Ignota Labs

SAFEPATH: Causal AI-driven mechanistic understanding of drug safety failures

2024 Health winner

Ignota Labs have developed a novel AI platform to understand the root causes of safety problems in drug discovery. By combining Deep Learning models to predict how the drug interacts with the body, with algorithms over complex data, we can understand the biological impact of those interactions, enabling drug failure turnaround.

ignotalabs.ai

“We're currently raising our seed round so being able to tell investors that we've won such a prestigious award from this institution is definitely going to help us along our way and really give that validation that we need.”

Layla Hosseini-Gerami, Chief Data Science Officer, Ignota Labs

PlantSea

Plastic-free water-soluble films to replace PVOH for packaging applications

2025 Environment winner

Plantsea have developed a unique and scalable seaweed biorefining process to produce a new raw material to replace PVA/PVOH for the encapsulation of laundry detergents and chemicals. The product is cost comparative with PVOH, elastic, heat sealable, has a long shelf life, and is compliant with dissolution standards.

https://plantsea.co.uk/

“The standard of competition, the technologies that everybody's working on this year are so incredible, so amazing, so we’re really grateful, and a bit in shock. The prestige is immense for us. We're currently going through an investment round, so hopefully it's something that really helps us finish off. And of course, the cash is always super helpful for a startup company. It’ll help with legal fees, as we'd like to file a couple more patents, and we're now doing some more commercial deals with some potential customers, but also it will fund some key trials that we need to do.”

Alex Newnes, CTO and Co-Founder, Plantsea

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Cardiff Catalysis Institute

Hydro-Oxy: in-situ hydrogen peroxide synthesis for sustainable chemical production

2025 Enabling Technologies winner

Hydro-Oxy is a new innovative catalytic technology decoupling chemical synthesis from industrial hydrogen peroxide production. Generating hydrogen peroxide in-situ, we can achieve significant improvements in process intensification, safety and efficiency, reducing environmental impact and lowering manufacturing costs, whilst rivalling the performance metrics of the state-of-the-art industrial processes.

https://hydro-oxy.com/

“We’re absolutely flabbergasted. This is recognition of this technology and over 20 years of hard work from previous students and members of the team – it’s fantastic. The first thing is the recognition for such a prestigious award from the RSC. This will allow us to have very meaningful conversations and give us that clout, to show that we know what we’re doing and that we are a big players in this field.”

Richard Lewis, Entrepreneurial Lead, Hydro-Oxy (Cardiff Catalysis Institute)

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NANOPLUME

Scalable Bio-Aerogel platform for cold chain and thermal insulation applications

2025 Energy winner

Nanoplume are scaling the manufacturing of Bio-Aerogel, a nanoporous, ultra-light biomaterial with industry-leading thermal insulation. Initially engineered for cold chain packaging, its fine-tuned structure ensures precise temperature control across logistics, packaging, and construction. Made from renewable feedstocks, it enhances energy and space efficiency whilst promoting circularity in sustainable thermal applications.

nanoplume.com

“It's a very nice recognition from a prestigious institution like the Royal Society of Chemistry. It's actually kind of a push and we feel that we are doing really well, so we are very happy with this kind of recognition.”

Theresa Hoffmann, CEO and Co-Founder,NANOPLUME

2025 finalists

Take a look at the finalists across the four competition categories

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University of Liverpool

Synthetic Teixobactins: multitargeting antibiotics to combat resistant superbugs

2025 Health winner

The Univeristy of Liverpool have pioneered a robust, scalable, and automated synthetic platform to develop a new class of antibiotics—synthetic teixobactins. These antibiotics effectively eliminate drug-resistant bacterial pathogens without detectable resistance. Leveraging cost-effective components, our technology offers a compelling solution to antimicrobial resistance, potentially saving millions of lives around the world.

https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/people/ishwar-singh

“It's an amazing feeling. It was a very tough competition so I'm actually in shock at the minute that we won. This will have a huge impact for us in the sense that it gives us recognition, but also gives us a structure at the same time. We're already planning to open a spin-out, so this is going to help in the sense that I can free my time in lab and focus more on the business side of things.”

Anish Parmer, CEO and Co-Founder, University of Liverpool

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