Nuclear businesses recognised in Queen’s Awards
Two NDA-supported technology businesses have won royal approval for the second time after lifting the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise.
Createc has developed highly specialised equipment for radiation detection, measurement and visualisation
Image credit: Createc
Cockermouth-based Createc and Oxford Technologies were among more than 200 UK businesses receiving the UK’s top business honour - awarded annually to mark The Queen’s birthday.
Both businesses, which have previously won funding from NDA’s research portfolio and the government’s Innovate UK, have also picked up several accolades at the NDA’s Supply Chain Awards.
Business Secretary Greg Clark said:
These prestigious awards help shine a light on all that is great about UK business today. I am extremely impressed to see such a wealth of talent and innovation from across the UK being recognised today by Her Majesty The Queen.
These awards recognise the innovative products and services being provided by British businesses that are in demand across the world, as well as the sheer determination and hard work that comes with starting and running a business.
Many of these winners are small businesses - the backbone of our economy – and we are backing them to grow, increase their productivity and create more jobs and opportunity across the UK through our modern Industrial Strategy.
Their remotely operated technologies have been exported overseas as part of the work to clean up Japan’s damaged Fukushima power station, as well as being used closer to home at the NDA’s nuclear sites and in other industrial sectors across the UK
NDA Head of Technology Prof Melanie Brownridge said:
We are absolutely delighted that two of our innovative suppliers have excelled in these prestigious awards.
Suppliers like Createc and Oxford Technologies play a vital role in solving some of the unique challenges we face - particularly in developing remote technologies and techniques for use in the most radioactive areas of our sites, helping us carry out decommissioning and hazard reduction work safer, faster and in a way that’s more cost effective for the UK taxpayer.
Createc, a business which sprung up around the nuclear industry in Cumbria, employs around 30 scientists and specialises in innovative applications of imaging technology. Its ‘N-Visage’ radiation-mapping and characterisation software provides vital 3D images of radiation hotspots in places too hazardous to be accessed by people
Oxford Technologies was founded by engineers working in nuclear fusion and now specialises in remote handling technology for hazardous environments. The firm first collected a Queen’s Award in 2014.
Oxford Technologies’ remotely operated system is being developed for Fukushima Daiichi
Image credit: Oxford Technologies
Part of the Veolia Group, Oxford Technologies has also worked on various aspects of the remote handling systems used to decommission and clean up the NDA’s Dounreay site in the north of Scotland.
Createc Managing Director Dr Matt Mellor said:
We are delighted that Createc has been recognised with a Queen’s award for innovation. This shows what is possible for smaller UK nuclear businesses willing to pursue a growth strategy based on innovation driven diversification.
Veolia Nuclear Solutions UK Sales Director Mark Sharpe added:
This award for International Trade recognises the hard work, skill and dedication of every single person in our team.
Thanks to the tremendous support given to us from the UK Department for International Trade, the Embassy in Tokyo, NDA subsidiary International Nuclear Services (Japan), our supply chain partners and suppliers - our overseas sales have grown by over 400% in the last 3 years.