SCI’s third Innovation & Sustainability Awards Dinner brought together some of the world’s leading science-based companies, innovators and entrepreneurs, along with policy makers, to celebrate advances in sustainability and highlight the essential role of science in economic growth.
Hosted by Viscount Stansgate, at the Palace of Westminster on 21st May, attendees were welcomed by SCI’s CEO Sharon Todd who began by stressing the importance of the Government’s upcoming Industrial Strategy for the UK’s economic prosperity.
“We are pleased that science has a prominent place in this Government’s plan for growth,” Todd said. “This is something that SCI has championed and is a core part of our mission.”
Todd’s comments were echoed at the event by Greg Clark, Chair of SCI's Board of Trustees, who applauded the Government’s cross-party approach in developing the Industrial Strategy, which is expected soon.
Commenting on the impact of SCI’s ongoing work advocating for an Industrial Strategy, Clark said: “SCI’s is having an impact on placing science at the heart of policy making. Science and innovation will have a prominent role to play in the Industrial Strategy. If the UK is to see success and the growth that it is capable of, then science must be one of the foundations.”
Clark added that there was also a commitment to the long-term support of science around the UK’s regions. “The industrial strategy is a about long-termism. We know that results can only come over time and these results will come from across the country,” said Clark.
Professor Julia Sutcliffe, Chief Scientific Adviser at the UK Government’s Department for Business and Trade stressed the importance of collaboration between businesses and government. “We know how hard it is to take an idea from the laboratory through the many processes needed before it can reach the market,” Sutcliffe said. “We have an amazing amount of integration and collaboration between business and Government, and we can build on this.”
SCI Innovation & Sustainability Awards
Photography ©Andrew Lunn/SCI
SCI Innovation Award Enabled by Partnership winner
Sutcliffe was called on to present the first award on the evening, the SCI Innovation Award Enabled by Partnership: this recognises the importance of collaboration in accelerating new ideas out of the laboratory and into society. The seven finalists demonstrated collaboration in areas ranging from development of new medicines through to using carbon emissions as a feedstock for a new cleaning agent.
Joint third place went to GSK partnered with the University of Strathclyde, alongside MedChemica which has partnered with 13 organisations including Diamond Light Source and the Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
GSK partnered with the University of Strathclyde is a long-term partnership which has led to both ground-breaking research and innovation in new medicines.
MedChemica’s partnerships are focused on its AI-driven, Structure-Enabled Antiviral Platform (ASAP) which has led to the development of early-stage antiviral treatments to improve pandemic preparedness.
Second place went to Syngenta, partnered with Imperial College London, which has developed droplet-based technology that can measure how chemical leads pass through biological systems, improving the design of more effective crop protection solutions.
Taking the top spot was Givaudan, partnered with Protéus by Seqens. The collaborators are developing a method to produce one of the of the most commonly used biodegradable fragrance ingredients in a more natural and sustainable way.
Other shortlisted companies included: Cresset, Dow and UCB
SCI Sustainability Award
Photography ©Andrew Lunn/SCI
Presenting the Sustainability Award was SCI’s Chair of the Board of Trustees, Greg Clark.
The award recognises companies that are working on pushing the boundaries of science to enhance sustainability, from greening feedstocks, new biomaterials, low carbon energy sources and recycling technologies.
In joint third place was Cargill Beauty for a new plant-based ingredient, made with the help of AI and designed to be a cleaner more natural alternative to traditional petroleum-based products, along with Synthomer for packaging that improves how polypropylene can be shaped and formed, whilst maintaining its superior properties and recycling profile.
Second place went to MSD for a new process to enable the manufacture of complex materials using natural rather than synthetic catalysts. The breakthrough provides a lower carbon footprint process and reduced waste from single use plastics.
First place went to Croda for a new eco-friendly dispersant made from natural biodegradable ingredients. It helps meet environmental regulations, reduce costs and maintain high performance without relying on petroleum-based materials.
Other shortlisted companies were: Aerosan, Dow and Reckitt.
SCI Leadership in Diversity in Science-Led Industry Award
Photography ©Andrew Lunn/SCI
Presenting the award was Harry Swan, CEO of Thomas Swan. This award recognises an initiative led by an individual or team, which has resulted in a significant impact to encourage a more equal, diverse and inclusive workforce in science-led industry.
Third place went to the Afro-Caribbean Commercial Science Network (ACCSN), which is focused on boosting diversity in the life science industry. Using events at places such as the UK’s Parliament and universities, the network has supported more than 2,200 individuals with mentorship, careers advice and workshops, helping to increase the representation of ethnic minorities in the field.
Second place went to Cwenga Technologies, a South Africa-based enterprise which spans multiple countries and is focused on addressing the lack of women in academia, research and leadership through mentoring and practical solutions to promote inclusivity and diversity.
In first place was Johnson Matthey, which has over the years invested in EDI programmes focused on driving gender equality. The programmes include elevating Women in Leadership, launched in 2023 to build a talent pipeline for women in leadership roles.
Other shortlisted companies were: UCB
Celebrating SCI Awards Winners
At the event a number of other individuals were also recognised for their achievements in the last year:
Christopher Janot, at AstraZeneca: 2024 winner of the SCI Young Chemist in Industry. Janot presented the first scale-up of a nickel-catalysed borylation.
Yunas Bhonoah, at Syngenta: 2025 winner of the SCI Chemist in Industry. Bhonoah presented the design and synthesis of novel herbicidal inhibitors of 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase.
Proprep: winner of SCI BrightSCIdea Challenge 2025. From Brunnel University, Proprep presented a protein production technology to reduce costs and increase productivity for scientists using proteins to detect and treat disease.
Edwina Yeo, at UCL: winner of the Westminster Medal. Yeo’s poster focused on preventing bacterial surface contamination and infection via mathematical modelling.
Congratulating all the winners, SCI’s President Paul Drechsler said that every winner was an example of what can be achieved when diverse thinking and collaboration was supported and championed.
SCI would like to thank Viscount Stansgate, the Organising Committee of the SCI Corporate Partner Network, led by chair Dr Harry Kelly and SCI’s Corporate Partners, who have supported and championed the event. Special thanks also go to the SCI staff team including Bryony Parker, Mary Mehari, Alex Owens, Josie Partridge, and Bella Seymour; Conference Producer.
Find out more about the finalists:
• SCI Sustainability & Innovation Awards 2025: The finalists
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