Cardiff duo win top prize for road safety innovation

School of Physics and Astronomy students Yusif Al-Gurair and Thomas Orford-Morgan have claimed first place in the Innovative Developer Award at this year’s Cardiff University Start-Up Awards, winning £3,500 for their road safety venture, LightWorks.

Yusif, studying Astrophysics, and Thomas, a physics student, are both in their second year. They impressed judges and the audience with their forward-thinking business idea aimed at improving driver safety. Their pitch not only secured top marks from the judging panel but also won the audience vote, earning them an additional £500.

Although details of the LightWorks product remain confidential due to ongoing patent proceedings, the team has made clear that the concept has strong commercial and safety potential. The pair have received advice from business mentors who encouraged them to keep the innovation under wraps until full intellectual property protection is in place.

Yusif and Thomas are working closely with business mentors and legal advisors to finalise their patent and refine their go-to-market strategy. The funding they received will be used to develop a working prototype and begin early-stage testing and user feedback.

With the road safety industry increasingly focused on tech-driven solutions, LightWorks could position itself as a fresh and much-needed innovation.