The Scottish Executive has allocated a total of £4.6m to fund development of scientific research with "commercial potential" in Scotland.

Projects that will benefit include low-toxicity anti-cancer drugs activated by laser light, a computer game enhancer called Spell binder, and a 3D imaging project at Heriot-Watt University.

According to The Scotsman this round of funding will be distributed among 26 separate projects. Over the last five years, the fund has helped 56 projects to completion.

The money comes from a proof-of-concept fund, originally conceived in 1999 as a three-year programme with a total budget of £11m. However, it proved so successful that the Executive added another three years to its life, and £22m more to its budget.

To qualify, a project must be in a pre-commercial stage, and must have been developed at a Scottish university, research insitution or NHS trust. ®

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