Search Begins For New Zealand’s Leading Innovators

Search Begins For New Zealand’s Leading Innovators

Innovation and innovative people are key to the future success of New Zealand and therefore should be recognised at a national level.

That’s the basis of the New Zealand Innovators Awards, which have been revamped with a new website and a much broader range of categories, including a supreme innovators award, a people’s choice award and the most inspiring innovator award.

Previously known as the Bayer Innovators Awards, the new awards progamme has been created by Bayer New Zealand, Ideas Accelerator and Idealog, and is supported by the New Zealand Innovation Council.

Bayer New Zealand Corporate Communications Manager William Malpass says the link between innovation and business success is well known. The challenge is creating the environment where innovation can blossom into business success.

“As the company behind the awards for the last few years, Bayer is excited to have new partners on board who are just as passionate about innovation as we are.

“Together we have not only significantly updated the Innovators Awards, but plan to take them to the next level. We not only want to recognise innovation efforts, but eventually create an innovation network that will ultimately help with getting the economy moving again.

“If you or your company, your colleague or family member, your mate or local university are involved in innovation, then we want to hear from you.”

The New Zealand Innovators Awards has several categories: Health & Science, Design & Engineering, Environment & Agriculture, ICT, Manufacturing and Marketing & Communications. There are also a People’s Choice Award and Supreme New Zealand Innovators Award, plus the Pre-commercial Award and the Most Inspiring Individual Award.

The entry process is online and is designed to be straight-forward without being time consuming. Entries can be made through a new website www.innovators.org.nz, which also contains information on the evaluation criteria.

Entries are open to individuals, teams, businesses and organisations from all parts of New Zealand.

Finalists will be profiled in idealog magazine and its associated online publications before the winners are announced in late October at an awards evening in Auckland.

“It may be that you are involved in an exciting innovative project or know someone who is. If that is the case, then we want to hear from you,” says Mr Malpass.

Entries open today and the closing date for entries is 12 August 2011.

Winners from previous Bayer Innovators Awards include: Ray Avery (Medicine Mondiale), Ross McKenzie (Old Fashioned Foods), Ian McRae (Orion Health), Dr Stephen Goldson (AgResearch), Prof. Olaf Diegel (AUT), Dr Brian Ward (Mesynthes), Rod Walker (Simcro) and Dr Robert Hill (Lincoln University).

For more information visit: www.innovators.org.nz

ENDS

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