In a demonstration of the strength of Minnesota’s innovation economy, the Minnesota High Tech Association has announced 48 finalists for its annual Tekne Awards in 16 categories that span a wide range of leading-edge technologies. Among the categories are advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, cybersecurity, emerging technologies and community impact. The winners will be chosen from among the finalists at the Tekne Awards ceremony on Nov. 29 at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

“The Tekne Award finalists this year represent the ongoing strength of innovative Minnesota-based companies. They are pioneering leading-edge science and technology that has impact around the globe,” said Margaret Anderson Kelliher, president and CEO of the Minnesota High Tech Association. “We’re looking forward to honoring these organizations at the 2018 Tekne Awards event and highlighting Minnesota’s incredible science and technology community.” 

The 2018 Tekne Awards ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 29 attracts hundreds of the state’s most influential leaders in business, higher education and politics.

For additional information and registration: TekneAwards.org.

Categories and finalists for the 2018 Tekne Awards are:

ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
Honors innovation in manufacturing, manufacturing equipment and processing, with an emphasis on increased speed, accuracy, strong product customization and reduced costs. Examples include machine-tools, machine-to-machine components, mechatronics, intelligent technical systems, 3D-additive manufacturing, and integration of Industry 4.0 concepts into advanced manufacturing systems.

Finalists:     PaR Systems  |   Seagate Technology  |   Steinwall 

BIOTECHNOLOGY / PHARMACEUTICALS
Celebrates innovation and pioneering efforts in biotechnology or pharmaceuticals to provide game-changing advancement in the healthcare field. Examples include gene therapies, precision medicine, drug discovery and delivery.

Finalists:     3M     |   Photonic Pharma     |   StemoniX

BUILDING DESIGN AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Honors the integration of technology in building design, construction and operation. Examples include smart grid, productive workplace design, green building materials, or applied innovative building design in occupant comfort and indoor air quality.

Finalists:   EnergyPrint  |   Minnesota Twins  |  Uponor

CLEAN TECHNOLOGY / CLEAN ENERGY
Shines a spotlight on innovation that enhances energy efficiency, conservation or renewable energy generation and storage. Examples include solar or wind power, biofuels, petroleum replacement or personal transportation.

Finalists:   OATI  |   Remooble  |   Xcel Energy

COMMUNITY IMPACT
Recognizes the development or implementation of technology that serves an unmet community need. These finalists have demonstrated significant improvement or modernization through a product, service or innovation that assists underserved populations, enhances quality of life, health or safety, or promotes an innovative job creation strategy.

Finalists:   Best Buy |   PCs for PeopleSTARBASE Minnesota

CYBERSECURITY
Recognizes innovative products or services that secure networks, computers, or systems from unintended or unauthorized access. Examples include identity management products or services, trusted authentication, disaster recovery, secure data storage, computer forensics, and verification processes.

Finalists:   Entrust Datacard |   Protocol 46  | Unisys

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
Celebrates a cutting-edge product or service that is pushing the boundaries of technology or application of technology and/or significantly disrupting an industry. Examples include blockchain, predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, integrated sensor technologies, and more.

Finalists (large company):   Ecolab  |  Seagate Technology  |  Starkey Hearing Technologies 

Finalists (small company):  MultiTech Systems  |  SenteraSilicon Prairie  

FOOD/ AGRICULTURE TECHOLOGY
Honors technological advances in agricultural operations or food production that enhance productivity and efficiency, improve environmental sustainability or contribute to food safety.

Finalists:   Ecolab  |   Land O’Lakes  |   Sentera

HEALTH IT
Recognizes advances in the application of information technology to the healthcare sector, helping to diagnose diseases, increase efficiencies and improve patient outcomes. This category rewards technologies which have made a real impact to improve patient healthcare and quality of life.

Finalists:    Carrot Health  |   Ecolab |   Zipnosis  

IT SOLUTIONS CONSULTING
Celebrates the contributions of technology solutions providers and consultants whose research and technical expertise help clients to optimize workloads and systems for future-state readiness, reduce costs, speed time to market and/or protect infrastructure.

Finalists:    Agosto  |   Charter Solutions  |   Computex Technology Solutions

MEDICAL DEVICE
Honors significant achievements in medical product design and engineering that improve the quality of healthcare delivery and accessibility. Examples include instruments, machines, implants, in vitro reagents or other related products that are intended for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease or other conditions.

Finalists:    Abilitech Medical  |   Lite Run Inc  |    RxFunction

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY STARTUP
Recognizes an early-stage Minnesota science or technology company with commercialized products that demonstrates significant potential, creativity and a promising future.

Finalists:    HabitAware   |   Macchina  |   UR TURN

SOFTWARE
Honors innovation in software development or applications to solve strategic business challenges, guide business decisions or enhance productivity and efficiency. Examples include website plug-ins, back-end organizational software, mobile development, stream processing, scheduling, and supply chain.

 

SOFTWARE – ESTABLISHED Finalists:  Calabrio, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Thomson Reuters  

SOFTWARE – SMALL AND GROWING Finalists: AgostoFISIONGrowthZone  

STEM WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Celebrates innovative approaches to talent development in the STEM fields, including efforts to close Minnesota’s STEM skills gap and provide solutions to address Minnesota’s STEM workforce shortage.

Finalists:    Minnesota State University-Mankato | Science from ScientistsYWCA Minneapolis

About the Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA)
The Minnesota High Tech Association is an innovation and technology association united in fueling Minnesota’s prosperity and making Minnesota a top five technology state. We bring together the people of Minnesota’s science and technology ecosystem and lead the way in bringing science and technology issues to leaders at Minnesota’s Capitol and Washington, D.C. MHTA is the only membership organization that represents Minnesota’s entire technology-based economy. Our members include organizations of every size − involved in virtually every aspect of technology creation, production, application and education in Minnesota.
mntech.org   |   @MHTA   |   @minnesota-high-tech-association