Winners of the Cambridge Independent Science and Technology Awards 2023 revealed
The winners of the Cambridge Independent Science and Technology Awards 2023 have been revealed.
More than 350 people attended a ceremony held at the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge on Thursday evening (May 18), where remarkable achievements across a host of science and technology sectors in the Cambridge region were celebrated.
The winners of 16 categories were revealed following a record number of entries to the sixth annual awards, which were judged by a panel with a range of expertise.
The first award of the night was the In Search of Wonder Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by the creative agency JDJ Creative, went to serial entrepreneur and angel investor Peter Cowley.
Guests heard from Peter, who founded 14 businesses after studying engineering and computer science at the University of Cambridge. An active angel investor, he has personally invested in 76 start-ups, including a number of those represented at the awards, and has mentored hundreds of entrepreneurs, and acted as a director on more than 40 boards. He has shared his advice in two books - The Invested Investor and Founder to Founder.
In each of the other categories, there was a highly commended finalist and a winner.
Editor Paul Brackley, who hosted the awards, said: “The extraordinary talents of science and technology sectors in the Cambridge region were clear for all to see at these awards.
“Congratulations to all our winners and highly commended finalists - and indeed, to all our nominees who made it on to highly competitive shortlists.
“I would like to thank our wonderful hosts at the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Anglia Ruskin University, and all of our sponsors for their terrific support. Without them, we could not have held this celebration.
“We look forward to telling more of the stories of our winners in the coming weeks and months - and to launching the search for the 2024 winners later this year.”
Intellectual property law specialists Appleyard Lees, which sponsored Biotech Company of the Year - an award that went to Amphista Therapeutics - also gave out the final prize of the night.
The IP Prize, offering £1,500 of tailored, specialist IP advice, went to Mimicrete, the self-healing concrete pioneer. It was a great night for Mimicrete, which earlier won the Cleantech Company of the Year category, sponsored by Woodfines Solicitors.
Daniel Zeicher, the MP for Cambridge, said: “Such an array of talent from in and around Cambridge competing for these awards!
“This morning in the House of Commons I was expressing concern about the future of life sciences - this evening, back with all these inspiring people, I am much reassured! Well done to the Independent and everyone involved for making this event happen, celebrating the very best in science and technology in and around Cambridge.”
The evening began and ended with a networking reception.
The event was also livestreamed for those who couldn’t make it, and that can still be watched here.
Look out for much more coverage soon, including a special edition of the Cambridge Independent with a supplement telling the stories of the winners, and all the photos from the night, published from Wednesday, March 24.
The winners of the Cambridge Independent Science and Technology Awards 2023
In Search of Wonder Lifetime Achievement Awards
Sponsored by JDJ Creative
Peter Cowley
Start-up of the Year
Sponsored by Kao Data
Winner: Maxion Therapeutics
Highly Commended: The SecOps Group
Cleantech Company of the Year
Sponsored by Woodfines Solicitors
Winner: Mimicrete
Highly Commended: Vuala
The Enterprise Skills Award
Sponsored by The Entrepreneurship Centre at Cambridge Judge Business School
Winner: Domino Printing
Highly Commended: Marshall Skills Academy
Employer of the Year
Sponsored by COEL
Winner: bit.bio
Highly Commended: Grant Instruments
STEM Initiative of the Year
Sponsored by Cambridge Science Park
Winner: Cambourne Electronics and Robotics Club (CERC)
Highly Commended: Cambridge Spark
Biotech Company of the Year
Sponsored by Appleyard Lees
Winner: Amphista Therapeutics
Highly Commended: STORM Therapeutics
Medtech Company of the Year
Sponsored by Sagentia Innovation
Winner: 52North
Highly Commended: Endomag
The One to Watch
Sponsored by cofinitive
Winner: CardiaTec Biosciences
Highly Commended: Blueshift Memory
CEO of the Year
Sponsored by Mission Street
Winner: Dr Nicki Thompson, Amphista Therapeutics
Highly Commended: Paul Larbey, Bango
Researcher of the Year
Sponsored by AstraZeneca
Winner: Prof Lee Smith, Anglia Ruskin University
Highly Commended: Dr Dannielle Green, Anglia Ruskin University
AI Company of the Year
Sponsored by Chesterford Research Park
Winner: Intellegens
Highly Commended: Eagle Genomics
The Tech for Good Award
Sponsored by Allia Future Business Centre Cambridge
Winner: resPNse
Highly Commended: Marshall Futureworx
The Award for Innovation
Sponsored by Bruntwood SciTech
Winner: Porotech
Highly Commended: Enhanc3D Genomics
Technology Company of the Year
Sponsored by the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Anglia Ruskin University
Winner: Pragmatic Semiconductor
Highly Commended: Evonetix
Life Science Company of the Year
Sponsored by Zyme Communications
Winner: Astex Pharmaceuticals
Highly Commended: Cerevance
Following the awards, winners left with goody bags containing copies of the Cambridge Independent, iQ business magazine, Velvet, our monthly lifestyle magazine, stickers produced for us by fastprint.co.uk and gifts from sponsors.
Look out for features on our winners in the coming months, and the launch of the 2024 Cambridge Independent Science and Technology Awards in the autumn. To stay in touch with the awards, sign up for our weekly newsletter.
