Entries Welcomed For Guildford Innovations Awards, Going Online This Year

Published on: 31 Oct, 2020
Updated on: 31 Oct, 2020

This year, the celebrated Guildford Innovation Awards will move online on Thursday, December 17.

This virtual version, delivered by the borough council with long-term partners Surrey University and Surrey Research Park, will run from four till five pm, hosted by Jim Al-Khalili OBE FRS, the eminent professor of physics and public engagement in science.

Cllr Gordon Jackson, chair of the GBC innovation board, said: “I am delighted we are able to celebrate the third year of the Innovation Awards.

“In the present challenging economic conditions, it is a great opportunity to boost morale by highlighting the very best of innovation in the borough.

Cllr Gordon Jackson

“Guildford remains firmly on the map as a leading centre for technology and entrepreneurship and these awards will help us raise our profile even further.”

Applications are welcomed from companies, social enterprises, charities and individuals either based in or working in the borough in the past year, with categories such as Innovation in Healthcare, Retail, Creative Industries and Sustainability.

A new award has been added this year to recognise the tremendous efforts made over the past eight months of the pandemic by many local people and companies to adapt their businesses or give time to help themselves and others survive and thrive.

Prof Jim Al Khalili – Photo Wikipedia

Caroline Fleming, interim co-director, innovation strategy and head of incubation and enterprise at the university, said: “We are delighted to collaborate with the council to launch the awards for 2020 and to engage Professor Al-Khalili’s support.

“There is always a strong representation from the university as a local hotbed of innovative talent and we are privileged to have our long-standing relationship with the council and the awards themselves formalised in this joint initiative.”

Last year’s winners included “Shooting Star” recipient Omar Ebeid, who developed a seamless mobile payment loyalty app rolled out locally.

This year, as a young entrepreneur, he will be part of the judging panel with an impressive line-up of local business champions including Cllr Gordon Jackson, Louise Punter, chief executive of Surrey Chambers of Commerce, and Kathy Slack OBE, chief executive of Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership.

Malcolm Parry, CEO of Surrey Research Park, said: “With such a challenging backdrop to 2020, we have seen an incredible amount of resilience, agility and collaboration demonstrated at the Park. We look forward to everyone coming together to celebrate the innovative achievements from companies on the Park as well as throughout the business community in Guildford.”

For a full list of categories and to nominate yourself or someone else, please visit:

https://surrey-research-park.com/news-events/innovation-awards-2020/

Entries open on Sunday, November 1 and close on Monday, November 30.