valley is the stuff of business development how-to studies. Although not a winner this time - her business is at a very early stage - worth a special mention is Joanna Montgomery of Little Riot. She is developing not only a new product but possibly a whole new sector. Called "digital presence," Ms Montgomery is investigating how we can interact digitally without keyboards or screens. Her first product is called Pillow Talk, which transmits the heartbeat of your loved one to your pillow so you can "sense" their presence when they are not at your side. Her enthusiasm was infectious and her understanding of what could be the next big thing in digital was thought provoking. While the UK is producing such smart people - as all our winners and shortlisted candidates are - our economic future is bright.