Shortlist announced for The Engineer’s 2024 Collaborate to Innovate Awards

From ground-breaking developments in energy systems to key advances in defence, low carbon mobility and healthcare technology this year’s shortlist is an inspiring reminder of both the UK’s depth of engineering talent and the role that engineers are playing in addressing some of the biggest challenges we face.

Spanning nine categories - including energy & environment, aerospace & defence, automotive, manufacturing, data, and healthcare technology - the full list of shortlisted entries for this year’s competition can be viewed here. 

The ultimate winners will be revealed at a special party in London on the evening of Thursday 27th February 2025 and covered extensively in The Engineer magazine.

Now in its ninth year, Collaborate to Innovate (C2I) was launched to uncover and celebrate great examples of engineering collaboration – a dynamic considered critical to solving many of the challenges and problems faced by society.

Commenting on this year’s finalists, Editor of The Engineer Jon Excell added: “Once again, the Collaborate to Innovate awards has uncovered a truly incredible crop of innovative projects and initiatives from across the world of engineering. Between them, this year’s shortlisted finalists, provide a compelling illustration of the role that UK engineers are playing at the forefront of some of the most critical technology developments of our times.”

The competition is judged by a prestigious panel of leading UK engineers and supported by organisations including Babcock International Group, Lucideon, Med-Tech, Hays Recruitment,  Schneider Electric, Engineering UK and EPSRC. This year’s charity partner is SheCanEngineer, a charity working to close the gender gap in engineering industries.

 CLICK HERE OR SEE BELOW FOR THIS YEAR'S SHORTLIST

Aerospace & Defence

ASCEND - Aerospace and Automotive Supply Chain Enabled Development

GKN Aerospace with Airborne, Assyst Bulmer, Cygnet Texkimp, Syensqo, DES Composites, FAR-UK, Hexcel, Hive Composites, LMAT, Loop Technology, McLaren Automotive, National Composites Centre, Rafinex, Sigmatex, and Axillium Research

DragonFire

Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) with MBDA, Qinetiq and Leonardo

Kratos

Solus Power with Qinetiq

Project Skymast

Hydrogen Aircraft Services Limited, Britten Norman, Marshall, Cambridge Consultants, BT

Smarter Testing - Data-driven Virtual+Real testing platform

Airbus Operations Ltd, Dassault Systemes

Automotive

eVITA - an inclusive electric wheelchair accessible vehicle (eWAV)

Motability Operations with Callum

Project Jolt

Centre for Sustainable Road Freight, University of Cambridge, Heriot Watt University

Secondmind and Mazda accelerate engine calibration with advanced AI

Secondmind, Mazda Motor Corporation

Solus Power

Solus Power with Qinetiq

Energy and Environment

Aftrak – a scalable, affordable, reliable microgrid solution to revolutionise energy access and agriculture in Africa

Loughborough University with The Consortium for Battery Innovation, Tiyeni and Clarios

AGRI-SATT (Agricultural Growth using Remote-sensing, IoT, Satellite and Autonomous Telecommand Technology)

Brilliant Planet with Platinum Electrical Engineering Limited, University of Southampton, Scottish association for marine science, Efficient documents, Chelsea technologies, Clearwater sensors, AVEVA and Schneider Electric

HARRIER – towards constant beamed energy from space

Space Solar with International Electric Company Limited,Queens University Belfast, WaveRF and Jaltek

Hyperuniform Disordered Metasurfaces for Selective Absorbers

University of Surrey with University of Bristol, University of Northumbria, Humboldt University Berlin, Imperial College London, University of Washington, AES Solar, Arkenlight Limited, Etaphase Inc and JX Crystals

PRISMA; Advanced Liquid Air Energy Storage technology

Innovatium with the University of Birmingham, Aggregate Industries and City University of London

Solar-Powered Air Conditioning System Using PCM Energy Storage (PCM-ACStore)

University of Nottingham with Phase Change Material Products Ltd and Rubitec Nigeria Ltd

Healthcare & Medical 

Development of technologies for single and sub-cellular biomarker analysis

University of Surrey with Yokogawa, ThermoFisher, Ion Optika, Waters, IotaSciences, Pirbright Institute,Kings College London, UCL, GSK, NPL, University of Manchester, AZ, University of Liverpool

Musculoskeletal conditions – from research to solutions

Save the Children UK with GO Assistive Technology, Biomex Ltd, Smart Surgical Solutions, American University of Beirut in Lebanon, University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka, University of Rwanda, University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda, Hamad Hospital and Islamic University of Gaza, Cambodian School of Prosthetics and Orthotics, Exceed Worldwide, Cukurova University in Türkiye, Child Wellness Centre, NHS Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Stanmore

Nura Stroke Rehabilitation sleeve

CardioCrown with Brunel University, Different Strokes and Hillingdon Hospital

SimLevator

Brunel University London with Brunel University London, Pelvic, Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapy (POGP), Everything Natal

The Children’s Adaptive Deep brain stimulation for Epilepsy Trial (‘CADET’)

Department of Neurosurgery - Great Ormond Street Hospital with Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oxford, Medical Research Council Brain Network Dynamics Unit, University of Oxford, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, Amber Therapeutics Ltd, UK

Data & Connectivity 

Deployment of ZOE - AI enabled search, detection and tracking technology for the maritime domain

Zelim with Valaris

Mine Water Heat Project

The Coal Authority with Ordnance Survey

Neural Network IP Protection through Functionality Locking

Synoptix Limited with Kings College London

Project Jolt

Centre for Sustainable Road Freight with University of Cambridge and Heriot Watt University

Project Skymast

Hydrogen Aircraft Services Limited (trading as SPL and Stratospheric Platforms) with Britten Norman, Marshall, Cambridge Consultants, BT

Smarter Testing - Data-driven Virtual+Real testing platform

Airbus Operations Ltd with Dassault Systemes

Manufacturing Technology

AVA Bridge & Lift System

AVA Consortium - Network Rail, Expedition Engineering, Walker Construction, Hawkins\Brown, McNealy Brown, ARX, Outokumpu

Cement 2 Zero

Cambridge Electric Cement with Balfour Beatty, CELSA UK, Cambridge Electric Cement, Day Group, Materials Processing Institute, Tarmac and University of Cambridge

Crafting the Indivisible, Revealing the Invisible: Porotech and NPL's High-Throughput and Multi-Scale Metrology Solution for Compound Semiconductor Manufacturing

Poro Technologies Ltd (Porotech) with National Physical Laboratory

H1perChain

Hyperbat with UPAWAE (now Fortescue Zero), Coventry University, The Welding Institute (TWI) and Direc-Tec

Securing Aerospace Fasteners Manufacturing in the UK

The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with LISI Aerospace

STEM Initiative

Increase STEM in Apprenticeships

Weston College

REIMAGINE

Ceres

The CIBSE Flush Challenge

CIBSE

Wild Card

Advancing the Circular Economy in Conveyor Belts: Harnessing Tech Innovation for a Sustainable Future

Ecobelt Ltd with The University of Manchester, Sustainable Materials Innovation Hub, Henry Royce Institute.Dr Laurence Stamford (Chemical Engineering Depart), Dr Alejandro Gallego Schmid (Engineering for Sustainability), Professor Michael Shaver (Dept of Materials) and Dr Andrew McLauchlin (Research Associate)

AGRI-SATT (Agricultural Growth using Remote-sensing, IoT, Satellite and Autonomous Telecommand Technology)

Brilliant Planet with Platinum Electrical Engineering Limited, University of Southampton, Scottish association for marine science, Efficient documents, Chelsea technologies, Clearwater sensors, AVEVA and Schneider Electric

AVA Bridge & Lift System

AVA Consortium - Network Rail, Expedition Engineering, Walker Construction, Hawkins\Brown, McNealy Brown, ARX, Outokumpu

Babcock Immersive Training Experience

Babcock International Group with Beaverfit

Deployment of ZOE - AI enabled search, detection and tracking technology for the maritime domain

Zelim with Valaris

Risk reduction Of gloveBox Operations (RrOBO)

AtkinsRéalis with Sellafield, Taylor Kightley, Engineering, Kinova and Haption

Young Innovator

dotFlow A Refreshable Braille Display - Mohammad Alim, Nizar Abdelhannane - Yr 12 Featherstone High School

EcoChroma - Gurdit Singh

Green Pot: Growing the future - Keon Robert

The impact award for innovation excellence

Sir David McMurtry - Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Renishaw

Prof. Paul Newman CBE  - BP Professor of Information Engineering - Oxford University, Head of Oxford Mobile Robotics Group,; Founder and CTO of Oxa (formerly Oxbotica)

Dr Caroline Hargrove CBE - CTO Ceres Power