The finalists – there are three nominees in five different industry categories - include entries from established companies and start-ups. Eight of the companies are from Dublin, three are from Galway, while Mayo and Limerick have two representatives each. The category winners go forward to compete for the overall Innovation of the Year Award.
This year’s innovations range from solar powered compacting bins to a service which provides firms with a ‘cyber risk rating’ to a shower caddy which can be attached to tiles using transparent glue. The latter product, called Showergem has already featured on the BBC show Dragon’s Den – it secured the backing of three ‘Dragons’ - and RTE’s Late Late Show.
The fifteen nominees are;
- IT & Fintech Cambrist, (Dublin) FarmHedge (Limerick) and CyberPrism (Dublin)
- Life Sciences & Healthcare: Foodmarble (Dublin), Nuritas (Dublin) and Atlantic Therapeutics (Galway)
- Manufacturing & Design: Showergem (Mayo), Chameleon (Galway) and PEL Waste Reduction Equipment (Mayo)
- New Frontiers: Buymie, Auranta and Tech Works Marine (All Dublin)
- Sustainability: Glasport Bio (Galway), Vita (Dublin) and Electricity Exchange (Limerick)
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Awards, which were established to showcase and reward excellence in innovation across a range of products and services. The winners will be announced at a high-profile awards ceremony at the RDS in Dublin on November 5th. The Awards are sponsored by Science Foundation Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, KPMG, Skillnet Ireland and UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.
Each category winner will receive a communications package worth €10,000 while the overall 'Innovation of the Year' will win a unique communications package worth in excess of €150,000 and a scholarship for two Executive Development courses from UCD Smurfit School commencing in 2020.
Michael McAleer, Innovation Editor at The Irish Times, said the calibre of this years’ entries was exceptionally high and that it would be very difficult for the judging panel - chaired by Dr. Chris Horn, co-founder of IONA Technologies – to pick the winners.
