Nominate Your Innovation Teams and Leaders for an IRI Award!
Do you have a remarkable leader or team making industry-changing scientific or technological advancements? If so, you can help honor them publicly for their achievements by nominating them for the Innovation Research Interchange’s Innovation Excellence Awards.
The background: The IRI, the NAM’s innovation division, brings together leading innovators throughout the manufacturing industry to share best practices and set the standard for research and development. Every year, it also honors individuals and teams for accomplishments that have advanced the frontiers of innovation—and nominations opened this week.
The categories: The IRI recognizes achievements in five categories: innovation in sustainability, outstanding innovative culture, digital innovation, scientific advancement and open innovation. Meanwhile, individuals can win the Leadership Award and the Promising Early Career Innovation Professional Award.
The winners: Previous awardees come from some of the most inventive companies in America. Edwin Freeman of Mars, a past winner of the Leadership Award, transformed packaging innovation at the company by advancing the transition to fiber-based materials and has more than 50 patents and published works.
- Meanwhile, Owens Corning, a previous winner in the innovation in sustainability category, was honored for its industry-first achievement in decarbonizing glass fiber manufacturing by replacing natural gas with hydrogen combustion in the glass-melting process.
How to submit: Anyone can nominate a company or individual for an Innovation Excellence Award by describing their innovation project and its impact. Submit your entries here.
What’s next: Finalists will be notified in March 2027, followed by a public announcement. They will be honored at the 2027 Innovators Summit on May 20 in Cleveland, Ohio, where the IRI will announce the winners.
- Stay tuned—you’ll be able to register for the summit soon!
Learn more: Check out our refresher on the IRI’s many offerings here, and learn more about how you can get the most out of your research and development.
