Press Release: IRI Honors 2025 Innovation Excellence Award Winners

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IRI Honors 2025 Innovation Excellence Award Winners

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 16, 2025  CONTACT: NAM Media Relations
Washington, D.C. – The Innovation Research Interchange, the innovation management division of the National Association of Manufacturers that serves as a community of industry leaders dedicated to accelerating innovation and top-line growth, announced the winners of the 2025 IRI Innovation Excellence Awards at its recent Innovators Summit in Chicago.

These prestigious awards honor individuals and organizations that are driving innovation, shaping industries and advancing sustainability, culture, digital transformation and scientific discovery. The announcement also included the Maurice Holland Award for the most outstanding article published in 2024 in the IRI’s journal, Research-Technology Management.   
 
“This year’s Innovation Excellence Award winners demonstrate a powerful commitment to driving real change through science, creativity and collaboration,” said Laura Buen Abad, chair of the IRI’s Board of Advisors and vice president of technology and marketing, TOPPAN Packaging Americas. “The outstanding vision and tireless pursuit of excellence displayed by the organizations and individuals honored are already impacting our lives today and shaping the industries of tomorrow.”
 
The 2025 IRI Innovation Excellence Award Winners:
 
Innovation Leadership Award—Dr. Amitabh Gupta, Linde

The Innovation Leadership Award recognizes visionary leaders whose exceptional contributions and transformative influence have advanced the landscape of innovation significantly. Recipients include advocates and educators who demonstrate exceptional leadership in fostering a culture of innovation and inspiring progress across their field.
 
Promising Young Innovation Professional Award—Dr. Kenneth Hernandez, DuPont
 
Honoring innovators under 40 making an early impact, this award highlights the achievements of young professionals who have demonstrated exceptional talent, creativity and a forward-thinking approach—leading to meaningful contributions in their respective areas.
 
Award for Innovation in Sustainability—PPG: SIGMAGLIDE® 2390 Coating
 
The Award for Innovation in Sustainability celebrates recent outstanding achievements and innovative projects that have made a meaningful impact and significant contribution to sustainability efforts within an organization, industry or more broadly. These efforts not only demonstrate leadership in sustainability but also set a benchmark for others to follow.
 
Award for Outstanding Innovative Culture—James Hardie Building Products
 
This award honors companies that actively cultivate inclusive, diverse and safe environments where employees feel valued and empowered to contribute their ideas. Winning companies serve as models for others, demonstrating that a thriving, supportive workplace is the foundation of success in a rapidly changing world.
 
Award for Digital & Technological Innovation—Eastman: Fluid Genius 3.0    
 
The Award for Digital & Technological Innovation highlights organizations that have adopted new tools and technologies effectively to enhance processes, products or services, inspiring others to embrace digital innovation and take bold steps in advancing technology.
 
Award for Scientific Advancement—Niron Magnetics: Permanent Magnet Technology
 
Recognizing teams whose pioneering work has led to significant breakthroughs, expanding possibilities and driving progress, this award emphasizes the importance of scientific discovery as a cornerstone of innovation and celebrates the collaborative efforts that push the boundaries of knowledge.
 
2024 Maurice Holland Award: Heidi M. J. Bertels, City University of New York – College of Staten Island: “Rhetorical or Genuine Slack Time? Temporal Attributes, Barriers, and Outcomes of Slack Time.”
 
Named for the IRI’s founder, the Maurice Holland Award is a bronze replica of a “Jenny,” the model of airplane Holland flew during his service in WWI. It is presented each year to the author of the most outstanding article published in RTM, as determined by the publication’s Board of Editors.
 
For more information on the IRI and the Innovation Excellence Awards, including past winners, visit https://iriweb.org/iri-excellence-awards/.

-National Association for Manufacturer-
The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.93 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the NAM or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.

-Innovation Research Interchange-
The Innovation Research Interchange is the NAM’s innovation management division. The IRI is a community of industry leaders dedicated to accelerating innovation and top-line growth. IRI members drive impactful innovation, develop the research and development roadmaps, and make the investments that keep manufacturing at the forefront of advancing technologies and improving the quality of life. For more information, please visit https://iriweb.org.