The finalists for the Cambridge Independent Science and Technology Awards 2024 can now be revealed.
It follows an extensive judging process after a record number of entries to the awards, which are now in their seventh year.
The winners will be revealed at a ceremony on Thursday, 16 May, at Hinxton Hall Conference Centre, on the Wellcome Genome Campus.
Finalists will get two free tickets each to the awards evening, which will begin with a networking reception due to be attended by hundreds of leading lights from across the Cambridge region’s science and technology sectors.
Editor Paul Brackley, who chaired the judging panel, said: “Congratulations to all the nominees who made the shortlists. This year’s awards were more competitive than ever and the standard of entry was exceptionally high – an indication of the incredible work going on across the region in so many fields of science and technology.
“I am grateful to all of those who generously gave their time and expertise to help with the shortlisting and judging process and to our sponsors for helping us to host this annual celebration of talent.
“We will now get in touch with all of our finalists with details of the awards event – and we look forward to seeing them there.”
The awards feature 15 categories that were open for nomination, plus the In Search of Wonder Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by JDJ Creative. Last year’s winners can be found here.
A small number of tickets for the awards will go on sale soon. Contact paul.brackley@iliffemedia.co.uk if you wish to find out more about this or any other aspect of the awards and follow #SciTechAwards on X.
The judging panel
Those involved in the shortlisting and judging process for this year’s awards included:
Paul Brackley, editor of the Cambridge Independent, who chaired the sessions;
Mark Watson, general manager of the Bradfield Centre, which is managed by Mantle Space, sponsor of the Software Company of the Year category;
Stephanie Martlew, COO of St John’s Innovation Centre, which is sponsoring Medtech Company of the Year;
Nathan Taylor-Allkins, partner at Woodfines Solicitors, which is sponsoring Cleantech Company of the Year;
Amritjot Jethwa, head of commercial IP contracts for Appleyard Lees, which is sponsoring AI Company of the Year;
Mike Scialom, business correspondent at the Cambridge Independent;
Jane Hutchins, director of Cambridge Science Park, which sponsors the STEM Initiative of the Year category;
Faye Holland, founder and director of cofinitive, which sponsors the One to Watch award;
David Broach, director of Allia Future Business Centre, which sponsors the Tech for Good Award; and
AstraZeneca, sponsor of the Researcher of the Year category
The finalists for the 2024 Cambridge Independent Science and Technology Awards
Start-up of the Year
Sponsored by Kao Data
Broken String Biosciences
Constructive Bio
Cambridge Future Tech
THIS Labs
Aseptuva
STEM Initiative of the Year
Sponsored by Cambridge Science Park
Science in Pictures: A Mosaic of STEM Inspiration – AstraZeneca
Youth engagement programme – Gen Two Real Estate
Cambridge Science Centre
Schools Day – Babraham Institute
Genomic Futures – Wellcome Connecting Science and Wellcome Sanger Institute
Black Talent & Leadership in STEM
Employer of the Year
Insmed Innovation UK
Domino Printing
Owlstone Medical
Riverlane
Sphere Fluidics
Maxion Therapeutics
Medtech Company of the Year
Sponsored by St John’s Innovation Centre
BIOS Health
CMR Surgical
PlaqueTec
C2-Ai
Lucida Medical
electronRx
Cleantech Company of the Year
Sponsored by Woodfines Solicitors
Alchemie Technology
Polysolar
Advanced Infrastructure Technology
Hereworks
Vuala
Researcher of the Year
Sponsored by AstraZeneca
Dr David Willer, Henslow Research Fellow, Murray Edwards College, Cambridge
Dr Isidro Cortés-Ciriano, EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton
Dr Emmanouil (Manos) Metzakopian, bit.bio
Jane Aspell, Anglia Ruskin University
Prof Justin Stebbing, Anglia Ruskin University
Rachael Walker, head of flow Cytometry, Babraham Institute
Benjamin T Porebski, investigator scientist, MRC LMB
CEO of the Year
Sponsored by Bidwells
Dr Mark Kotter, bit.bio
Dr Patrick Short, Sano Genetics
Owen Thompson, Cambridge Future Tech
Theodora Harold, Crescendo Biologics
Dr Carmen Palacios-Berraquero, Nu Quantum
Dr Felix Dobbs, Broken String Biosciences
The One to Watch
Sponsored by cofinitive
BugBiome
Forefront RF
Vector Bioscience Cambridge
Clock Bio
Supersense Technologies
Cambridge Nucleomics
Biotech Company of the Year
Sponsored by Chesterford Research Park
Exonate
Maxion Therapeutics
Arecor
Crescendo Biologics
Mosaic Therapeutics
bit.bio
The Award for Innovation
Sponsored by Railpen
Amphista Therapeutics
Paragraf
FlexEnable
Plextek
Cellular Origins
bit.bio
The Tech for Good Award
Sponsored by Allia Future Business Centre Cambridge
Supersense Technologies
Ethicronics
Vuala
Orca Scan
COG-Train from Wellcome Connecting Science and Wellcome Sanger Institute
electronRX
Software Company of the Year
Sponsored by Mantle Space
Gearset
Advanced Infrastructure Technology
Hereworks
Optibrium
Orca Scan
IQGeo
Sano Genetics
AI Company of the Year
Sponsored by Appleyard Lees
Secondmind
Enhanc3D Genomics
CardiaTec Biosciences
Lucida Medical Ltd
C2-Ai
Technology Company of the Year
Sponsored by the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Anglia Ruskin University
Pragmatic Semiconductor
Cambridge Mechatronics
Nu Quantum
Cellular Origins
Plextek
Secondmind
Life Science Company of the Year
Sponsored by Zyme Communications
Enhanc3D Genomics
Sphere Fluidics
PhoreMost
CN Bio
Cerevance
Biofidelity
In Search of Wonder Lifetime Achievement Award
Sponsored by JDJ Creative
The winner of this special award, chosen by a panel, will be revealed on the night.