Businesses from across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire were recognised at the University of Hull’s first ever Innovate North Awards last night, which was a celebration of innovation, growth, talent and progress towards reducing carbon emissions.

The University of Hull’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dave Petley, said: “Our first ever Innovate North Awards celebrated excellence across our local business community and our ambition to partner with companies from across the Humber region and beyond. Congratulations to all the winners and to all the nominees, who have done so much to make these awards so special. “One thing that stands-out about all the winners – on top of their remarkable achievements – is their wide diversity. From charities, engineers and manufacturers to Information Technology and packaging specialists, they sum up the entrepreneurship, and creative and innovative thinking that’s the bedrock of the region in which we live. I look forward to seeing each and every one of them achieve even greater things.” He added: “The University of Hull is committed to developing and strengthening its relationships with businesses and industry stakeholders to unlock economic growth and tackle social challenges. The Innovate North Awards are part of our work to bring this strategy to life, giving us the opportunity to raise awareness of the many ways in which we can support and champion local businesses.” Among the winners was North Yorkshire-based Specialist Marine Consultants (SMC), which received the award for Growth. SMC, which has its headquarters at Humanby near Filey, was keen to grow its market share within the booming global offshore wind sector. The business was supported by the University of Hull to develop an industry-leading software solution that allows offshore wind farms to plan and track the real time movements of vessels and personnel, enabling them to calculate their carbon footprint, operate more safely and improve project efficiency. This has enhanced SMC’s ability to win business from some of the largest offshore wind producers in the world, fuelling its rapid growth. Paula Gouldthorpe, Development Manager for the Hull and Humber region for the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), who was part of the judging panel that had the difficult task of choosing a winner from the impressive shortlist, said: “Specialist Marine Consultants (SMC) demonstrated all-round success in demonstrating growth, not just in turnover and profit but also in their reduction in costs; a well-deserved win.” Meanwhile, the Innovation award went to Beverley-based Pulse EV, which has filled a gap in the market for UK-produced, electric all-terrain vehicles. The business was supported by the University of Hull, receiving access to space, facilities, funding and expertise so it could build, test and refine its environmentally friendly vehicle prototypes. There’s growing demand for everyday, all-terrain vehicles that can be used on farms, and in fields, forests and open spaces, but the vast majority of quad and all-terrain vehicles are imported, and powered by petrol or diesel engines. Pulse EV plans to formally launched its range of all electric off-road vehicles later this year. Maggie McGowan, Deputy Director in the Government Office for Technology Transfer, who was also on the judging panel, commented: “Pulse EV is delivering a very tangible innovation with huge potential. I could see there being a huge market for their highly innovative EVs, not just in the UK and EU but also further afield.” Lincolnshire-based Lindum Packaging emerged victorious in the Net Zero category, having drastically reduced the amount of plastic wrapping and Carbon Dioxide emissions involved in transporting goods. The business, which has its headquarters at Stallingborough near Grimsby, received a £50,000 grant from the University of Hull to help develop its Mobile Pallet Test Lab. The first of its kind in the UK, the Lab allows customers to test pallet stability and learn how they can improve it for more effective, cost-saving and sustainable logistics. Within six months, the business helped its customers save just under 320 tonnes in Carbon Dioxide emissions, the equivalent of taking 65 petrol cars off the road for a year. Judge Alan Raw said: “Lindum Packaging’s Mobile Test Lab, and their ability to collate rich data, has created an incredible solution, allowing brands to very quickly reduce their use of plastics and CO2 emissions.” East Yorkshire’s M.B. Roche & Sons received the Talent award in recognition of its forward-thinking approach to sourcing skilled talent, and supporting diversity and inclusion. The Hessle-based civil engineering, infrastructure and construction contractor demonstrated its commitment to diversity and inclusion by doing everything from hiring apprentices to encouraging people from disadvantaged backgrounds to consider a career in construction. Judge Paula Gouldthorpe said: “M.B Roche & Sons has been really forward thinking by using alternative solutions to traditional employment methods to bring skills into the business, which is really important when looking to beat the skills gap.” The winner of the hotly contested People’s Choice category, which was chosen in a nail-biting live vote on the night, was Fitmums & Friends, a charity affiliated to England Athletics that started life in East Yorkshire and now runs a series of volunteer-led, community fitness groups for people across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Fitmums & Friends successfully secured funding from the University of Hull, which allowed it to develop an innovative information management system and accompanying app for both members and volunteers to use. All of the Innovate North Award nominees were among the 675 businesses that have received European Union-funded innovation support through University of Hull programmes such as the Aura Innovation Centre, SparkFund, the Flood Innovation Centre and the Humber Internships Programme in recent years. Overall, this support has resulted in 170 new products being launched, a 400-tonne reduction in carbon emissions, the creation of 195 jobs and increased sales of around £85 million for the small to medium enterprises involved.

An arts project called ‘Imaginosity’ launched by Hull-based Wykeland Group has received a prestigious Yorkshire award. The project is linked to the Treadmills development in Northallerton, and has connected pupils at nearby Mill Hill Community Primary School with their community through the power of creative thinking and art. Previously praised by Prime Minister and local MP Rishi Sunak, Imaginosity has included a range of inspiring activities, including primary age pupils leading creative workshops with elderly care home residents and covering Northallerton’s Town Hall in recycled flowers. Imaginosity has now been recognised at The Yorkshires Commercial Real Estate Awards 2023, where it won for Wykeland the Environmental, Social and Governance Excellence Award. Run by Yorkshire Children’s Charity, the awards celebrate excellence across Yorkshire’s commercial property sector. Jonathan Stubbs, Development Director at Wykeland, said: “The Imaginosity project has been running for five years and in that time has gone from strength to strength. “Our strapline is ‘regeneration for the next generation’ and Imaginosity encapsulates and brings this brand statement to life. “Working with partners, we deliver unique, powerful and ground-breaking creative programmes which make a lasting difference to communities in areas where we deliver our developments. “We’re proud to have established an innovative programme which has changed the lives of children at Mill Hill school and is having a positive and continuing impact on the wider Northallerton community.” Imaginosity was launched by Wykeland as part of connecting the community with the award-winning Treadmills scheme it has delivered in partnership with the former Hambleton District Council. The £20m development has transformed the former Northallerton Prison site into a thriving retail, leisure and commercial destination. The project was launched to tackle some of the challenges facing young people in Northallerton, increasing their emotional resilience, raising aspirations and connecting them with their community. Mill Hill school was chosen for the project because it is just 400 metres from the Treadmills site. In addition, almost three times as many pupils at Mill Hill school are eligible for Pupil Premium support compared to the national average.

Associated British Ports (ABP) Humber is delighted to have been named Medium/Large Business of the Year at the prestigious Humber Renewables Awards ceremony in Hull last night. The award recognised ABP’s adaptation and resilience to the green agenda, including the launch of its Ready for Tomorrow sustainability strategy. It also recognised ABP’s Humber ports success and the work being done in recruitment, including the successful launch of its Women in Maritime and Engineering campaign focusing on the ports being a great place for women to work. Simon Bird, Director said: “It was fantastic to see ABP in the Humber being recognised for its sustainability strategy which is enabling us to support the energy transition in and around the ports. “The Humber is one of the UK’s largest industrial clusters and 95% of the UK’s trade comes through our ports. Along with driving economic growth the region will play a critical role in supporting the delivery of the UK’s Net Zero objectives. The Humber Ports already play a vital role in supporting the biggest hub for offshore wind in the world. We will continue to invest to ensure we maintain our role as the place to be for green energy solutions in the UK.” ABP recently launched its sustainability strategy, Ready for Tomorrow, that is backed by a plan to invest £2 billion in decarbonising its own operations by 2040 at the latest and in major infrastructure projects to enable the wider UK energy transition. For ABP this includes continuing to develop its leading offshore wind manufacturing and support hubs at the ports of Grimsby and Hull. There are also proposals to install onshore wind turbines at the ports of Grimsby, Immingham, and Hull. ABP has already reduced its own CO2 emissions by over 35% since 2014 and invested over £55 million in sustainability measures, which includes the largest commercial rooftop solar array in the UK at the ports of Hull and Immingham, electric vehicles and cranes across the group and a new fleet of more fuel-efficient pilot boats.   The Port of Immingham trialled a Terberg hydrogen fuelled tractor in its container terminal at the start of the year. If the trial is deemed a success, it will mark the beginning of a roll out of vehicles in our container terminals running on green hydrogen, from which the only emissions are water. As we replace diesel and petrol burning vehicles, it may well be we cannot rely on electricity as the only solution.