The IRI Innovation Excellence Awards represent an unwavering commitment to innovation and pushing the boundaries to set new organizational standards in research and development. These awards honor both organizations and individuals whose outstanding vision and tireless pursuit of excellence is already impacting our lives today and shaping the industries of tomorrow.
Categories:
IRI Innovation Leadership Award (Individual)
The IRI Innovation Leadership Award recognizes leaders whose outstanding contributions and transformative impact have meaningfully shaped and advanced the field of innovation.
Amitabh Gupta – Linde
Summary based on judges’ comments regarding Dr. Amitabh Gupta
Dr. Amitabh Gupta, Chief Technology Officer of Linde Gases, receives the IRI Innovation Leadership Award in recognition of his visionary leadership and lasting impact on global innovation. Guiding eight innovation centers worldwide, he has driven the development of breakthrough technologies in clean energy, pharmaceuticals, water treatment, and more. With 14 patents, a strong publication record, and a 30-year commitment to IRI, Gupta exemplifies how technical excellence, strategic vision, and mentorship can shape the future of innovation and sustainability.
IRI Promising Young Innovation Professional Award (Individual)
The IRI Promising Young Innovation Professional Award honors individuals aged 35 and under at the time of nomination who have already made a meaningful impact on innovation within their organization, serving as an inspiration to others.
Kenneth Hernandez – Dupont
Summary based on judges’ comments regarding Kenneth Hernandez
Dr. Kenneth Hernandez of DuPont receives the IRI Promising Young Innovation Professional Award in recognition of his early and impressive impact on innovation. Since joining DuPont in 2019, Hernandez has led groundbreaking work in sustainable materials, notably advancing non-PFAS solutions for semiconductor manufacturing. His leadership in computational chemistry, machine learning, and Lean Innovation has accelerated product development and reshaped R&D strategy. Beyond the lab, his dedication to mentoring underrepresented talent and transforming DuPont’s GOLD recruiting program highlights his commitment to inclusive innovation and lasting cultural change.
IRI Excellence Award for Innovation in Sustainability (Company)
The IRI Excellence Award for Innovation in Sustainability honors recent outstanding achievements and projects that have made a significant and lasting impact on sustainability within an organization or across the industry.
PPG: SIGMAGLIDE® 2390 Coating
Summary based on judges’ comments regarding PPG
PPG’s SIGMAGLIDE® 2390 Coating receives the IRI Excellence Award for Innovation in Sustainability for its groundbreaking contribution to sustainable marine technology. This biocide-free, ultra-smooth coating significantly reduces drag, fuel consumption, and vessel emissions, resulting in a 35% reduction in CO₂ output. Leveraging PPG’s HydroReset Technology™, SIGMAGLIDE® 2390 sets a new standard in eco-friendly antifouling solutions. With low VOCs, reduced overspray, and a 10+ year lifespan, the innovation demonstrates how high performance and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand, raising the bar across the maritime industry.
IRI Excellence Award for Outstanding Innovative Culture (Company)
The Excellence Award for Outstanding Innovative Culture honors organizations that create inclusive, diverse, equitable, and psychologically safe environments where innovation can flourish. It recognizes companies that prioritize upskilling and professional development to help their teams thrive in an ever-evolving landscape.
James Hardie Building Products
Summary based on judges’ comments regarding James Hardie Building Products
James Hardie Building Products receives the IRI Excellence Award for Outstanding Innovative Culture for successfully transforming its global R&D organization into a dynamic, inclusive, and high-impact innovation engine. Through strategic alignment, grassroots engagement, and programs like Innovation Day, THINK Awards, and HardieSpace, James Hardie has fostered a culture of continuous learning, empowered experimentation, and collaborative problem-solving. The results speak for themselves—rising employee engagement, award-winning product launches, and a revitalized innovation pipeline that exemplifies how cultural transformation drives long-term business success.
IRI Excellence Award for Digital Innovation (Company)
The IRI Excellence Award for Digital Innovation honors individuals who have successfully leveraged new tools and technologies to improve processes, products, or services within their organization. This award celebrates their impact and encourages others to embrace digital innovation and drive technological advancement.
Eastman: Fluid Genius 3.0
Summary based on judges’ comments regarding Eastman: Fluid Genius 3.0
Eastman’s Fluid Genius 3.0 earns the IRI Excellence Award for Digital Innovation, recognizing its transformation of heat transfer fluid management through AI-powered insights and predictive analytics. Leveraging decades of data, Fluid Genius helps customers proactively prevent unplanned shutdowns, improve safety, and reduce maintenance costs. With its generative AI features, multilingual interface, and CRM integration, the platform delivers measurable value across industries, boosting efficiency, enhancing customer service, and accelerating revenue growth. This scalable, patent-pending innovation sets a high bar for digital transformation in industrial manufacturing.
IRI Excellence Award in Scientific Advancement (Company)
The IRI Excellence Award in Scientific Advancement honors innovation teams for outstanding leadership and contributions that advance scientific knowledge. This award recognizes groundbreaking work that drives progress, expands possibilities, and underscores the vital role of scientific discovery in fueling innovation through collaboration.
Niron Magnetics
Summary based on judges’ comments regarding Niron Magnetics
Niron Magnetics receives the IRI Excellence Award in Scientific Advancement for pioneering the world’s first high-performance permanent magnets made without rare earth elements. By developing scalable, iron nitride-based magnets from Earth-abundant materials, Niron has achieved a breakthrough not seen in over 40 years, delivering strong, thermally stable, and fully recyclable magnets. This innovation not only addresses global supply chain vulnerabilities and environmental concerns but also positions the U.S. as a leader in next-generation magnet technology across sectors like clean energy, defense, and advanced manufacturing.
2024 Holland Award Winner
“Rhetorical or Genuine Slack Time? Temporal Attributes, Barriers, and Outcomes of Slack Time”
By Heidi M. J. Bertels, City University of New York – College of Staten Island
The IRI Innovation Excellence Awards represent an unwavering commitment to innovation and pushing the boundaries to set new organizational standards in research and development. These awards honor both organizations and individuals whose outstanding vision and tireless pursuit of excellence is already impacting our lives today and shaping the industries of tomorrow.
Categories:
IRI Innovation Leadership Award (Individual)
This award celebrates visionary leaders whose exceptional contributions and transformative influence have significantly advanced the landscape of innovation.
Edward F. Rakiewicz – PPG
Summary based on judges’ comments regarding Edward F. Rakiewicz
Edward F. Rakiewicz’s receipt of the IRI Innovation Leadership Award from PPG is met with admiration for his significant contributions, accomplishments, and exemplary leadership qualities. His development and implementation of the technical strategy for PPG ZIRCOBOND® pretreatment, utilized in millions of cars, exemplifies his innovative prowess and strategic vision. With a substantial patent portfolio and successful ventures in aerospace and sustainable product expansion, Rakiewicz has left an indelible mark on PPG’s innovation landscape.
Omkaram Nalamasu – Applied Materials
Summary based on judges’ comments regarding Omkaram Nalamasu
Omkaram Nalamasu’s recognition with the IRI Innovation Leadership Award from Applied Materials is acknowledged with respect for his extensive contributions and leadership role as President of Applied Ventures, the company’s investment arm. His team’s development of a crucial technology addressing cost barriers in the OLED TV market highlights his innovative prowess and strategic vision. Nalamasu’s long and impactful career, particularly as Chief Technology Officer at Applied Materials, underscores his significant impact on the industry and brings much experience to the innovation field.
IRI Promising Young Innovation Professional Award (Individual)
The IRI Promising Young Innovation Professional Award recognizes individuals 35 and under at the time of nomination who have already begun to make an impact in the field of innovation in their organization, inspiring others to follow in their footsteps.
Rebecca Seigelman – Dupont
Summary based on judges’ comments regarding Rebecca Siegelman
Rebecca Siegelman’s receipt of the IRI Promising Young Innovation Professional Award from Dupont reflects her remarkable achievements and contributions. She stands out for her outstanding commercial impacts across diverse fields and a solid commitment to community engagement. In roles such as scientist, project manager, and talent recruiter, Siegelman’s accomplishments, including the prestigious R&D 100 Award, underscore her significant influence on innovation. Her prolific publication record and proactive patent applications demonstrate her dedication and expertise. Overall, Siegelman emerges as a standout candidate, embodying the qualities of a promising and influential innovation professional. (Peiwan Zheng accepting on behalf of Rebecca.)
IRI Excellence Award for Innovation in Sustainability (Company)
The IRI Excellence Award for Innovation in Sustainability is designed to recognize recent outstanding achievement and projects that have made a meaningful impact and significant contribution to sustainability efforts in their organization or industry.
Global Paper Products, Sonoco
Summary based on judges’ comments regarding Sonoco
The Sonoco, recipient of the IRI Excellence Award for Innovation in Sustainability, is hailed as a highly impactful and targeted sustainability initiative. Its focused approach and tangible outcomes make it a standout winner, with potential for significant positive impacts. Notably, the project’s emphasis on creating jobs by using by products underscores its practicality and potential for socio-economic advancement. This recognition highlights the project’s effectiveness in addressing sustainability challenges while generating meaningful benefits for communities and industries. (Scott Hartley accepting on behalf of Sonoco)
IRI Excellence Award for Outstanding Innovative Culture (Company)
The Excellence Award for Outstanding Innovative Culture recognizes organizations that foster inclusive, diverse, equitable, and psychologically safe workplaces – cultivating an environment where innovation thrives. It honors companies championing upskilling and professional development to ensure their teams’ adaptability and success in a rapidly changing world.
Orsted
Summary based on judges’ comments regarding the Orsted
Orsted’s IRI Excellence Award for Outstanding Innovative Culture win is commendable for their pioneering initiative to “Democratize AI.” Their commitment goes beyond passive monitoring, actively engaging their entire organization in applying AI across various domains. While utilizing AI for efficiency improvement may seem commonplace, Orsted’s approach stands out for its inclusive and proactive stance toward integrating AI throughout its operations. Although still in its nascent stage, the potential for innovation and tangible improvements through democratizing AI within Orsted is promising, marking a significant step towards fostering a culture of innovation within the company.
IRI Excellence Award for Digital and Technological Innovation (Company)
The IRI Excellence Award for Digital and Technological Innovation recognizes outstanding achievements in the development or application of digital and technological solutions. The award seeks to inspire innovation and encourage organizations and teams to push the boundaries of what’s possible in their respective industries.
Dow Inc.
Summary based on judges’ comments regarding the Dow Inc.
Remarkable platform designed for the B2B realm, lauded for its customer-centric approach that elevates the customer journey. Judges recognized the platform for its innovation and potential to enhance customer experiences; this platform represents a significant milestone for Dow Inc. Its positive impact is evident in its ability to streamline development processes and foster greater efficiency.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Jim Euchner
This award celebrates an individual’s longstanding professional contributions, dedication, and
commitment to excellence in innovation and R&D.
Jim Euchner was recognized for his 15-year tenure as editor-in-chief of Research-Technology Management and his
decades of contributions to IRI. “It means a lot to me to receive this award. As editor-in-chief I learned something
new almost every day, I worked with insightful authors and leading thinkers in technology and innovation
management and AI—like Clayton Christensen, Vijay Govindarajan, Ethan Mollick, and Karim Lakhani—and I
challenged my own thinking in several areas,” says Euchner. “We increased coverage and were generally
ahead of the curve in some important areas: design, sustainability, business model innovation, and AI.” Euchner
offers this advice: “I encourage professionals in innovation to write, become reflective practitioners, try new things
in your context and find out what works and what doesn’t work and why, and share it. Writing solidifies your thinking
in a way nothing else can. You haven’t really internalized something until you have written about it.”
2023 Holland Award Winner
Michael Obal (one of the authors accepting the award)
It is with great pleasure that we announce the winners of the 2023 IRI Innovation Excellence Awards and the IRI Innovation Leadership Award. These honor the outstanding achievements and contributions of IRI’s member organizations across several categories. Congratulations to our 2023 Award Winners!
Categories:
IRI Innovation Leadership Award (Individual)
This award celebrates visionary leaders whose exceptional contributions and transformative influence have significantly advanced the landscape of innovation.
Dr. Alexa Dembek – DuPont
Summary based on judges’ comments regarding Edward F. Rakiewicz
For her exceptional leadership and vision in driving innovation and transformation, resulting in significant contributions to her organization, industry, and society. Her work at DuPont has set the standard for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) leadership.
IRI Excellence Award for Corporate Citizenship Award (Company)
The IRI Promising Young Innovation Professional Award recognizes individuals 35 and under at the time of nomination who have already begun to make an impact in the field of innovation in their organization, inspiring others to follow in their footsteps.
Michelman
For strong commitment to sustainable chemistry in the design of their products and technologies, and for establishing partnerships with other organizations to drive sustainable innovation. (Portia Yarborough accepting the award on behalf of Michelman.)
IRI Excellence Award for Culture of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award (Company)
The IRI Excellence Award for Culture of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award is designed to recognize recent outstanding achievement that foster inclusive, diverse, equitable, and psychologically safe workplaces – cultivating an environment where innovation thrives. It honors companies championing upskilling and professional development to ensure their teams’ adaptability and success in a rapidly changing world.
Lam Research
For their robust programs supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion, and for creating a workplace where all employees feel welcomed, respected, safe, and valued.
IRI Excellence Award for Member Engagement (Company)
The IRI Excellence Award for Member Engagement honors a company that has excelled in fostering strong member relationships through innovative engagement strategies and exceptional communication. This award recognizes their significant impact on enhancing member satisfaction, loyalty, and community growth.
DuPont
For demonstrating exceptional commitment to engaging with and contributing knowledge to the IRI community, and advancing the field of innovation management.
IRI Excellence Award for Digital and Technological Innovation (Company)
The IRI Excellence Award for Digital and Technological Innovation recognizes outstanding achievements in the development or application of digital and technological solutions. The award seeks to inspire innovation and encourage organizations and teams to push the boundaries of what’s possible in their respective industries.
The Lubrizol Corporation
Summary based on judges’ comments regarding the Dow Inc.
For the development of Q.life, a virtual testing and data analytics system that enables the company to rapidly develop and launch new products, reduce costs, and improve efficiency.
IRI Excellence Award for Scientific Advancement (Company)
The IRI Excellence Award for Scientific Advancement (Company) recognizes a company that has made significant contributions to scientific innovation and research, driving breakthroughs in their field. This award honors their dedication to advancing science and their impactful role in pushing the boundaries of knowledge and technology
PPG Industries
For the development of Copper Armor Antimicrobial (in partnership with Corning Incorporated), a breakthrough product in the paint industry and a valuable tool in reducing the spread of diseases.
