Attendance at Pump it Up! Challenge Final 2026
2026/6/4
On Thursday 4th June, Consul General Katsutoshi Takeda attended the Pump it Up! Challenge Final 2026 held in Livingston and jointly hosted by West Lothian Chamber of Commerce and Mitsubishi Electric Airconditioning Systems Europe, which has a factory in the area.
The event showcases the finalists of the Pump it Up! Competition where local junior and senior high school students come up with new uses for heat pumps and present their ideas. Heat pumps are manufactured by Mitsubishi and use heat exchange to provide heating and cooling. This year marked the 10th anniversary of the competition being held, and over 1,500 junior and senior high school students from eight local schools participated.
By working with Mitsubishi Electric Airconditioning Systems Europe, West Lothian Chamber of Commerce aims to teach local junior and senior high school students the joy of combining technology and imagination, whilst strengthening ties between industry and schools, and cultivating the engineers of the future.
The event began with opening remarks from Mitsubishi CEO, Mr Taro Hattori, and Depute Chief Executive of West Lothian Council, Dr Elaine Cook, followed by presentations on stage by the representative teams selected from each of the eight schools about their innovative and ingenious ways of using heat pumps.
After a rigorous judging process, Consul General Takeda gave a speech and presented awards to the top three teams. The event closed with a speech from the Linda Scott, CEO of West Lothian Chamber of Commerce.
Scotland is in constant need of new talent, particularly in the renewable energy field, and we hope that this event will serve as a bridge between the local community and industry, and Japanese companies and technologies, and help young people develop their future careers.
The event showcases the finalists of the Pump it Up! Competition where local junior and senior high school students come up with new uses for heat pumps and present their ideas. Heat pumps are manufactured by Mitsubishi and use heat exchange to provide heating and cooling. This year marked the 10th anniversary of the competition being held, and over 1,500 junior and senior high school students from eight local schools participated.
By working with Mitsubishi Electric Airconditioning Systems Europe, West Lothian Chamber of Commerce aims to teach local junior and senior high school students the joy of combining technology and imagination, whilst strengthening ties between industry and schools, and cultivating the engineers of the future.
The event began with opening remarks from Mitsubishi CEO, Mr Taro Hattori, and Depute Chief Executive of West Lothian Council, Dr Elaine Cook, followed by presentations on stage by the representative teams selected from each of the eight schools about their innovative and ingenious ways of using heat pumps.
After a rigorous judging process, Consul General Takeda gave a speech and presented awards to the top three teams. The event closed with a speech from the Linda Scott, CEO of West Lothian Chamber of Commerce.
Scotland is in constant need of new talent, particularly in the renewable energy field, and we hope that this event will serve as a bridge between the local community and industry, and Japanese companies and technologies, and help young people develop their future careers.