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Innovation Award

FUSION INNOVATION AWARD 2007
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Entries are now being sought for the Fusion Innovation Award 2007.

If your business has implemented a new idea within the last two years that has made a major contribution to your success, we would like to hear about it!

The innovation can have been in any area of your business: IT, other technology, marketing, business model, product, service or process.

The winner will be awarded a beautiful glass trophy and will also benefit from considerable publicity both at Fusions Annual Conference, where the Award will be presented, and in press releases issued immediately afterwards.

Are you eligible to enter the Award?

Is your business based in the Highlands and Islands?

Has the innovation that transformed your business been implemented within the last 2 years?

Yes?

If you have answered Yes to both questions above, you are eligible to nominate yourself for this Award. Your entry should address the following points, on a maximum of two A4 sides:

1. What was the inspiration behind the idea?

2. How does the idea differ from either current practice of the products/services of your competitors?

3. How were the risks and opportunities identified and quantified?

4. What was the biggest barrier and how was it overcome?

5. How have your competitors responded?

6. Information on the commercial gain to date and the predicted gain over the next 12 months.

How will your entry be assessed?

The judges will be basing their decision on a combination of two factors: the commercial gain to date (whether through additional sales, or through cost savings) and the potential for additional commercial gain in the future; and the novelty and originality of the innovation.

All commercial information received will be treated in confidence and will not be disclosed to third parties without your permission.

The deadline for receipt of applications is Friday 2 November 2007 . Good luck!

For details of last years winner, please see below.

Fusion Chairman Douglas Mundie presenting the Fusion Innovation Award 2006 to Melanie Flaws of Johnson Sustainable Seafoods.

PRESS RELEASE, November 2006:
INNOVATION CATCHES ON IN THE HIGHLANDS

Innovation is truly taking off in the Highlands and Islands. Thats the conclusion drawn by Fusion, the organisation that promotes innovation and entrepreneurship in the region, on the basis of a record number of entries for its annual Innovation Award.

This is the third year weve run this award, said Fusions acting Chief Executive, Bruce Morrison, And weve never before seen such strong levels of interest. Not only did the number of entries far exceed those in previous years, but the quality of all of them was absolutely superb.

The award recognises innovations that have been implemented within the last two years and which have made a major contribution to the success of the Highlands and Islands business concerned. This years winner was Shetland-based Johnson Sustainable Seafoods, for their No Catch & Just Cod organic farmed cod.

What impressed the judges was the fact that this was a world first, allowing the consumer demand for cod to be met without further depleting rapidly diminishing wild stocks,  explained Dr Morrison. Although Johnson Seafarms had been farming salmon for over 20 years, cod-farming requires completely different techniques. Introducing a completely new food category to the market is an extremely risky business, and Johnsons invested enormous sums of money in R&D and due diligence to ensure its success.

This investment has certainly paid off: No Catch & Just Cod organic farmed cod is now available across the country in a number of leading stores, including Tesco and Sainsburys. Sales increased by a staggering 75% in the three months to September, giving the business increased revenue of just under £1 million this year alone.

It is extremely encouraging to see a business in a traditional Highland sector leading the world in innovation and reaping the benefits in this way,  said Dr Morrison.

Entries were received from businesses from across the Highlands and Islands and showed that innovation was alive and well in a range of sectors. It was interesting to see environmental concerns reflected in a number of the innovations, including a storm protection system by Rockfield Developments (Scotland), a more environmentally-friendly valley trough product range by Hambleside Danelaw, and a highly efficient yet sustainable power supply system by Rock Energy, Dr Morrison said.

As might be expected, the IT sector continues to be highly innovative  entries included a whole new business model for Plexus Media, which has introduced the SpangleFish free website system; an interactive feedback system using mobile phone technology, from Interactive Display Systems; and the creation of specialised solutions for education and niche markets, by C?nan Ltd.

Another traditional Highland sector  brewing  also showed up well, with two very interesting entries: the Institute of Agronomy at Orkney College UHI had teamed up with Valhalla Brewery Ltd to create a beer from bere barley  a very old type of barley which is particularly suited to the low input agricultural systems favoured by many growers in the Highlands and Islands; and the Isle of Skye Brewing Company had significantly increased the market for its products by creating a half-size cask for its ales, thereby overcoming the wastage caused by an ale with a short shelf life only being available in full-sized casks.

What impressed us about so many of these entries was that the innovation involved related to such a variety of different business factors and was not just about technology. Many of the entrants had seen their sales figures soar as a result of their innovations.

The Innovation Award, which is sponsored by Microsoft, was presented at the Aviemore Highland Resort on Thursday evening, in front of the 129 delegates at Fusions annual conference.