Best British innovation uncovered as Innovation Nation gives the public the final say

Innovation Nation, an initiative between The Guardian and Virgin Media Business to uncover the UK’s most innovative organisations and people, has today unveiled its shortlist of finalists. From the organisation that helped to launch Facebook flood alerts to the most unique examples of telemedicine in practice today, the finalists epitomise a country that is using technology to go above and beyond the norm, regardless of economic turbulence and challenges.

The expert panel of judges had their work cut out for them as the quality of entries was extremely high. Many businesses, central and local government organisations and CIOs were all looking to showcase the great work that they have been doing over the past year and the judges were thrilled with the number of organisations wanting to celebrate innovation and prove that the UK is alive and kicking with creativity.

However, there can only be a handful of winners. The shortlist of entries will now be featured on the Innovation Nation site giving the public the opportunity to cast their vote for their favourite entry. The winners will be decided via a combination of public votes and the judges’ scores.

Mark Heraghty, managing director, Virgin Media Business, said: “It’s hugely encouraging to see that innovation and creative thinking is thriving in the UK. We’re a country that has built a reputation for being at the forefront of cutting edge technology and overcoming challenges, with a bit of creative thinking.

“So it’s unsurprising that the quality and quantity of entries was so high and I would like to personally thank everyone who took part and submitted their projects for consideration, you gave the judges a tough job! Being selected for the shortlist is therefore a huge achievement and everyone that has been selected should be proud of themselves. It’s now up to the British public to have their say and determine the winners of Innovation Nation.”

The shortlist for Innovation Nation is as follows:

Innovation in enterprise
Reynolds Porter and Chamberlain
Shoothill
UK Specialist Hospitals

Innovation in frontline services
Dyfed Powys Police
Department of Work and Pensions
North Yorkshire County Council
Staffordshire County Council

Innovation in collaboration
Anna Freud Centre
YHMAN

The most innovative CIO
Phil Pavitt - HMRC
John Thornbury - Worcestershire NHS Trust

All shortlisted entries are now live on the Innovation Nation site. Following the public voting, winners will be announced at an exclusive event at The Guardian on 30th May where guest speakers Trevor Baylis, the inventor of the wind-up radio and Richard Noble, Project Director, BLOODHOUND SSC and Innovation judge will be sharing their insight and experiences.