Innovation Awards 2024 Winners

Discover the finalists, winners and magic of the Innovation Awards by clicking our digital brochure opposite.

THANKS TO OUR 2024 SUPPORTERS

CATEGORIES AND WINNERS

MANUFACTURING INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR

SPONSOR

WINNER

OLPRO

At OLPRO, our passionate team of outdoor experts is dedicated to creating innovative, high-quality products that transform outdoor leisure. We believe camping and campervan gear shouldn’t be dull, so our bright, bold designs are made to stand out. Using cutting-edge technology and materials, we offer a wide range of industry-leading products, from award-winning tents and awnings to outdoor furniture, melamine tableware, and accessories. Our unique designs and top-quality gear are changing the way people experience the great outdoors.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Hockley Mint

Hockley Mint, a fine jewellery manufacturer in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, is embarking on a digital transformation to enhance transparency, efficiency, and customer satisfaction. Key innovations include a Smart Factory with CNC machines and production tracking systems, Power BI dashboards for real-time insights, and a new customer website to streamline order processing. These changes aim to improve decision-making, operational efficiency, and production accuracy, while elevating the overall customer experience.

ENGINEERING INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR

SPONSOR

WINNER

Ryse 3D

RYSE3D is a leading Production 3D printing company, with expertise in the automotive sector, contributing to over 17 hyper-car programs. Growing 100% year-on-year over seven years since our inception, we aim to be the world leader in production 3D printing and 3D printed tooling. Our commitment to innovation is recognized through our success in the 2024 King’s Awards for Enterprise in Innovation. Lead by CEO and Founder Mitchell Barnes, RYSE3D continues to shape the future of UK manufacturing and global 3D printing solutions.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Advanced Innovative Engineering

Advanced Innovative Engineering (AIE) specialises in designing, developing, and manufacturing high-performance rotary engine power solutions for aerospace, automotive, and industrial applications. AIE delivers compact, efficient engines that redefine precision and performance by leveraging advanced software analysis tools, intelligent automation, and a strong portfolio of innovative patents. AIE is committed to pushing technological boundaries and providing sustainable and reliable power solutions for the future. As a leader in rotary engine technology, AIE continues to set new standards in power solution engineering.

SUSTAINABILITY INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR

SPONSOR

WINNER

Beeswift

Off the 40million workwear garments provided to wearers annually in the UK over 90% end up in landfill or get incinerated. Beeswift’s® Envirowear® collection is 100% recycled and 100% recyclable.

Envirowear® is returned for recycling through project re:claim and the Pureloop ISEC machine installed at the Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd (SATCol) Kettering site. Envirowear® goes through the machine and is turned back into commercial grade rPET, ready to be made back into yarn or used in injection molding

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Rentokil Initial

EcoCatch Flies offers an innovative, sustainable solution to outdoor fly control. Designed and developed in-house by Rentokil, it is for businesses that value environmental responsibility without compromising efficacy. EcoCatch Flies is a non-toxic, effective and more professional way of controlling public health flies in outdoor locations and replaces conventional single-use plastic products saving tonnes of plastic waste per year. Over 33% of each unit is made from recycled plastic and can be reused almost indefinitel

Net Zero Innovator of the Year

SUPPORTED BY:

WINNER

Bioscope

Bioscope are market leaders in the development of sustainable processes for metal recovery from waste electronics. Having developed processes at laboratory scale, Bioscope are progressing with their pilot plant to enable large-scale sustainable refining of metals. The work avoids the need for high energy, CO2 intensive refining and focuses on low impact, closed-loop methods with a lower carbon footprint. The innovative systems are designed for maximizing recovery and minimizing environmental impact.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Alucast

Alucasts foundries make aluminium castings in the Black Country. As a high energy user it has embarked on a strategy to reduce energy consumption by monitoring energy use by sub-metering its equipment. It has also invested in energy efficient furnaces.

This £200,000 innovative solution, will reduce unproductive energy use and the company’s strategy is to reduce consumption by at least 10% in the first year. In real terms this means a reduction of £100,000 per annum in energy costs, reducing carbon emissions and assisting in its goal of net zero.

Construction Innovator of the Year

SUPPORTED BY:

WINNER

XYZ Reality

Delivering construction projects on time and within budget is increasingly complex. XYZ Reality helps by providing owners and contractors with accurate, objective tools to manage projects. Using engineering grade augmented reality™ technology and comprehensive Project Controls, construction teams can build accurately from 3D holograms and manage projects with real-time insights. Moving beyond outdated 2D drawings and subjective data, XYZ enables teams to build it right, first time, every time, while reducing risks and avoiding unnecessary costs.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

BuildPrompt

BuildPrompt is an advanced AI-driven platform designed to optimize and automate the handling of extensive data types across various industries. It leverages cutting-edge technologies to structure the unstructured, transforming enterprise data for instant access to evidenced based decision making across millions of your data points, all in a secure environment using cutting edge natural language processing all whilst being supported in over 50 languages.

Defence Innovator of the Year

SPONSOR

WINNER

Origin8tive

Origin8tive’s mission began with securing Critical National Infrastructure and has evolved into pioneering cyber technologies, cloud computing, and managed services. Driving growth and innovation through partnerships with UK armed forces, our rapidly expanding apprentice scheme and bespoke training to upskill our people. Our vision is to deliver excellence in cyber technology and software assurance, enabling clients to exceed their goals. We provide expertise in software testing, cloud solutions, automation, and managed services, ensuring a comprehensive approach to modern technological challenges.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

CyberQ Group

CyberQ Group is a global leader in cyber intelligence, strategy, and operational capability, trusted by leadership teams worldwide. Since participating in the 2016 Cyber London Accelerator, we’ve driven innovation with cutting-edge AI-driven solutions and continuous breach detection. Our 24/7 in-house Security Operations Centre monitors and protects against emerging threats, while our human reconnaissance tools offer deep visibility into digital risks. We continue to lead the way in cybersecurity innovation, delivering solutions that reduce risk, enhance resilience, and safeguard businesses’ reputations across the globe.

TECHNOLOGY INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR

SPONSOR

WINNER

Graide

Graide is an innovative AI-powered marking tool designed to enhance the efficiency, consistency, and accuracy of assessments. Unlike traditional generative AI, Graide uses a classification-based approach, ensuring it avoids issues like bias, inconsistency, and lack of explainability.

It provides transparent, reliable feedback, making the grading process faster and fairer. Ideal for higher education and training providers, it empowers educators to focus more on teaching and less on administrative tasks. Graide works for higher education, vocational education, and apprenticeships.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Intercity

At Intercity, we help you Do More with cloud, security, communications, and managed IT services. But tech is more than just a tool—it’s about making amazing things happen.

Whether it’s ensuring a hospital can access vital patient information or helping a charity communicate in remote areas, we provide the expertise and support your business needs. By expanding your IT capabilities, we enable your people to #DoMore.

Health Tech Innovator of the Year

SUPPORTED BY:

WINNER

Aston Vision Sciences

Aston Vision Sciences is an innovative creator of customer driven, high-value solutions for the ophthalmic eyecare market. We are on a mission to make healthcare and treatment accessible to everyone – creating a positive impact on the world. Our approach is benchmarked by elegance, simplification and making life better for all.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Black Space Technology

Black Space Technology’s Rapid-EPR solution is a scalable telemedicine software designed for pre-hospital emergency care in remote and challenging environments. The system integrates electronic patient records (EPR), real-time wireless vital sign monitoring, and telemedicine videoconferencing into a versatile platform that operates on Android devices. Rapid-EPR aims to ‘close the care gap’—the crucial time between point-of-injury and receiving definitive medical care—making it ideal for battlefields, conflict zones, disaster relief areas, and regions with limited healthcare infrastructure.

Media Innovator of the Year

SUPPORTED BY:

WINNER

59A

At 59A, we believe the AI era will not simply be a linear journey of technological advancement. Instead, it represents a transformative renaissance characterised by three key elements: Complexity: Unlocking new possibilities and competitive advantages. Clarity: Providing a lens to navigate that complexity. Creativity: Serving as our guiding navigator. We don’t have to choose between these elements; at 59A, we integrate all three, making our approach truly unique. These elements translate into significant benefits for our clients.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

NarrativeWorx

The Power of Three framework by NarrativeWorx is invaluable for developing effective strategies. By integrating insights from buyers, customers, and industry experts, this framework helps agencies and vendors create content that resonates deeply with target audiences. Their Impact Predictor enhances content relevance by forecasting audience engagement, enabling agencies and vendors to refine messaging before publication. This data-driven approach not only improves campaign effectiveness but also strengthens buyer relationships by aligning strategies with actual market needs, ultimately driving better results.

NEW INNOVATION OF THE YEAR

SUPPORTED BY:

WINNER

Flux Aviation

At Flux Aviation we are developing electric motors and batteries to power next-generation electric aircraft. This will make flying over 40% cheaper and dramatically quieter, while removing nearly 200 million tonnes of CO2 in the process. Our first product is FLUX-75, an electric propulsion system designed for light training aircraft. We have successfully tested a functional prototype using our test bench, demonstrated our next-generation battery modules and work is now underway on our flying aircraft demonstrator.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Veritie Group

Veritie will touch a billion lives by leveraging photonics and machine learning to make point-of-care vitro diagnostic tests faster (within the period of a typical consultation), better (allow urine testing to displace invasive tests) and cheaper (to allow global utility). We are achieving this by leveraging the UK’s excellence in photonics and Oxford’s excellence in healthcare, and working with the UK’s National Physical Laboratory. Oxford PhD Cici Muldoon has grown the team to 16 people supported by gold-standard advisory boards.

FEMALE INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR

SUPPORTED BY:

WINNER

Jo Birch

Jo has been working in the region for the last 25 years, supporting innovation and transformation, working across the Creative Industries, Manufacturing, and more recently Life Sciences. She spent 10 years researching, building knowledge and international connections across US, Canada and Europe, seeding the innovation thinking that created BCU’s STEAMhouse. This year she joined Woodbourne Group as their CIO, set up GROWTHINNK Associates, an innovation consultancy inspired by her work, and became a Non Exec Director for Tech WM.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Dee Kundi

Dee Kundi is a qualified solicitor helping people and businesses, providing assistance through her expertise. She is the CEO & Founder of Findmeasolicitor.co.uk, a legal tech business which is an independent FREE service for all individuals and businesses looking to find the right solicitor for all personal and business legal needs. Findmeasolicitor.co.uk have the expertise to advise clients on finding a solicitor based on their sector specialisms, budget, location and all areas of law by offering 30 minutes free legal consultation.

MALE INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR

SUPPORTED BY:

WINNER

Nick Conn

Nick Conn, a former police officer, overcame a personal struggle with cocaine addiction that left him homeless on the streets of Berlin. Since turning his life around, he has founded Help4Addiction, one of the largest addiction advisory services in the UK. Nick also launched Rehubs, an innovative online rehab platform that is reshaping the way addiction treatment is delivered, providing accessible, intensive care to those in need. His mission is to revolutionize addiction recovery and offer hope to others facing similar challenges.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Michael Boxwell

Michael’s company, Voltempo, has created the world’s most powerful electric vehicle charger. Protected by two patents, the charger is built in Birmingham and has been demonstrated charging an EV in under six minutes. To develop the market, Michael then created a consortium of companies to decarbonise the Heavy Goods Vehicle sector, raising £76M by mobilising vehicle manufacturers, fleet operators, politicians, and the Department for Transport to fund a nationwide HGV charging network and deploy electric HGVs across the industry.

YOUNG INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR

SUPPORTED BY:

WINNER

Mitchell Barnes

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Helene Ntuadi

Meka Connect brings people and communities together through fun and engaging activities that celebrate culture. Starting as Meka Toys, we’ve grown to include books, games, fashion, and programmes. Our aim is to combine these areas to create exciting cultural experiences that enrich and inspire our community. Our mission is to bring people and communities together by creating fun, engaging experiences that celebrate culture. From toys to books, games, fashion, and programmes, we blend these areas to offer unique cultural experiences that inspire, educate, and connect our customers.

MANUFACTURING INNOVATION CHAMPION-
BUSINESS

SUPPORTED BY:

WINNER

In-Comm Training

In-Comm Training, which is rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, is one of the UK’s leading independent training providers, supporting over 1000 apprentices and 500 companies every year with apprenticeships, upskilling opportunities, and strategic consultancy.

Operating from two world class technical academies in Aldridge and Telford, the company has pioneered an employer-led approach to skills, engaging with firms to understand their requirements and then collaborating with them on shaping course delivery, launching new training facilities and futureproofing staff for years to come.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Made Smarter

C&W Business Solutions, part of the CW Growth Hub Group, leads the Made Smarter West Midlands programme on behalf of the West Midlands Combined Authority, The Department for Business & Trade, Business Growth West Midlands, and the Growth Hubs in Worcestershire, Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire, and The Marches. Made Smarter West Midlands also collaborates with a range of strategic partners, who help participants benefit from the expertise of digital manufacturing specialists, including Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC).

TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION CHAMPION

SUPPORTED BY:

WINNER

CBIT Venture Builder

In a bid to revolutionise the accelerator model, The Centre for Business & Industry Transformation (CBIT) Venture Builder provides tailored, on-demand, 1-on-1 support to start-ups, SMEs, and spinouts across the UK. The venture builder onboards 12 innovative start-ups per year that intend to disrupt industry norms. CBIT Venture Builder has found significant success in scaling ventures in industries ranging from deeptech to consumer products, helping them collectively raise over £1.2m over the past year. Contact us at cbit.vb@ntu.ac.uk

HIGHLY COMMENDED

STEAMHouse

STEAMhouse is on a mission to enable collaborative innovation. We’re an award-winning innovation centre and supportive community where entrepreneurs, creatives, students, businesses and organisations co-exist to solve real-world problems and develop new ideas. We provide the latest technology, kit and equipment, complemented by portfolio of services and programmes that include skills development, space hire, consultancy services, and events. We make innovation happen.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

School of Code

With the rise of automation School of Code is on a mission to transform lives through tech, bridge the digital skills gap and increase diversity in the industry. We offer free, intensive coding bootcamps accessible to everyone, regardless of background, taking people from zero to professional developer in just 13 weeks. Informed by industry experts our award-winning curriculum ensures our bootcampers graduate as top talent as we work to help them find their first job in tech.

Growth Innovation Champion

SPONSOR

WINNER

Alzheimer's Society Innovation Team

Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer, affecting around a million people today in the UK and costing the economy an estimated £42bn a year. The Innovation team at Alzheimer’s Society aims to match the huge challenge of dementia by working to deliver a product or solution to every person affected by dementia at every stage of the condition. We run end-to-end innovation support, from initial inspiration to scale-up and have reached well over 100,000 people affected by dementia.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Crowe UK

We proudly recognise British manufacturing’s legacy of innovation, creativity, and excellence. Our annual surveys highlight the challenges manufacturers face, revealing areas where support and significant changes are needed.

87% of recent respondents believe government support is inadequate. In response, we created a ‘Manifesto for Manufacturing’, advocating for greater support and a dedicated industry minister.

Collaborating with key contributors, we pinpointed critical areas for government action: skills and education, investment and innovation, energy and net-zero goals, supply chain strategy, and access to funding and finance.

Innovation Thought Leader (Business)

SUPPORTED BY:

WINNER

West Midlands Innovation Accelerator

Led by Innovate UK, in partnership with WMCA, the Innovation Accelerators programme invested £33m government funding in 5 transformative R&D projects to accelerate the growth of high-potential innovation clusters across HealthTech, CleanTech and Digital Creativity.

This is a new model of decision making, empowering local leaders to harness innovation to drive regional economic growth, help attract private investment, and develop future technologies.

To date the programme has supported 500 businesses and generated an additional £80m in co-investment

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Circular Economy Innovation Communities

The CEIC project, a partnership between Swansea and Cardiff Metropolitan University (ESF funded), developed 191 practitioners from 81 organizations to co-produce service solutions for Net Zero targets, leading to 28 innovations that saved £65,000 and save a further £35,823 and 2612.02KgCO2e PA. These solutions combined with an innovation ecosystem of >1200 practitioners have been celebrated by Welsh Government and other bodies. CEIC’s impact is documented in ten peer-reviewed papers, and they have secured additional funding from Welsh Government and UKSPF.

Innovation Thought Leader- Individual

SUPPORTED BY:

WINNER

Nathan Coyle

Nathan Coyle leads PeaceTech at the Austrian Centre for Peace and is the Founder of the Open PeaceTech Hub at the Austrian Institute of Technology. He focuses on using digital innovation to bridge divides, advocating for digital access as a human right. With a civic tech mindset, Nathan collaborates with the EU and global governments to make digital policy more inclusive. He is also the author of “Open Data for Everybody,” championing the power of open data for social good.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Pamela Aculey

I’m Pamela Aculey, an award-winning author, entrepreneur, and mother of three. Inspired by my autistic son, Walter, I founded MIXD Reality, a company pioneering immersive augmented reality experiences that transform storytelling. I created the first-ever interactive AR children’s book, featuring diverse and inclusive characters. At MIXD Reality, we work with publishers, authors, and brands to bring content to life across books, learning, and play. My mission is to champion diversity, accessibility, and innovation, making storytelling more engaging for all children

THE DIRECTOR'S AWARD

SUPPORTED BY:

WINNER

Tani Dulay

Tani founded Woodbourne Group in 2019, building a £50 million asset base, a £500 million pipeline, earning 15 awards and recognised in Forbes. He’s behind Curzon Wharf, UK’s first net-zero, mixed-use ecosystem, including Birmingham’s first life science investment zone building. He’s secured record-breaking exits with S&P 500 funds, including the off-market sale of a Lidl UK GmbH-leased asset to Realty Income. A dedicated advocate for Birmingham, he raised £500,000 for charity in 24 hours and remains active in local philanthropy.

THANKS AGAIN TO OUR 2024 HEADLINE SPONSOR

Ryan, an award-winning global tax services and software provider, is the largest Firm in the world dedicated exclusively to business taxes. With unrivalled expertise within innovation funding and tax relief, Ryan supports UK companies with their business growth by enabling them to fund their future. Our specialist team will assess your business’s eligibility for our wide range of innovation funding services, ranging from grant funding and the patent box to commercial property tax relief and research and development. 

DIAMOND SPONSOR

Starting Point Recruitment (SPR) are proud of their unique approach that breaks the mould of traditional recruitment agencies. They donate 100% of their profits to charity and are driving the responsible recruitment revolution. Since 2003, they have been transforming lives, businesses and local communities through their socially conscious recruitment experience.

DIAMOND SPONSOR

The Technology Supply Chain is a membership organisation for manufacturing, technology and life sciences companies and the businesses, universities, and organisations that support them. We help our over 5,000 members to innovate and grow by connecting them with new opportunities, new ideas, new customers, new suppliers, innovation support, grants and finance.

GOLD SPONSORS

WMG is a globally renowned research organisation with internationally recognised expertise and facilities.

We are both an academic department of the University of Warwick, and one of the UK’s High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult centres. WMG is a leading international role model for successful collaboration between academia and the public and private sectors, accelerating and de-risking innovation for industry, driving cutting edge R&D to develop the brightest ideas and talent to shape our future.

Tantamount is a creative agency specialising in brand identity and communication. We work with businesses and professionals internationally, with a particular emphasis on the hospitality & leisure, technology and publishing sectors.

Our services include communication design, brand development, digital experiences, content creation, motion graphics and print & digital publishing.

Find out how we can move your business forward and attract the clients you want.

Beeswift is a manufacturer and wholesaler of Personal Protective Equipment/Clothing encompassing a wide range of safety products and high quality workwear.

At Beeswift we pride ourselves on providing high quality PPE from footwear to head protection, products that protect our customers with superior durability and improved comfort.

Our 144,000 sqft Birmingham based HQ and Distribution Centre (NDC) has significant stockholding, serving the UK, Ireland and International territories along with an in-house embroidery and badging facility.

With around 29,000 students from 100 countries (HESA Student Record 2020/21 © Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited) Birmingham City University is a large and diverse place to study. We put students at the heart of everything we do, giving them the best opportunities for future success.
BCU has put £270 million into the regional economy and support thousands of jobs in the area. We’re investing £340 million in our estate, including a major expansion of our city-centre campus at Eastside, providing students with an enviable range of facilities.

At Oxbridge, the online college, there are no term times, no strict schedules, and no headaches – just award-winning online courses with unlimited tutor support. We provide everything that you need to achieve real-world, job-ready online qualifications. Our accredited online courses are available all year round, so you can start learning today.

We’re well-known for our online qualifications, from GCSE courses and A-level courses to recognised childcare courses and teaching assistant qualifications in Ofsted-regulated environments. Our courses are thoughtfully developed to allow you to study at a speed that suits you, with access to additional resources like past papers. So whether you’re looking to use Oxbridge to get to University or into a new job, our home learning courses will enable you to gain real-world, recognised qualification.

Engaging a legal firm can be daunting and the fear of being overcharged or confused due to not understanding the language used by solicitors is a real barrier for some potential clients who require support.

At Talbots we are different.

Our tone is conversational and our aim is to avoid legal jargon wherever possible. We showcase our expertise not through long words, but by communicating technicalities clearly and simply.

Our culture is one of a fun firm that employs real people with a sense of humour and friendliness, while remaining professional enough to provide assurance that we’re the best people for the job.