One to Watch at Cambridge Independent Science and Technology Awards highlights next big thing

Cofinitive is sponsoring category and compiling its own extensive list of companies, people, 'things' and ideas

One of the new categories in the Cambridge Independent Science and Technology Awards this year focuses on emerging talent and innovation.

The One to Watch Award is sponsored by Cofinitive and will highlight a company or individual expected to go on to great things.

Cofinitive is also compiling its own extensive list of companies, people, ‘things’ and ideas to coincide with the awards.

The corporate communications consultancy, based in Burwell, has spent months researching its #OnetoWatch list, which it anticipates updating each year.

Cofinitive is encouraging the wider science and technology community to get involved by suggesting those who should make it on the list.

And, of course, it is hoped that many of them will also enter the Cambridge Independent’s Science and Technology Awards for a chance to be recognised as the region’s finest.

Faye Holland, founder and director of Cofinitive, said: “We’re very excited to lead this #OnetoWatch initiative. There are so many amazing things happening across the region and we are enjoying seeking out those hidden gems and bringing them to light.

“#OnetoWatch has got off to a great start – we are currently sifting through 198 submissions and are continuously updating the lists to reach the top 25 for each category.

“But this is just the tip of the iceberg; we want people to share their Ones to Watch with us, to tell us who they think should be on the list as we facilitate the annual listing.”

Lists for each of the broad categories of companies, people, things and ideas can be viewed at cofinitive.com/insights. They have been compiled from researched content and nominations through a crowd-sourced initiative.

Faye said: “As well as shining the spotlight on deserving innovators across the region and raising their profiles, we’re also helping the wider business network.

“In collecting these hidden gems we’re giving mentors, investors and those looking to partner a shortlist of high-potential talent, making it easier for them to spot potential, which clearly benefits the talent itself too. It’s a fantastic outcome of the #OnetoWatch lists and makes it all the more worthwhile for anyone considering putting themselves or someone else forward.

“The first 25 listing will be published in September. We are hopeful that most of those will also apply for a Cambridge Independent award or two.”

To apply or nominate for Cofinitive’s #OnetoWatch list, email OnetoWatch@cofinitive.com or post on Twitter to @Cofinitive #OnetoWatch.

To apply for the One to Watch Award at the Cambridge Independent Science and Technology Awards, fill in the simple form online.

Entrants can apply for other categories at the same time too. Entry to the awards closes on July 16.

Editor Paul Brackley said: “Cofinitive’s initiative is a celebration of Cambridge ingenuity – as are our awards.”

Here, we present three noteworthy contenders so far for each of the categories of Cofinitive’s #OnetoWatch initiative.

Companies

Cydar: Cydar is developing a revolutionary surgical guidance system that acts like an anatomical sat-nav for surgeons. Connecting live images from the operating room to cloud computing, Cydar is opening a world of possibilities and, with so much potential, they can’t help but be a #OnetoWatch.

Herdsy: Presenting a world first with their ‘plug and play’ herd analytics tag and software, Herdsy makes the #OnetoWatch list as an innovative company addressing real needs. Seeing Agri-Tech as currently costly, Herdsy are offering the advantages of technology on a more accessible scale.

Telensa: Smart city applications are set to be the way of the future, helping us save energy, work smarter and share more connected services. So as a global leader in connected street lighting already, Telensa is definitely #OnetoWatch as it lights the way.

People

Jack Lomas – SenSat: Jack Lomas is co-founder of SenSat, digitising the world to show organisations in a new light. Bringing this change in perspective to the Cambridge Wireless board of directors, Jack is a #OnetoWatch.

Karolina Zapadka – Babraham Accelerate: Newly appointed to Babraham Research Campus’ bio-incubator and life science accelerator, Accelerate@Babraham, Karolina Zapadka is #OnetoWatch as she helps shape the future of science with her expertise in biotech, biophysical science and physical chemist.

Prof John Daugman - Cambridge University: Having pioneered iris recognition technology with which over one billion people have had their eyes encoded, Professor John Daugman is certainly one to keep an eye on... and thus features on the list.

Ideas

Computer assisted dreaming – Futurizon Ltd: A potential future VR avenue, ‘computer assisted dreaming’ could see AI and sensor technology being used to create responsive virtual environments that react to emotions, gestures or even thoughts and imagination. Computer-assisted dreaming is a #OnetoWatch that might eventually watch us back!

Flex-grid networking – RoadMap: Whether it’s streaming 4K or cloud-based computing, we’re all pulling internet bandwidth in different directions. A #OnetoWatch way of optimising this is flex-grid networking, allocating bandwidth according to demand levels that are always changing and better serve user-needs.

Musical AI – Jukedeck: Who says robots couldn’t have rhythm? AI has so many use cases and one of those could be musical, helping creative people as a tool for the composition and production of music that’s out of this world. We might find ourselves listening to it one day, but for now musical AI is a #OnetoWatch.

Things

Ooho the edible water bottle – Skipping Rocks Lab: With so much pressure on single-use plastics at the moment, Ooho is definitely a #OnetoWatch. Biodegradable and edible, Ooho is a capsule of water being trialled at events as an alternative to plastic bottles of water.

Cambridge Launchpad – Form the Future: Tackling the gender gap in STEM careers in our area, Cambridge LaunchPad is an initiative with impact as it inspires children from eight through to 18 years old. While its alumni will be Ones to Watch, Launchpad also makes the list.

Fingerprint drug testing - Intelligent Fingerprinting: Transforming the way we test for drugs, fingerprint drug testing is hygienic, fast and easy-to-use anytime and almost in any place. If this is what we’re looking at now, then it’s definitely #OnetoWatch.

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