Member Article

Entries for 2018 Merseyside Innovation Awards now open

Entering its 22nd year, the Merseyside Innovation Awards are now open for submissions, which will see one applicant win £10,000 in the accolades’ final later in the year.

Renowned for celebrating creativity across Merseyside, the Merseyside Innovation Awards has a long history of contributing to the economic development of multiple businesses and the region as a whole.

An inclusive award, the Merseyside Innovation Awards commends companies both large and small. The Awards see a monthly winner selected between January and May. Three entrants are then selected for the final in July, where the selected winner will receive a £10,000 cash prize. The runners up each receive a cash prize of £2,500.

Last year, Marlan Maritime claimed the prize, narrowly beating gas safety-monitoring company Gas Tag and virtual reality social media app, vTime.

Commemorated for its coastal surveillance and innovative use of radar in monitoring tidal patterns, Marlan Maritime provides engineers, conservationists and councils with up-to-date information about the ever-changing patterns of shorelines.

Discussing how the MIA has impacted Marlan Maritime, Managing Director, Alex Sinclair, said: “Interestingly, winning the MIA in 2017 has fundamentally changed our perception of what we are doing. Prior to the award, we believed in what we were trying to do, we believed that it is going to make a positive impact to people living on and working with the coast. After winning, we knew that other people believed it too.”

“Potential customers can feel a little uneasy about being early adopters of new technology, but having the endorsement of the MIA judges provides some reassurance to the people we are talking to due to its history of excellence across Merseyside.”

2018 will also see the return of the Prestige Award, specifically for larger businesses with a turnover of £1m to £25m, which in 2017 was awarded to EMS Healthcare, a mobile healthcare provider, in recognition of the vital services they provide to users across the region.

Brian McCann, Merseyside Innovation Awards founder and partner of Mitchell Charlesworth Chartered Accountants, continued: “the breadth of innovation and creativity within the MIA continues to astound myself and the judging panel. Year-on-year, dynamic innovations from multiple industries are put forward with the potential to be genuinely impactful to our region and I am eager to see what 2018 has in store for the Merseyside Innovation Awards.”

For further information about the Merseyside Innovation Awards and to find out how you can apply in 2018, please visit: www.merseysideinnovationawards.co.uk

Potential applicants can also discover more about the Merseyside Innovation Awards by attending one of two networking lunches:

• Tuesday 6th February: 1pm - 2pm, Liverpool Science Park • Tuesday 10th April: 1pm – 2pm, Sci-Tech Daresbury

This offers an ideal opportunity to discuss your innovation with the sponsorship team and discover more about the MIA.

To register your interest, contact Cara Bartlett via cara.bartlett@mitchellcharlesworth.co.uk

Pictured L-R: Sue Roberts - Village Software, Roger Phillips - BBC Radio Merseyside, Alex Sinclair - Marlan Maritime Technologies Ltd, Steve Rotheram - Metropolitan Mayor of Liverpool City Region, Lisa Greenhalgh – MSIF

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Anne Griffiths .