A virtual ceremony, taking place in a bespoke interactive environment, was attended by leaders of businesses, organisations and research institutes across the Cambridge region on Thursday (15 April).
They witnessed a celebration of the extraordinary. Innovation, ingenuity and exceptional talent were on display across 14 panels.
An independent judging panel, chaired by Cambridge Independent editor Paul Brackley, had the challenging task of examining well over 100 nominees to determine the winners and the highly commended entries.
Paul said: “It was a pleasure to reveal the winners of these awards, but also to celebrate the incredible work of all the finalists who were shortlisted tonight.
“The awards, which are now in their fourth year, are a showcase of what the Cambridge region is capable of - world-leading achievements across so many fields of science and technology.
“I would like to thank my fellow judges, our sponsors and supporters for their backing, and congratulate all our winners.”
Guests enjoyed interactive networking in a virtual venue, in which they could move between tables and chat to one another, before a ceremony with a video production supported by office and laboratory fit-out specialist Coel.
Covid-19 Response Award
One category, the Covid-19 Response Award, was introduced to highlight the extraordinary ways the region has responded to the pandemic.
The efforts of all nominees in this field were applauded, but it was the response of the Institute for Manufacturing at the University of Cambridge that earned the title.
Highly commended was Avacta Group, while there was a special commendation for the entire MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology for the insights it has provided into the biology of the Covid-19 virus.
A prize of £1,500 in free IP advice, from sponsor Appleyard Lees - a leading firm of IP specialists and patent attorneys - went to Spotta Smart Pest Systems.
And Eastern Academic Health Science Network was on hand at the event to talk to nominees and will offer one finalist free mentoring. The winner of that prize will be announced soon.
Look out for a further guide to all the winners online - and a special Science and Technology Awards supplement in the Cambridge Independent, out from April 21.
THE WINNERS OF THE FOURTH CAMBRIDGE INDEPENDENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AWARDS
Start-up of the Year, sponsored by Kao Data
Winner - Biofidelity
Highly Commended - Intellegens
STEM Initiative of the Year, sponsored by MathWorks
Winner - Cambridge Science Centre
Highly Commended - Raspberry Pi
Cleantech Company of the Year, sponsored by Woodfines Solicitors
Winner - Alchemie Technology
Highly Commended - Spotta Smart Pest Systems
Biotech Company of the Year, sponsored by Appleyard Lees
Winner - bit.bio
Highly Commended - Cerevance
AI Company of the Year, sponsored by the Entrepreneurship Centre at Cambridge Judge Business School
Winner - BIOS Health
Highly Commended - Techspert.io
The Award for Innovation, sponsored by Cambridge Precision Ltd
Winner - PragmatIC Semiconductor
Highly Commended - Sook
Medtech Company of the Year, sponsored by Chesterford Research Park
Winner - C2-Ai
Highly Commended - Cellular Highways
The Covid-19 Response Award sponsored by Sagentia
Winner - Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge
Highly Commended - Avacta Group
Special Commendation - MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
Technology Company of the Year, sponsored by the Faculty of Science and Engineering, Anglia Ruskin University
Winner - SciBite
Highly Commended - OKRA Technologies
CEO of the Year, sponsored by Tilney
Winner - Sunil Shah, o2h Group
Highly Commended - Mark Kotter, bit.bio
Researcher of the Year, sponsored by AstraZeneca
Winner - Dr David Aldridge, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge
Highly Commended - Dr Zunlong Ke, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
The Tech for Good Award, sponsored by Allia Future Business Centre
Winner - Healx
Highly Commended - Arete Medical Technologies
The One to Watch, sponsored by cofinitive
Winner - VividQ
Highly Commended - Glyconics
Life Science Company of the Year, sponsored by BioStrata
Winner - Evonetix
Highly Commended - Microbiotica