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Innovation and Entrepreneurship Awards 2027
Our fourth Innovation and Entrepreneurship awards will be held on 16 June 2027 at Merchant Taylors’ Hall in London.
The award categories are:
- Early Career Entrepreneur of the Year
- Entrepreneurial Group Leader of the Year
- Woman Entrepreneur of the Year
- New Start-Up of the Year
- Further, Faster, Together (Industry-Academia Collaboration)
Submit a nomination below.
Awards ceremony
16 June 2027, London
All our shortlisted nominees are invited to attend the awards ceremony, where the winners will be announced. The ceremony provides a unique opportunity to network with a range of rising stars, seasoned entrepreneurs, industry experts, and inspiring keynotes.
Submit a nomination
This award recognises a PhD or Postdoctoral early-career cancer researcher who has demonstrated outstanding entrepreneurial initiative, attitude and skills. It celebrates their excellence in developing entrepreneurial competencies through participation in bespoke training, such as, but not limited to, the initiatives within our entrepreneurial programmes.
The winning entry will receive £5,000 to be spent on learning and development, including mentorship or coaching.
Eligibility criteria:
Nominations are open to early career researchers, either PhD or Postdoctoral researchers. Nominees will have shown their entrepreneurial mindset and have engaged with programmes encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation. They may be in the planning or early stage of spin-out formation, but have not yet received more than one round of funding (excluding accelerator prizes), or may have undertaken early steps towards translation. For example, nominees may have been involved in patenting IP or potentially engaging in partnerships with commercial partners.
This award celebrates an independent group leader (Principal Investigator) who exemplifies exceptional leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit. It recognises their ability to foster entrepreneurial initiative and attitude, as well as to develop both their own entrepreneurial competencies and those of their research group. This is demonstrated through participation in training programmes, including, but not limited to, those offered by our entrepreneurial programmes.
The winning entry will receive £5,000 to be spent on learning and development, including mentorship, coaching or professional courses.
Eligibility criteria:
Nominations are open to Group Leaders who have demonstrated their entrepreneurial mindset, have engaged with programmes encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation and have undertaken early steps towards translation. For example, they may have been involved in patenting IP or potentially engaging in partnerships with commercial partners. Alternatively, they may be in the planning or early stage of spin-out formation, but have not yet received more than one round of funding (excluding accelerator prizes). Nominees must be based in the UK and will ideally be available for the awards ceremony in London on 16 June 2027.
This award celebrates the outstanding achievements of women entrepreneurs at any stage of their career who have established, or are actively working towards establishing, a business or a transformative partnership to accelerate scientific discoveries into novel treatments, diagnostics and/or medical devices for the benefit of people affected by cancer. This award recognises not only their professional achievements and milestone but also celebrates the woman behind the initiative, her personal journey, successes and her ability to inspire others.
The winning entry will receive £5,000 to be spent on learning and development, including mentorship, coaching or professional courses.
Eligibility criteria:
Nominations are open to any woman entrepreneur in the field of oncology, who is based in the UK. Nominees will ideally be available for the awards ceremony in London on 16 June 2027.
This award celebrates new UK-based start-ups that have laid the foundations of their business, having over the last two years raised their first funding round, and are fast-tracking scientific breakthroughs to develop new treatments, diagnostics and/or medical devices for the benefit of cancer patients. This award recognises the potential of emerging companies to develop and deliver ground-breaking technology with the promise of growth and impact in the cancer sector.
The winning entry will receive £15,000 to support the development of their start-up.
Eligibility criteria:
Nominations are open to UK-based start-ups that have raised their first funding round in the last two years (excluding accelerator prizes) and who will ideally be available for the awards ceremony in London on 16 June 2027. Up to three representatives can be invited.
This award celebrates the advancement of innovation in oncology through successful collaboration between industry and academia. It highlights exemplary partnerships, licenses and knowledge exchange initiatives that drive progress in the field. The award recognises outstanding examples of teamwork, showcasing clear evidence of knowledge transfer between the different sectors and organisations, and demonstrating how value and impact are maximised through effective partnership and collaboration.
The winning entry will receive £5,000 to be spent on team activities, learning and development, mentorship, coaching, or professional courses.
Eligibility criteria:
Nominations are open to UK-based teams of any size working on a collaborative project between industry and academia. The project may be a discrete part of a larger, ongoing industrial programme, or stand alone. Teams will ideally be available for the awards ceremony in London on 16 June 2027 (up to three representatives can be invited).
Special recognition categories
Not open to nominations
We will recognise outstanding contributions to the academic cancer entrepreneurial field via four special awards. The judging panel will select winners from nominees identified by Cancer Research Horizons. The categories are:
- Entrepreneurship Recognition Award
- Horizon Explorer Recognition Award
- Start-Up Achievement Recognition Award
- Translational Project of the Year Recognition Award
Meet our previous winners and nominees
Our Awards celebrate researchers who are transforming ground-breaking discoveries into patient benefit.
By spotlighting exceptional talent and ambition, we aim to inspire a new generation of innovators to tackle cancer with entrepreneurial spirit.
Want to find out more about our entrepreneurial community?
Find out more about the Awards and how to get involved.