Digital entrepreneur Lopa Patel MBE has been invited to join Innovation judging panel of The Queen’s Award for Enterprise (QAE), recognised as the most prestigious business awards in the UK. She is one of three new panellists joining the QAE Innovation Panel which is chaired by the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy(BEIS). The panel comprises experts from other government departments and agencies and representatives from the private sector. Its remit is to review all the applications prior to recommendations being made to the Prime Minister’s Advisory Committee
Lopa, who herself received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion in 2015, said on joining the Innovation judging panel for the awards, “I thought receiving that accolade in 2015 was a huge affirmation of my career in business and in promoting entrepreneurship, particularly among young people, but being invited to join the Innovation judging panel is an exciting new opportunity”. As digital entrepreneur with a lifelong love of science and technology and an evangelist for STEM, innovation and bridging the skills gap in business, she works at the forefront of developing new business models based on technology. The holder of several trademarks and copyright on multiple web portals, Lopa is keen to encourage tech businesses to apply for recognition. “The UK is full of exciting and innovative businesses and the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are a great way of celebrating this success. They imbue a sense of real pride and achievement for you and your business.”
About The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise
The awards were established in 1965, with the first awards being presented in 1966. Since then over 7000 companies have been awarded a Queen’s Award. Winning an award offers multiple benefits including global recognition for your company, boosting staff morale and increasing growth. The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are a seal of approval for the UK’s most outstanding businesses in the fields of:
– Innovation (commercial success as a result of innovation);
– International Trade (growth and commercial success in international trade);
– Sustainable Development (commercially successful products, services and management that benefit the environment, society and the economy); and,
– Promoting Opportunity (through social mobility)
Whether a small business with a great innovative product or service, or a larger company running an impressive social mobility programme, the awards are a prestigious way to recognise your contribution to enterprise. The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are open to applications from almost all businesses of all sizes throughout the UK in every sector.
To enter any of the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise categories, the organisation must:
– be based in the UK (including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) and file its Company Tax Returns with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC);
– be a self-contained enterprise that markets its own products or services and is under its own management;
– have at least 2 full-time UK employees or part-time equivalents; and,
– demonstrate strong corporate social responsibility.
About The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise – Innovation
In addition to the above, to apply for the Innovation Award, the organisation must also:
– have an innovation that has not been done before;
– have had the innovation available on the market for at least 2 years;
– have recovered all the investments made in the innovation or show that the innovation will recover its full costs in future; and,
– show outstanding commercial success as a result of innovation over 2 years – or continuous commercial success over 5 years.
The innovation should be in one of the following categories:
– invention, design or production of goods;
– performance of services;
– marketing and distribution; and,
– after-sale support of goods or services.
Non-profit making organisations, including charities, are eligible but only if they maintain an accounting system which enables them to identify their business performance and degree of commercial success.
Benefits of winning a Queen’s Award for Enterprise
There are multiple benefits of winning a Queen’s Award for Enterprise, including:
– The use of a recognised emblem that will get your business noticed, above and beyond the competition.
– Global recognition that your company is outstanding in its field.
– Increase in sales and growth, 73% of winners in the International Trade category directly attributed increased sales to winning a Queen’s Award according to *research of International Trade winners between 2012—2015 carried out by the University of Strathclyde.
– Boost staff morale
– Invitation to attend a Royal Reception
How to apply
The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are free to enter and companies can apply for more than one award. Almost all UK businesses (including non profit) can apply and the application process is free. All applications must be made online and you may apply for more than one category.
The application process for the 2019 Queen’s Awards for Enterprise will open in May 2018 and close in September 2018.
All entry forms, eligibility criteria and information on how to apply is available at https://goo.gl/aVpgX6