A team of young Easter Ross inventors has just returned from Dublin, where their concept of an 'e-purse' won praise from some of Europe's leading blue-sky researchers.

The five-strong Team McHarg from Alness Academy won the trip to MediaLab Europe in the Irish capital after coming out top in the hotly contested ICT Youth Challenge programme 2003.

Their winning concept, of an e-purse which gives users a convenient and universal way to pay for services and communicate while on the move, was enthusiastically received by the information and technology researchers based at MediaLab Europe.

While there, they also had the opportunity to learn first-hand about the changing world of innovation from Professor Nicholas Negroponte, director and co-founder of Massachusetts Institute of Technology's MediaLab and chairman of MediaLab Europe.

Laura Dingwall, of Highlands and Island Enterprise's knowledge economy team, who accompanied the Alness team to Dublin, said the young inventors had found the trip inspirational as well as thoroughly enjoyable.

She added: "The team were delighted with the reception they received when they showcased their e-purse to the cutting-edge researchers. It emerged that the concept is being actively researched by leading banks, but Team McHarg's fresh approach is one that appears to have stolen a march on the large financial institutions represented in Dublin.

"The Alness pupils wore their kilts throughout the visit - which prompted good-natured comments from the MediaLab team that they should think of renaming their concept the 'e-sporran'.

"Meeting Prof Negroponte was also a fascinating and inspirational opportunity for them."

The ICT Youth Challenge programme is designed to stimulate and nurture information and communications-based innovation in young people as well as helping them acquire project management and business skills. Team McHarg beat off stiff competition from more than 40 other teams from all over the Highlands and Islands to win the all-expenses paid trip to Dublin.

The competition was delivered on behalf of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) by PICT Innovation Ltd - HIE's partnership company established to foster information and technology-based ideas and turn them into business ventures by supporting research and commercialisation.

The Highlands and Islands ICT Youth Challenge programme was supported by a host of sponsors including BT's world renowned research and technology business, Btexact Technologies, Sony, MediaLab Europe, BusinessLab, Michael Fraser Associates, Omnitech Ltd, PICT Innovation and HIE.