Brandon Medical lights the way at Innovator/08 awards

SEVEN of Yorkshire's most innovative companies and individuals were recognised at the Innovator/08 awards last night.

Brandon Medical won two awards for its medical lighting products. The company, based in Middleton, Leeds, won the Technology Innovation Award supported by NESTA, for its high definition light emitting diodes, a super bright light used both surgically and medically.

The company also won the Collaborative Innovation Award supported by the Technology Strategy Board, for its MedLink collaboration with Imperial College and the Department of Health for an automated lighting control used in surgery.

The light moves automatically for surgeons, so they don't have to touch it. The company is presently undertaking two major collaborative research and

development programmes with a number of companies for the innovation.

The winners were picked from 20 shortlisted entrants from across the region who attended a ceremony at Leeds Town Hall hosted by Yorkshire Forward.

The Cool Drinks Company won the Innovative Young Company Award supported by Business Link. The award celebrates businesses under two years old who have shown a high degree of innovation and entrepreneurialism.

The Stourton-based company is the first in the UK to offer a refrigerated natural and fresh healthy drinks range for vending machines.

Medipex, which provides advice, support and funding to front line NHS staff to develop and evaluate their ideas at 34 NHS Trusts and a Strategic Health Authority, scooped the Innovation Champion Award supported by Connect Yorkshire for being a champion of innovation.

Six hundred ideas have been identified and to date 25 new products are on the market and five new businesses employing nine people have been created thanks to Medipex.

Guiseley-based Elmwood design consultancy won the Culture of Innovation Award supported by the Confederation of British Industry for its efforts to get the best out of its workforce.

The Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering won the Knowledge Exploitation Award supported by Research Councils UK, for successful commercial exploitation of basic research, using university research in a commercial domain.

The centre, based at the University of Leeds, is a world leading research centre for artificial replacement joints.

Snow sport experts Briton Engineering, based in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, won the award for Global Innovation, supported by UK Trade and Industry, for re-engineering its snow sports surfacing product specifically for international roll-out, taking into account changing international weather, and making it scaleable to suit local markets.

Jim Roddis, an assistant Dean of Arts, Computing, Engineering and Science, won the Innovation in Leadership Award, supported by the Institute of Directors. The professor initiated Design Futures CIC to bring the research strengths of the two universities in Sheffield closer to the industrial and manufacturing communities of South Yorkshire.

Jim Farmery, head of innovation at Yorkshire Forward, said: “The winners of the Innovators/08 are those people and companies who have taken a different approach to business and incorporated new ideas and new ways of working.

“With an Innovator/08 award we want to reward their efforts, giving them opportunity to raise their profile with clients and potential new customers, and demonstrate their commitment to being a leader in their field, and secondly show others how it can be done by raising awareness of the benefits of innovation, showcase companies that have embraced innovation successfully and the facilities on offer in the region that can help them companies integrate new ideas and technologies for the benefit of the business.”