Award Scheme Celebrates Market-Transforming Technologies  

Four companies recently received Innovation Awards from the Institute of Physics (IOP) following each company’s successful development and commercialisation of a novel technology which has had significant impact in a range of markets.

The awards have credited Aurox Ltd for a device which enables 3D high-resolution imaging at a microscopic level. Having developed the new technology three years ago, the product is now sold as an inexpensive add-on that can be attached to any standard optical microscope. It has already earned the company almost £1 million in additional revenue since its development. The company was originally spun-out from research undertaken at the University of Oxford.

For environmental monitoring, occupational health and atmospheric physics, Canterbury-based Naneum Ltd was praised for its portable ‘scanning mobility particle sizer’. With mobile workers in mind, the new device is said to be truly portable and is forecast to earn the company more than £1.5 million over the next two years.

A novel micropump earned acclaim for Technology Partnership plc, based on Melbourn Science Park in Hertfordshire; it is now in production and is incorporated into a range of medical devices. Having been in commercial circulation for around 20months, it has already earned the company more than £1m in additional revenue.

ZBD Solutions, based in Malvern, is a venture capital-backed spin-out from the civil service. Through research undertaken at the liquid crystal research centre at DERA, formerly the UK Ministry of Defence’s research arm, they are successfully commercialising a novel e-paper display for use in shelf-edge labelling in supermarkets and other retail outlets.The 4-year old innovation has created 62 jobs and has earned the company an additional £20 million.

Professor Sir Peter Knight, President of IOP, said, “These innovations deserve championing. They are examples of high-value manufacturing with which Britain can lead the world; they are the fruits from years of advances in research, demonstrating how research crossing over from academia into business can lead to healthy returns.”

The IOP Innovation Awards are a unique celebration of commercial success built on physics.

Further details of the innovations awards from www.iop.org