Eureka innovation awards 2022

Celebrating R&D and innovation

At this year’s Global Innovation Summit in Estoril, Portugal, on 22-23 June, we presented five Eureka innovation awards to organisations for the ground-breaking products, processes or services developed during a Eureka project.

National funding bodies nominated two organisations for each of our five award categories:

• Best Product and Service Innovation
• Best Sustainability Innovation
• Best Thematic Innovation (space-ocean-earth systems)
• Best Woman in Leadership
• Best Portuguese Project

Your R&D results are impressive; we are in awe of the work conducted by all organisations in our network. So, we want to recognise the incredible innovations that positively impact and generate value for industries and our society with five awards for standout Eureka projects.

Eureka national funding bodies nominated two organisations for each of our five award categories. To be nominated, your organisation needed to be based in a Eureka country and have led a Eureka project that began after 2014 and finished before 29 April 2022.

The award categories are…

Best Product and Service Innovation

This is our star award for projects that developed an outstanding product, process or service that has had a positive impact on economies, the environment or society. We award this prize to a project for its incremental, disruptive or radical innovation. We evaluate how your R&D results have benefitted communities locally, internationally or within a specific industry.

Best Sustainability Innovation

This category is for long term solutions to combat climate change. Winning R&D project results may contribute to (for example) preserving natural resources, improving renewable energy devices, decarbonising or the circular economy and smart cities.

Best Thematic Innovation (space-ocean-earth systems)

This year, our Best Thematic Innovation award is for space-ocean-earth systems. We scouted for projects that integrate space, ocean and earth observation technologies to help predict climate change scenarios.

Best Woman in Leadership

Are you a woman founder, co-founder, CEO, Chief Technology Officer or head of R&D at an organisation that led a Eureka project? This award is a celebration of the successful women in a sector that traditionally has a gender imbalance.

Best Portuguese Project

Portugal holds Eureka’s Chairmanship, so this award spotlights Portuguese organisations that led a Eureka project. The award is gifted to a project that has resulted in increased international cooperation, R&D capacity and participation in global value chains for the Portuguese organisation.

Selecting award winners

Nominated organisations were asked to write a (maximum) five-page application, spotlighting the strengths of their project results and describing how their innovation benefited from international collaboration. For example, they may have experienced entry into new markets, improved R&D capacities and position in a sector, knowledge exchange and established relationships with new partners.

We also asked organisations to explain how their innovation could be transferred or replicated and how it benefits companies and society. They stated concrete examples and included testimonials from users (the communities your project results benefit) and/or a promotional video.

Nominees were evaluated by selected experts (including professionals from leading Portuguese organisations and universities) against set criteria and three organisations were shortlisted for each category before the final award ceremony at the Global Innovation Summit in Estoril, Portugal, on 22-23 June 2022.

The prize

Award winners receive:

• A bespoke trophy
• A label to add to your organisation’s promotional material
• Travel and accommodation (maximum two nights) expenses paid for one person per shortlisted project to attend the Global Innovation Summit in Estoril, Portugal, on 22-23 June 2022
• Visibility and networking opportunities; a dedicated digital booth at the Global Innovation Summit and a presentation of your organisation at an award ceremony in front of delegations from Eureka countries
• Social media promotion on Eureka’s channels

We’re pleased to announce the Eureka Innovation Award winners in 2022!

Best Produce and Service Innovation

NDI project (represented by Nutrasource, Canada)

Best Sustainability Innovation

SPEAR project (represented by let’s dev GmbH & Co. KG, Germany)

Best Thematic Innovation (space-ocean-earth systems)

QUANTUM GS project (represented by Ace of Satellite Communication, South Korea)

Best Woman in Leadership

SeeO2_Demo2 project (represented by Beatriz Molero Sanchez at SeeO2 Energy, Canada)

Best Portuguese Project

FacePrint project (represented by μRoboptics, Portugal)

Congratulations to our shortlisted projects 

Best Produce and Service Innovation

SHAMAN project (represented by Mutech, South Korea)

IMPACT project (represented by Philips, the Netherlands)

Best Sustainability Innovation

CONCRETE AI PLATFORM project (represented by Giatec Scientific Inc., Canada)

PePoll Count project (represented by Green City Solutions, Germany)

Best Thematic Innovation (space-ocean-earth systems)

DEFDRONE-3D project (represented by Geodata, Austria)

GLOBORMAP project (represented by First Resource Management Group Inc., Canada)

Best Woman in Leadership

GreenSkin project (represented by Doris Schnepf at Green4Cities, Austria)

TESTOMAT project (represented by Sigrid Eldh at Ericsson, Sweden)

Best Portuguese Project

AIMES project (represented by EDGENEERING, Portugal)

UNICRINF project (represented by Ubiwhere, Portugal)

Were you inspired by this story and have a project idea you want to realise?

Through our funding programmes, national/regional funding bodies support SMEs, large companies, universities and research organisations conducting R&D and innovation projects together beyond borders to achieve great results.

Learn more about our programmes and discover whether we have a funding opportunity for your organisation.