Innovative companies win Queen’s Awards for Enterprise 2018
The awards are an annual celebration of the best UK businesses across 4 categories and feature 10 that have received Innovate UK support.
Hanifeh Zarezadeh, 3D Development Engineer at Photocentric, examines a jewellery 3D print.
The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are given every year on the Queen’s birthday for outstanding achievement by UK businesses across 4 categories:
- sustainable development
- promoting opportunity through social mobility
- innovation
- international trade
A total of 230 UK businesses have been recognised for leading industry with their products and services. Among the winners are 10 companies that have received funding support from Innovate UK. These companies feature across the international trade and innovation categories.
Winners in the international trade category have demonstrated that they have achieved substantial growth and commercial success overseas.
The winners in the innovation category were assessed for a number of indicators including invention, design or production, and performance of services.
Innovation and international trade
Awards for Innovate UK-supported companies went to:
- Cobra Biologics – working in the life sciences industry, Cobra won an award in the international trade category. It operates in the UK and Sweden and works with organisations across France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Korea and the USA
- Endomagnetics – trading as Endomag, the company won in the innovation category for its minimally-invasive surgical guidance system. Its wider work includes developing a clinical platform that uses safe magnetic fields to power diagnostic and therapeutic devices
- Frog Bikes – the company, which assembles its range of lightweight aluminium children’s bikes in Wales, won an international trade award for growing its overseas sales in North America, Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, Thailand and UAE
- IKAWA – inventors of digital micro coffee roasters, IKAWA won an innovation award for using patented cyclone roasting technology that can be controlled by a smartphone app
- Microlise – another international trade award has gone to the Nottingham-based company, which uses telematics to help its customers to save on fuel costs and reduce CO2 emissions. It was recognised for outstanding short-term growth, seeing its overseas sales grow from £2.2 million to £5 million over 3 years
- MIRA Technology Park – having established a facility for automotive R&D, MIRA has seen overseas sales grow by 133%, leading to an international trade award for outstanding continuous growth
- Photocentric – the 3D printer and resin manufacturer was recognised for its outstanding 3-year growth in overseas sales in the international trade category. More than 74% of its sales are to overseas markets
- Ultrahaptics – Bristol-based Ultrahaptics won an innovation award for its work in haptic feedback, which mimics the sense of touch by using ultrasound to project virtual controls, shapes and textures onto a user’s hand
- Williams Advanced Engineering – Williams’ race technology is influencing the wider auto-industry. It won an innovation award for its battery cell cooling technology, which is now being introduced into commercial electric and hybrid car production
- Zettlex – the Cambridge company works within aerospace, defence, medical, industrial and petrochemical industries to design and manufacture sensors for position and speed measurement in extreme environments. It won its international trade award by growing its business to 400 customers in 45 markets
Previous Queen’s Awards for Enterprise winners have reported benefiting from worldwide recognition, increased commercial value, greater press coverage and a boost to staff morale.