The Engineering Matters Awards celebrate the impact engineers have on the world. The awards are produced with the support of the IMechE and Engineers Without Borders UK. 

This summer, the Engineering Matters team has interviewed more than fifty entrants, across six impact categories: Net Zero, Diversity & Inclusion, Sustainability, Health & Safety, Environment, and Community. Today, we announce the full list of entries in these categories. Entries to a seventh category—Innovation—will be selected by the judging panel from these impact categories, and announced this December, when we release a special mini-series profiling all of the shortlisted entries.

Avioxx – Sustainability

Avioxx develops sustainable aviation fuel by converting waste, like plastics and agricultural residues, into low-carbon alternatives. Their process integrates green hydrogen and carbon capture

CrystalTrade – Net zero

CrystalTrade offers software for managing carbon credits specifically for biochar projects, with tools for tracking, compliance, and life cycle analysis

Chimney Sheep – Sustainability

Chimney Sheep offers chimney draught excluders made from natural, sustainable materials, designed to reduce heat loss through chimneys and improve energy efficiency in homes.

CityShuttle – Sustainability

CityShuttle offers electric cargo bikes for eco-friendly deliveries, aiming to reduce emissions and traffic in urban areas

Carbon Re – Net zero

Carbon Re uses AI technology to help reduce carbon emissions in cement production by optimising fuel use during critical processes. 

Immaterial – Net zero

Immaterial develops advanced materials for the energy transition, focusing on carbon capture, hydrogen storage, and air purification.

Brill Power – Net Zero, Sustainability

Brill Power’s  BESA BP6X1 is an integrated battery management system and power converter, targeting industrial, commercial and grid scale applications.

Hiperenergy – Sustainability

Hiperenergy designs and builds energy infrastructure with a focus on decarbonising the built environment. Their patented Hiperpile technology significantly reduces embodied carbon in construction, while their integrated energy solutions promote efficiency and sustainability

Airhive – Net zero

Airhive specialises in direct air capture (DAC) technology aimed at addressing climate change by efficiently capturing CO2 from the atmosphere. Their modular systems are designed for rapid deployment and scalability

Last Energy – Net Zero

Factory-fabricated and modular pressurised water nuclear reactors, designed for serial production and modular construction.

Susy House – Sustainability, Community

SuSy House works with local authorities and housing associations, using public data and to suggest and streamline the most effective retrofit solutions to reduce energy use and bills for social housing tenants.

Thermulon – Net Zero

A silica based aerogel that can be made at a low temperature and pressure, meaning a cheap low carbon solution for retrofitting buildings. Can also be used for insulating electric vehicle batteries making EV battery packs more reliable and safe.

Lightyear Foundation – Diversity & Inclusion, Community

An organisation that works with SEND schools to put on interactive STEM workshops. Working with children of all ages to engage them in STEM and mentoring them through finding work.

Voodin Blade Technology – Net Zero, Sustainability

100% biodegradable wind turbine blades made from wood, that are cheaper to produce and less carbon intensive in production.

Anker Tec – Sustainability

A carbon fibre high powered milling machine replacing giant steel structures. Very low energy in use and 70% lighter than steel counterparts.

Mura Technology – Sustainability

Opening of a plastic recycling facility in Teesside, the first commercial scale application of the company’s Hydro-PRT technology 

National Highways – Health & Safety

In partnership with the Connected Places Catapult, National Highways ran a competition for new ways to alert road users to road works, with a focus on SMEs.

National Highways – Net Zero 

National Highways worked with Connected Places Catapult to develop a programme to accelerate low carbon innovation on the strategic road network.

Vertical Solar – Net Zero

An improved layout of solar panels, which captures more energy for the same area as a diagonal solar panel. 

Klean Drive – Net Zero, Sustainability

Retrofitting buses and trucks to become electrified aimed at large fleet operators. 70% cheaper than changing to an EV fleet. The approach is bespoke to each fleet operators’ specific needs.

Wase – Net Zero

A biogas company that uses bio-electrodes hosting electrically active bacteria to generate energy from waste. Generates more methane faster uses a smaller footprint than traditional biogas. 

ABB – Sustainability, Net Zero

Retrofitting cement trucks with electric power and regenerative braking systems, allowing for gravity powered travel at a quarry site.

ABB – Net Zero

Launch of MV Titanium, a medium-voltage speed controlled motor concept, designed for efficient installation in industrial applications.

Red Pitaya – Diversity & Inclusion

Red Pitaya’s hardware was used by Sakura Particles, a team of Japanese high school girls, to develop a low cost muon detector, which has been accepted for use in experiments at CERN.

Red Pitaya – Environment

Long Path technologies used Red Pitaya’s open source hardware to scale up its laser based methane monitoring system, used to detect methane leaks.

Versinetic – Net Zero

Versinetic has implemented the EVerest open source charging technology into its Charging Blox modular charging framework, enabling high paced innovation in EV chargers.

Versinetic – Net Zero, Sustainability

Versinetic’s Link Ray load balancing system allows for flexible installation of EV charging in apartment buildings.

Switchee – Net Zero, Sustainability

Switchee delivers real-time data that gives social housing providers the insights and tools needed to support residents and proactively manage homes. These actionable insights enable customers to optimise energy efficiency, reduce costs, and improve resident satisfaction.

Fido – Sustainability

Fido uses Ai and acoustics to detect leaks in water systems. Project in London with Thames Water using 35,000 historic audio files found 20 validated leaks in 6 hours.

Fido/Microsoft – Environment, Community

Working together and funding a project to bring together technology aimed at solving water supply challenges in the Colorado River Basin, which provides water for 40 million people.

Climeworks – Net Zero

Delivery of two direct air capture carbon removal plants in Iceland, the largest of which is capable of 36,000 tonnes of carbon removal per year.

Notpla – Sustainability

Biodegradable packaging made from seaweed. Any plastic packaging or food container can be replaced with this packing. They are also targeting plastic bottles with small gel pods.

Guerilla – Environment

A system that has been deployed in London that can be retrofitted into existing drains, and prevent runoff pollution from being washed into the rivers and ocean.

BioFuel Evolution – Sustainability

The development of biologically-based systems to break down hard to convert waste streams into biofuels, suitable for application around the world.

Eirgrid – Net Zero

The development of new approaches to grid network modelling, to allow for long term planning of Ireland’s electricity grid through the energy transition.

CorPower Ocean – Net Zero

A wave energy company with projects in Ireland and Portugal. Gets high power from a small area compared to other wave energy systems and can still operate in high waves and wind.

Edinburgh Science – Community

A charity that puts on events and festivals for primary and secondary school-aged children, and offers career support services for secondary school children

Rolls Royce Novel Nuclear – Community, Diversity & Inclusion

The development of a maths tutoring programme, supporting staff volunteers of Rolls Royce Novel Nuclear as they offer tutoring to pupils in Derby.

ABB – Sustainability

The launch of the ACS580 R4, a drive aimed at commercial and industrial users, with a focus on long term reliability.

Rolls Royce Novel Nuclear – Net Zero

The development of a Closed Brayton Cycle Test Rig, enabling research into the use of micro-reactors in lunar applications.

Carnot – Net Zero

A 70% efficient engine that is fuel agnostic. Aimed at heavy duty vehicles that can transition to more efficient engines that use less fuel now, and can become net zero fuel engines in the future.

EKFB – Diversity & Inclusion

EKFB has curated a programme that helps students, over five weekly sessions, to develop self-confidence, awareness of transferable skills, CVs, & interview skills. The programme can be amended to cater to students who require work-based skills, as well as where the aim is awareness of industry and inclusion.

EKFB – Community

EKFB’s Educational Gala was planned & delivered with 22 different stands & activities where students experienced memorable and meaningful interactions with employers, strengthening the joint venture’s educational outreach.

Bind Ethics – Sustainability, Net Zero

A bio adhesive that can replace the toxic and fossil fuel derived adhesives that are used in engineered wood products.

SDP – Net Zero

A solar energy company that designs canopy solar farms using minimal materials designed to be put over farmland or car parks.

FrugalPac – Sustainability

A paper bottle that can replace wine, spirit and oil bottles. A second innovation, the frugal cup, uses purely paper without a plastic lining .

Sellafield Centre of Excellence – Community, Diversity & Inclusion

Working with local schools including SEND schools to put on workshops and career days to encourage students into STEM. Workshops are designed to individual schools’ needs and help older students find work placements and jobs within engineering. 

Sellafield Centre of Excellence – Health & Safety

Development of VR and a digital twin to allow virtual training, ahead of real world experience. Allowing for rehearsals of maintenance and for upskilling of existing and future workforce

Fugro – Community

Jeff Richardson volunteers as a coastguard rescue officer in Aberdeen, the only national emergency service. The Coast Guard, part of the Marine and Coast Guard Agency (MCA), handles search and rescue operations, including aeronautical and marine coordination.

Fugro – Net Zero

Fugro is pioneering the world’s first autonomous electric Land CPT system. Fugro’s Electric Deep Drive is an innovative electric cone penetration testing (CPT) crawler that combines advanced technology and sustainable power sources to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of soil testing in diverse environments. 

Fugro – Net Zero, Sustainability 

Fugro is leading a maritime consortium on a programme called MENENS which is working on the use of methanol as a low-carbon marine fuel, with a view to making it further commercially deployable.

Oxford Flow – Net Zero

Oxford Flow axial valves and regulators surpass traditional valve technologies – providing better performance, reduced costs and less environmental impact. With no mechanical drive train the actuated valve design has eliminated fugitive emissions completely. 

Magna – Sustainability, Health and Safety

Magna’s sustainable door carrier project replaces plastic panels with natural fibre sheets, reinforced by plant-based polyurethane (PU). This design provides significant environmental benefits, reducing the weight of the door modules by 30-40% while maintaining the strength-to-weight ratio of the traditional materials. The inclusion of basalt or flax mesh within the fibre sheet enhances the impact resistance by 400%, making it a superior alternative to GFPP panels. 

adi Group – Community, Diversity & Inclusion

An away day for engineering apprentices, marking the tenth anniversary of a programme that has seen the firm increase apprenticeships to 10% of its workforce.