Cutting edge firms make awards shortlist

Telecommunications, aeronautics, pharmaceuticals and IT are among the sectors represented in the shortlist for the All-Island Innovation Awards.

Nominees include CEL Track, a Galway company that has developed GPS tracking technology for monitoring the driving habits of young motorists, Sigma Wireless, the Dublin-based producer of moving antenna for mobile phone coverage and Cork-based Punch Industries, a world leader in shoe care products.

There are four categories of award: small, medium and large business and new technology. The event, organised on a cross-border basis, carries an overall €15,000 prize and four €5,000 category prizes.

Northern Ireland nominees include Andor Technology, Belfast which has developed a camera for microscopic imaging and Striptec from Derry, a producer of a chemical wallpaper strip. The small business nominees are: Axis Systems (Down), Andronics (Derry) and CEL Track (Galway). The medium business nominees are: Andor Technology (Belfast), IP Europe (Wexford) and Sigma Wireless (Dublin).

The large business nominees are: Bombardier Aerospace (Belfast), Galen (Larne) and Punch Industries (Cork).

The new technologies nominees are: Fusion Antibodies (Belfast), Lightwave Technologies (Dublin) and Striptec (Derry).

The awards are co-organised by Forfás, InterTradeIreland and Invest Northern Ireland and sponsored by The Irish Times and BT. The awards ceremony will be held in Belfast on January 28th.

Mr Martin Cronin, Forfás chief executive, said the shortlisted companies were an example to Irish business. He added: "The recipients of these awards clearly demonstrate the crucial role that innovation plays in keeping Irish companies competitive and at the forefront of industrial development locally and internationally."

The judging panel for the awards is chaired by Ms Mary Cryan of Cryan Associates and a member of the board of the Irish Council for Science Technology and Innovation.