BBSRC announces finalists for

The UK's Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council has revealed the finalists in the 2010 Innovator of the Year Award competition.

The UK's Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) has revealed the shortlist of seven finalists in the 2010 Innovator of the Year Award competition.

An independent panel of judges selected the following entries from 36 nominations:

  • Professor Shankar Balasubramanian, University of Cambridge, for the creation of Solexa sequencing, a technology for sequencing genomes;
  • Dr Ian Bancroft, Dr Martin Trick, Fiona Fraser and Dr Rachel Wells, John Innes Centre, for the development of sequence-based tools to accelerate crop breeding;
  • Professor David Becker, UCL, for nexagon, a novel drug for healing chronic wounds;
  • Professor Benjamin Davis, University of Oxford for the use of synthetic biology in the creation of bioconjugate technologies;
  • Professor Dave Goulson, University of Stirling, for the creation of bumblebees for everyone;
  • Professor Christopher Lowe, University of Cambridge, for "smart" holograms;
  • Dr Michael McArthur, John Innes Centre, for developing potent novel antibacterials to combat drug-resistant bacterial infections.


The seven finalists are competing for a £5,000 prize in each of three categories:

  • Commercial Innovator;
  • Social Innovator;
  • Most Promising Innovator.



One of the three category winners will be selected as the overall Innovator of the Year 2010 and receive a further £5,000.

All seven finalists will make a presentation to the judging panel on 18 March, and the winners will be announced later that evening during an awards ceremony and gala dinner at East Wintergardens, Canary Wharf, London.


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