Innovator/10 awards finalists announced

Finalists in the third year of Yorkshire Forward’s Innovation Awards have been announced, and winners will be selected at a sparkling ceremony in Leeds on 3 March.

What are the awards about?

Innovator/10 will celebrate and reward the outstanding achievements in innovation in the region’s businesses and academic base.

Who’s behind the scheme?

It has been set up by Yorkshire Forward together with regional associates Yorkshire Innovation, Business Link Yorkshire and the Lord Stafford Awards. 

What are the prizes?

Category winners will each take away £3,000 to spend on further innovation.

When and where will the awards ceremony be?

It will take place at Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square, Leeds LS2 8BH on Wednesday 3 March, 2010.

Who are the finalists?

YOUNG INNOVATIVE BUSINESS AWARD

  • Image Analysis Ltd—produces comprehensive MRI software for diagnostic decision support (especially in rheumatoid arthritis and breast imaging), speeding up the diagnosis for patients and increasing the productivity of clinical personnel. 
  • Radio Design Ltd—offers a product which allows 2 major UK-based cellular operators to share the antenna system on their cell sites, and 3 separate cellular base stations to share the same antenna and feeder. This results in very significant cost savings in both site rental costs and antennae, masts, feeders & associated installation costs
  • RandomStorm Ltd—offers a suite of network security tools which alert IT managers to any potential vulnerabilities in the system. The suite includes a range of tools which can be deployed separately or as an integrated solution covering all parts of the IT infrastructure.

LORD STAFFORD ‘PARTNERS IN INNOVATION’ AWARD

  • Double Green Ltd & The University of York—Using biodiesel-derived glycerine in a number of added-value applications in order to help fulfil UK government renewable-fuel targets. Renewably derived glycerin offers both economic and environmental benefits.
  • Nature's Laboratory & Institute of Pharmaceutical Innovation—Producing a deodorised, water-soluble propolis with improved palatability for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications. Propolis has antimicrobial, immunomodulatory and anticancer effects. 
  • Peratech Limited & University of Leeds—A partnership to produce printable electronic switches and sensors using a nanotech material whose sensitivity is such that it can easily detect the lightest human fingertip touch.

SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION AWARD

  • Bioflame Ltd—uses clean-burn technology to deliver a plant converting 30,000 tonnes of low-grade contaminated biomass waste (otherwise destined for landfill sites) into 20,000 megawatt hours of electricity for the National Grid—enough to power over 6000 houses each. 
  • Harvard Engineering—makes a ground-breaking central monitoring and wireless control system for street lights, which can lead to savings of £46 per street light per annum whilst also significantly reducing carbon emisissions by 100kg per light per annum. 
  • Tadpole Energy Ltd—produces an innovative system de-aerator which removes air and thereby oxygen from the water in a domestic heating system, preventing corrosion of its components and reducing energy consumption.

INNOVATION IN ACTION AWARD

  • Belgravium Ltd—offers an innovative combination of mobile computing hardware and software which offers the ability to scan barcodes and to photograph products in an outdoor environment—and to scan from a long distance, features previously unavialable from any competitor in a single-box solution.
  • Crompton Mouldings Ltd—produces a novel patented process for the manufacture of large, high-spec panels using recycled material, offering significant energy savings over conventional processing methods.
  • EMSc (UK) Limited—provides a voltage-optimisation unit which significantly reduces energy consumption by reducing the voltage supplied to a building. It can save up to 26% of electricity consumption.

Who can I find out more?

You can visit the Innovator/10 Awards website.