Winners announced for ATI’s Aerospace Technology & Innovation Awards 2024

Awards given to Adaptix, GKN Aerospace and the ASCEND team, Sensor Coating Systems, ToffeeX, Vertical Aerospace and ZeroAvia

11th October 2024 — Six of the most exciting innovations and companies in the UK aerospace sector have been recognised in the Aerospace Technology Institute’s award scheme.

This is the second year of the ATI’s Aerospace Technology & Innovation Awards, and the categories reflect the sector’s priorities: with awards given for innovation, teamwork and collaboration, and contribution to a Net-Zero future for aviation, as well as recognising the impact of smaller R&D projects, the most promising startup and the ATI Project of the Year.

With the exception of the ATI Project of the Year, categories were open to any organisation involved in UK aerospace and were judged by the ATI and representatives from across the sector.

The winners are:

INNOVATION AWARD for the most exciting emerging technology – Adaptix

SHAPING THE FUTURE AWARD for advancing zero-carbon emission flight – Vertical Aerospace

MAKING THE DIFFERENCE AWARD for most impactful small R&D project – Sensor Coating Systems

ATI HUB BREAKTHROUGH AWARD for most promising startup – ToffeeX

TEAM AWARD for successful collaboration and partnership – The GKN Aerospace-led ASCEND project

ATI PROJECT OF THE YEAR – ZeroAvia with HyFlyer II.

The winners were announced in front of 400 delegates during the two-day ATI Conference 2024, held this year at the ICC Wales in Newport on 8th-9th October 2024.

“This is the second year of our awards scheme, and once again we were very pleased with the quality and variety of entries,” said Sophie Lane, Chief Relationships Officer of the Aerospace Technology Institute. “The scoring was very tight in all categories, with just one point separating some of the final scores, and I would like to thank all the judging panels for their work to review the detailed submissions and for having to make some difficult decisions.

“The six winners show the breadth of innovation taking place in UK aerospace, including 3D X-ray solutions and a novel temperature measurement system, advanced battery technology supporting a new market segment, collaboration on new composite materials across multiple parts of the aerospace and automotive supply chain, a startup helping design heat exchangers that are up to 50 percent more efficient, and a project that is giving the UK a lead in hydrogen-electric engine technology.

“I would like to congratulate the six winners, as well as the many Highly Commended entries, and look forward to seeing how their innovations, technologies and collaborations make an impact on the global aerospace sector.”

The details of the Winners and Highly Commended in each category are as follows:

INNOVATION AWARD for most exciting emerging technology. This award celebrates emerging technology being developed in the UK that will support the journey to Net Zero 2050. The technology should be below TRL4, with an expectation that TRL6 will be reached before the end of 2026.

Winner: Adaptix and its robot-mounted 3D X-ray digital inspection technology. Developed in collaboration with Cranfield University, the innovative system utilises Adaptix’s Digital Tomosynthesis 3D X-ray technology to enable the inspection of large and next-generation aerostructures directly on the production floor. The project also has the potential to allow the inspection of airplane wings on the runway or helicopter blades in situ. This unique technology will enhance accuracy and efficiency in aerospace manufacturing and inspection, and represents a world first.

Highly Commended: the Automated Visual Grain Inspection (AVGI) project led by University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in collaboration with Rolls-Royce and AV&R, which is a game-changing manufacturing quality inspection technology; and Metamorphic AM and Sylatech, which are developing a mass production alternative to metallic additive manufacturing.

SHAPING THE FUTURE AWARD for advancing zero-carbon emission flight. This award celebrates zero-carbon emissions technology being developed in the UK for future commercial aircraft types. The technology should be at TRL6 or below. The technology can be relevant to any zero-carbon fuelled aircraft and should represent a step change in UK capability in this area.

Winner: Vertical Aerospace, which has achieved a step change in battery technology through its innovations. The company is ‘shaping the future’ for the UK to have a strong position in not only this new market segment for eVTOLs, but also the wider battery/electric aircraft market with high potential for spillover and collaboration with other sectors. Vertical Aerospace has a put a strong focus on developing the UK supply chain, therefore having a positive impact on the UK economy, creating high value jobs and developing leading capability in the UK. They are also leading the charge for the UK in the development of the regulatory regime for the eVTOL segment.

Highly Commended: Rolls-Royce and the team who successfully demonstrated the Pearl engine running on hydrogen. This highlighted the possibilities and raised the profile of H2 technology and the steps underway in aerospace to advance zero-carbon emission aircraft technologies.

MAKING THE DIFFERENCE AWARD for most impactful small R&D project. This award celebrates the impact of small research projects. The nominees will be able to demonstrate that their project has made a difference to UK aerospace, either by developing a key technology, showing agility in manufacturing or supply chain processes, or through some other innovation that helps the sector towards Net Zero.

Winner: Sensor Coating Systems and its novel technology that can measure temperatures of up to 1,500 degrees centigrade with an impressive accuracy of plus/minus 25 degrees.  The project successfully demonstrated that thermal mapping technology can be utilised under multi-cycle test conditions where engine load conditions are changing. Existing thermal paints and coatings today usually contain toxic materials, and the judges were particularly pleased to see that the Sensor Coating Systems solution is fully REACH compliant.

Highly Commended: The Ecotool project, led by Pentaxia with the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), which has developed low-energy large composite component manufacturing technology; and the Clean And Seal project from the AMRC and Airbus, which is a novel automated method for the cleaning and sealing of wing spars.

TEAM AWARD for successful collaboration and partnership. This award celebrates the teams who are making the journey to Net Zero together. They could be working on a project, collaborating across companies, shaping decision making or driving change. They are high performing, stretching themselves and those with whom they engage, and are delivery-focused. They have strong relationships and navigate the ecosystem well.

Winner: The ASCEND project team, which is focused on developing and accelerating composite material and process technologies for the next generation of energy efficient aircraft. ASCEND (Aerospace and Automotive Supply Chain Enabled Development) involved extensive collaboration between the “challenge owners” GKN Aerospace and McLaren and the “solution providers” from the UK supply chain. Overall, the extended ASCEND team included more than 200 employees from across the partner organisations. ASCEND has led to new collaborations and closer working between the aerospace and automotive sectors, and enabled ambitious SMEs with innovative ideas to demonstrate tangible results.

Highly Commended: The HiCLASS team led by Rolls-Royce and involving 16 diverse partners, which successfully developed and matured several airborne security and safety-critical software technologies; the REINSTATE team, also led by Rolls-Royce with eight partners from across the supply chain, focused on a portfolio of MRO solutions for the in-service fleet with enhanced time on-wing and reduced shop visit costs; and the team behind the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s Hydrogen Challenge, created to enable effective collaboration with industry and academia for the introduction of hydrogen as an aviation fuel.

ATI HUB BREAKTHROUGH AWARD for most promising startup. This award celebrates UK-based startups that have been active in the aerospace sector since 2020. Their focus should be on supporting the journey to Net Zero 2050 for commercial flight.

Winner: ToffeeX, a startup that is revolutionising the design of heat exchangers. Effective thermal management and efficient coolant systems are critical for, among other areas, the electrification of aircraft systems and hydrogen fuel cells. Originating from Imperial College London, ToffeeX’s software has enabled the design of heat exchangers that are 31% to 50% more efficient than current solutions, resulting in more compact designs, reduced weight, and a volume decrease of over 50%. The company now employs 27 people and has successfully secured seed and Series A funding from investors.

Highly Commended: Sora Aviation, which has designed a first-of-its-kind 30-seat electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft; Sora’s concept is based on more than five years of feasibility studies and addresses the growing demand for sustainable, scalable and efficient urban transportation.

ATI PROJECT OF THE YEAR. This award celebrates a project funded through the ATI Programme that has concluded or reached a significant milestone in the last year.

Winner: ZeroAvia and the HyFlyer II project, which has challenged conventional wisdom, taken risks and provided valuable lessons to support the aerospace sector’s journey towards Net Zero. ZeroAvia remains the only company in the UK, and one of only two companies globally, to have powered commercial scale aircraft with hydrogen-electric engine technology. This achievement ensures the UK is at the forefront of zero-emission aircraft in terms of technology, from component to whole-aircraft integration, and also the critical practical learning that comes with securing CAA flight permits. During HyFlyer II, ZeroAvia grew its UK full-time employees from below 40 to over 250 and contributed to substantial job creation in the supply chain. HyFlyer II enabled ZeroAvia to establish partnerships with world-leading OEMs including Textron and De Havilland of Canada, and the project was integral to ZeroAvia successfully securing Series C investment. The company now plans a significant investment in UK manufacturing, with a proposed Hydrogen Centre of Excellence for production, assembly and testing of fuel cell power generation systems.

Highly Commended: The OptiComp (Optimised Composite Wing and Aerostructures) project led by Spirit AeroSystems Belfast, which encompasses a range of new technologies to optimise process efficiency, reduce costs and enable higher production rates for current and future composite wings and aerostructures; and Adaptix, with its robot-mounted 3D X-ray digital inspection technology.

Links to high-res images

INNOVATION AWARD for the most exciting emerging technology – Adaptix

SHAPING THE FUTURE AWARD for advancing zero-carbon emission flight – Vertical Aerospace

MAKING THE DIFFERENCE AWARD for most impactful small R&D project – Sensor Coating Systems

ATI HUB BREAKTHROUGH AWARD for most promising startup – ToffeeX

TEAM AWARD for successful collaboration and partnership – The GKN Aerospace-led ASCEND project

ATI PROJECT OF THE YEAR – ZeroAvia with HyFlyer II.