Scotland’s premier knowledge exchange awards launch today, celebrating 10 years of exceptional, inspiring and ground-breaking business-academic people and partnerships.

The awards will be the biggest yet with two new categories, bringing the total number of categories to 10.

We’re excited to reconnect with past winners in the lead-up to the awards, sharing spotlights on their journeys and celebrating how they continue to drive innovation forward.

Business Minister, Richard Lochhead, said: “Supported by the Scottish Government, Interface plays an important role connecting businesses to the expertise of our world leading academic institutions, helping drive economic growth.

“These annual awards, commendably in their 10^th year, are an opportunity to highlight important success stories and put the spotlight on Scotland’s entrepreneurial and research excellence.”

Amelia Whitelaw, Director of Interface, which organises the annual awards, said: “This is a significant year for the awards, and we are planning a special celebration in March. The introduction of two new categories, Place-based Impact and Inward Investment Impact, reflects the growing range of collaborations between businesses and academia. We are pleased with how the awards are evolving, firmly establishing themselves as a valued platform for celebrating knowledge exchange. I encourage everyone from both business and academia to enter.”

The 10 awards categories are:

• Innovation of the Year – sponsored by HGF Limited
• Innovator of the Future – sponsored by Highlands and Islands Enterprise
• Inward Investment Impact – sponsored by International Social Enterprise Observatory
• Knowledge Exchange Champion – sponsored by PraxisAuril
• Knowledge Exchange Heroes – one for team, one for individual
• Making a Social Difference
• Making an Environmental Difference
• Multiparty Collaboration
• Place-based Impact – sponsored by Business Gateway
• Powerful Partnership – Skillfluence

The deadline for applications is 5pm, Thursday 12th December, 2024. The Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards will take place in March 2025.

Click here for our helpful entry toolkit and application forms.

Photo above shows the Interface team launching the 10th Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards. Photo by Glen Rutter.