The 60th R&D 100 Awards program opens for submissions on March 1st, 2022. The program is open to corporate, government, and academic R&D organizations across the globe, and has been called “The Oscars of Innovation.” First established in 1963, the R&D 100 Awards is the only S&T (science and technology) awards competition that recognizes new commercial products, technologies and materials for their technological significance that are available for sale or license.

Download the Call for Nominations PDF (which includes frequently asked questions) here.

There are six regular categories in the R&D 100, as well as five special recognition categories, including once again for 2022, “Special Recognition: Battling COVID-19.” A given innovation can be entered in both a regular category and any of the special recognition categories — but a separate entry fee is required for each nomination. Special recognition categories are awarded separately from the 100 winners that comprise the R&D 100.

The judging panel will award finalist designations to selected top nominations. This announcement of finalists is made first, followed by the actual R&D 100 winners several weeks later. This allows all finalists and winners plenty of time to make arrangements to attend the awards banquet and/or conference.

The early-bird deadline for entries is May 6th, 2022.

Categories are as follows:

Analytical/Test
• Analytical Instrumentation (chromatography, spectroscopy, analyzers, etc.)
• Electronic Instrumentation (oscilloscopes, VOMs, spectrum analyzers, digital multimeters, probes, etc.)
• Imaging Systems/Devices (microscopes, cameras, telescopes, binoculars, optics, etc.)
• Testing Systems (hardness, materials, tensile, physical, etc.)
• Laboratory Equipment (fume hoods, cabinets, casework, lab animals, lab automation, balances/
scales, centrifuges, tubing/valves, mixers, etc.)
• Life Sciences (biopharmaceuticals, DNA/RNA systems, food & beverage, genomics, proteomics,
GMO, medical devices, medicine, medical implants, etc.)

IT/Electrical
• Electrical Devices (motors, switches, lighting systems, etc.)
• Information Technologies (computers, cell phones, printers, storage systems, supercomputers,
computer hardware, operating systems, cloud computing, big data, data mining, data security, etc.)
• Communication Systems/Devices (wireless, broadband, networking systems, routers, wearables,
lidar/radar, space communications, etc.)
• Safety & Security (sensing, detecting, monitoring, alarm systems, access point/portals, isolation
systems, barriers, etc.)
• Beam Instrumentation (x-ray, neutron, proton, gamma ray, etc.)
• Lasers & Photonics (CO2 lasers, solid-state lasers, LEDs, synchrotron items, etc.)

Mechanical/Materials
• Chemical & Gases (chemicals, powders, rare gases, reagents, etc.)
• Energy Systems/Components (energy modeling software, fuel cells,hybrid systems, IC engines, nuclear, PV, etc.)
• Environmental Systems/Instruments (carbon capture, filtering systems, mercury capture, pH meters, precipitators, etc.)
• Materials (adhesives, alloys, ceramics, composites, metals, paints, plastics, polymers, etc.)
• Mechanical Systems (air-handling systems, gears, heating and cooling systems, pumps robotics, structural components, thermal devices, transmissions, etc.)
• Thin Film & Vacuum (deposition systems, lithography, semiconductor processing, vacuum pumps/chambers, vacuum valves, etc.)

Process/Prototyping
• Process Systems (mixing, formulating, distilling, baking, coating, etc.)
• Additive Manufacturing (3-D printing, rapid prototyping)
• Supply Chain (management, operations, etc.)
• Process Improvement (design, production, distribution strategies)

Software/Services
• Military/Aerospace/Law Enforcement Devices (air traffic control tech, de-icing solutions, drones, flight simulators, forensic tools, weapons, etc.)
• Safety & Security (alarm systems, access point/portals, barriers, detecting, isolation systems, sensing, monitoring, etc.)
• Software (chemistry, process and analysis, reporting, simulation, visualization)

Other
• Any Products or Services that do NOT fall into the above stated categories may be entered here.

Special Recognition: Corporate Social Responsibility
This award honors organizational efforts to be a greater corporate member of society, from a local
to global level. Good works criteria may include, but isn’t limited to, efforts to curb carbon footprint
reduction, efforts in third-world countries, better prosthetics for wounded soldiers, LEED green
building certification, local fundraising efforts, scholarship programs and involvement and/or
contributions to the STEM community.

Special Recognition: Green Tech
From an engineering and societal perspective, efficiency and environmental factors play an
increasingly important role in the world today. R&D World wants to recognize those innovations that
help make our environment greener and our goal towards energy reduction closer.

Special Recognition: Market Disruptor – Products
This award is designed to highlight any product from any category as one that has changed the game
in any industry. No matter what the specific product is, the focus should be on industry impact. Was
your product a game changer in the last year?

Special Recognition: Market Disruptor – Services
This award is designed to highlight any service from any category as one that forever changed the
R&D industry or a particular vertical within the industry. No matter what the specific service is, the
focus should be on industry impact.

Special Recognition: Battling COVID-19
This award is designed to highlight any innovation that was employed to battle the worldwide COVID-19
pandemic. This is not limited to medical or pharmaceutical entries — newly developed products and
services as diverse as software, safety equipment or AI that had an impact will be considered.