What is the R&D 100 awards program?

Established in 1963, the R&D 100 Awards is the only S&T (science and technology) awards competition that recognizes new commercial products, technologies and materials for their technological significance that are available for sale or license.

In addition, the judging panel will award finalist designations to selected top nominations. This announcement of finalists is made first, followed by the actual R&D 100 winners several weeks later. This allows all finalists and winners plenty of time to make arrangements to attend the awards banquet and/or conference.

Analytical/Test

• Analytical Instrumentation (chromatography, spectroscopy, analyzers, etc.)
• Electronic Instrumentation (oscilloscopes, VOMs, spectrum analyzers, digital multimeters, probes, etc.)
• Imaging Systems/Devices (microscopes, cameras, telescopes, binoculars, optics, etc.)
• Testing Systems (hardness, materials, tensile, physical, etc.)
• Laboratory Equipment (fume hoods, cabinets, casework, lab animals, lab automation, balances/scales, centrifuges, tubing/ valves, mixers, etc.)
• Life Sciences (biopharmaceuticals, DNA/RNA systems, food & beverage, genomics, proteomics, GMO, medical devices, medicine, medical implants, etc.)

IT/Electrical

• Electrical Devices (motors, switches, lighting systems, etc.)
• Information Technologies (computers, cell phones, printers, storage systems, supercomputers, computer hardware, operating systems, cloud computing, big data, data mining, data security, etc.)
• Communication Systems/Devices (wireless, broadband, networking systems, routers, wearables, lidar/radar, space communications, etc.)
• Safety & Security (sensing, detecting, monitoring, alarm systems, access point/portals, isolation systems, barriers, etc.)
• Beam Instrumentation (x-ray, neutron, proton, gamma ray, etc.)
• Lasers & Photonics (CO2 lasers, solid-state lasers, LEDs, synchrotron items, etc.)

Mechanical/Materials

• Chemical & Gases (chemicals, powders, rare gases, reagents, etc.)
• Energy Systems/Components (energy modeling software, fuel cells, hybrid systems, IC engines, nuclear, PV, etc.)
• Environmental Systems/Instruments (carbon capture, filtering systems, mercury capture, pH meters, precipitators, etc.)
• Materials (adhesives, alloys, ceramics, composites, metals, paints, plastics, polymers, etc.)
• Mechanical Systems (air-handling systems, gears, heating and cooling systems, pumps robotics, structural components, thermal devices, transmissions, etc.)
• Thin Film & Vacuum (deposition systems, lithography, semiconductor processing, vacuum pumps/chambers, vacuum valves, etc.)

Process/Prototyping

• Process Systems (mixing, formulating, distilling, baking, coating, etc.)
• Additive Manufacturing (3-D printing, rapid prototyping)
• Supply Chain (management, operations, etc.)
• Process Improvement (design, production, distribution strategies)

Software/Services

• Military/Aerospace/Law Enforcement Devices (air traffic control tech, de-icing solutions, drones, flight simulators, forensic tools, weapons, etc.)
• Safety & Security (alarm systems, access point/portals, barriers, detecting, isolation systems, sensing, monitoring, etc.)
• Software (chemistry, process and analysis, reporting, simulation, visualization)

Other

• Any Products or Services that do NOT fall into the above stated categories.

Special Recognition: Corporate Social Responsibility
This award honors organizational efforts to be a greater corporate member of society, from a local to global level. Good works criteria may include, but isn’t limited to, efforts to curb carbon footprint reduction, efforts in third-world countries, better prosthetics for wounded soldiers, LEED green building certification, local fundraising efforts, scholarship programs and involvement and/or contributions to the STEM community.

Special Recognition: Green Tech
From an engineering and societal perspective, efficiency and environmental factors play an increasingly important role in the world today. R&D World wants to recognize those innovations that help make our environment greener and our goal towards energy reduction closer.

Special Recognition: Market Disruptor – Products
This award is designed to highlight any product from any category as one that has changed the game in any industry. No matter what the specific product is, the focus should be on industry impact. Was your product a game changer in the last year?

Special Recognition: Market Disruptor – Services
This award is designed to highlight any service from any category as one that forever changed the R&D industry or a particular vertical within the industry. No matter what the specific service is, the focus should be on industry impact.

(NEW) Special Recognition: Battling COVID-19
This award is designed to highlight any innovation that was employed do battle the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. This is not limited to medical or pharmaceutical entries — newly developed products and services as diverse as software, safety equipment or AI that had an impact will be considered.

To be eligible for R&D 100 Awards consideration, your product or service must have been made available to the marketplace between January 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023.

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ALL NEW for 2023 is The R&D 100 Professional Awards, five new categories focused on individuals’ achievements — and not products or technologies. After many years of requests for these types of awards, we’re excited to finally launch them in 2023.

The R&D 100 Professional Awards spotlight individuals and teams from around the world who have advanced the field of research and development — while making a positive impact on their organization and society in general.

General submission requirements

To nominate a person or team for a R&D 100 Professional Award, please submit:

• A nomination letter (no more than 800 words).
• The candidate’s Curriculum Vitae (up to four pages) or (for team nominees) each team member’s CV (again, up to four pages each).
• Up to five secondary letters of support (no more than 400 words each). Secondary letters should focus on different aspects of the candidate(s). For the Leaders awards, at least two secondary letters must be from people who currently report to — or have in the past reported to — the candidate.
• One page listing previous personal achievements or honors awarded to the candidate or team.
• A high-resolution photo of the candidate or (for team nominations)  a group photo or separate photos of all team members.

Note that in determining winners, judges will give the most attention to the past three to five years of candidates’ careers. More than one winner per category may be awarded based on the total number of submissions and the judges’ resulting scoring ranges. Self-nominations are not allowed. Fees and deadline dates for the R&D 100 Professional Awards are the same as the traditional and Special Recognition categories.

Following are the inaugural categories:

R&D Researchers of the Year
The Researchers of the Year award will recognize engineers and scientists doing exceptional work as part of a team or small group. Prospective winners will be evaluated on previous awards and recognitions, volunteer work, mentorship, and other outreach participation.

R&D Leaders of the Year
This award celebrates R&D leaders who have consistently performed exceptional work and successfully managed teams, laboratories, departments, or organizations to reliably deliver scientific and technological achievements. Entrants will be judged on their past performance over the long and short term; how they’ve given back to the industry (through mentoring, volunteer work, or other extra efforts); and feedback from current and prior direct reports and colleagues. 

R&D Teams of the Year
This award celebrates R&D teams that have collectively contributed to their fields and consistently demonstrated the ability to leverage members’ different strengths. Teams will be judged on their overall track record of producing technological successes and how well they demonstrate the ability to foster a collaborative environment of mutual respect.

R&D Sustainability Innovators of the Year
The Sustainability Innovators of the Year award honors R&D pacesetters who have helped their organizations prioritize sustainability in their processes and final products. Entrants will exhibit a personal passion for sustainability along with colleague-verified dedication to initiating and upholding these initiatives.

R&D Technicians of the Year
This award celebrates R&D technicians who have consistently performed exceptional work and demonstrated the ability to execute projects in both individual and team settings. Nominees should exemplify professionalism and a dedication to their field; technological achievement where applicable as demonstrated by awards and other recognitions; and support of the industry through mentoring, volunteer work, or other extra efforts. Special consideration will be given to nominees who have come to be indispensable to their organization.