Innovation at its basic beginnings:
Man drank water by cupping hands
Man realised a tool would be useful
Man made cup
Man realised cup could be improved
Man added handle to cup
Nowadays innovative products and services are at the height of functionality, ground breaking, mind-blowing and they feature in our day to day life and work; from the smart phone to Sky+, from Google to customised coffee services right on your doorstep.
Taking your dog for a walk and fancy a coffee? order them a pupaccino! (a free whipped cream for your dog!)
A local sushi provider near our office has started selling tubs of sushi off-cuts at a cut price - something that was previously wasted, has clients lining up. Innovative thinking to keep the clients happy and bring extra custom in.
Can't be bothered strolling around the supermarket? nearly all supermarkets now provide you with an online app and delivery service.
We could almost be forgiven for taking the innovative services and products available to us in modern life for granted.
We strive and search for more. If we have a problem we Google it, if we want functionality that we don't possess - there's likely 'an app for that'.
We can travel to anywhere in the world, we can communicate with people via video phone, we can work from home at any time of the day - we are a hover board short of living in the Back to the Future II.
So what future and current innovations are being developed in our local Grampian region that will affect the way we life and work. That's what we (Enterprise) want to know.
If you, or a business you work with, have developed a cutting edge service or product that can improve the way your sector operates, the Grampian Award for Innovation in 2014 could have your/their name on it.
Enterprise believes that innovation is at the heart of a successful business. This award will be presented to an individual or a business that can demonstrate how innovation is at the core of their current or future success. The winner will be able to clearly articulate the innovative steps they have taken and how the resulting products or services have disrupted the current marketplace or have the potential to do so.
This award recognises businesses that can demonstrate a proven ability to create, nurture and develop innovative products, processes or services that substantially improve the commercial performance or prospects of the business.
Jamie Bennett, CEO of Enerco Group, sponsor of The Grampian Awards for Innovation 2014 said:
"Innovation of both services and products in growing businesses in the Grampian region can really show off Aberdeen City and Shire as a world leading area for development in a range of sectors. We are lucky to have the Grampian Awards for Business Excellence to commend the businesses that are dynamic and forward thinking, that are creating better solutions and meeting new requirements that are constantly developing. What I personally have identified from this category by judging with the team in previous years is the high calibre of entrants. I look forward to seeing some equally interesting and exciting applications in 2014."
Get your registrations in quick folks - closing date is the 28th of Feb 2014 - and the application form is to be returned by the 7th of March. Best of Luck!
You can register or nominate a business here: http://bit.ly/GABEregister
Our winner for the Grampian Award for Innovation last year was Subsea Technologies:
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