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Liam Fox celebrates innovative partnerships between UK and Asia-Pacific companies which transform the way we work, live, play and learn.

International Trade Secretary, Dr Liam Fox MP has today announced the winners of the inaugural GREAT Innovation in Action Awards which celebrate the best partnerships between UK and Asia-Pacific companies.

The winners have been taken from a shortlist of 12 trade projects which demonstrated how powerful new ideas can transform the way we work, live, play or learn – the 4 themes of the successful GREAT Festival of Innovationwhich took place in Hong Kong last month.

The festival was a key focus of the UK government’s mission to boost trade and seize the opportunities of global growth, with the IMF predicting 90% of growth will come from outside the EU in the coming year

The awards, provide a snapshot of international trade at its most ambitious and innovative, celebrating a variety of brilliant partnerships between UK and Asia Pacific companies of every kind, from large corporates to new start-ups.

Shortlisted projects ranged from cutting-edge UK robotics making construction work safer for engineers in Hong Kong, to Chinese automotive technology cleaning the air we breathe in the UK’s cities.

The full winners include:

Learn: INDE (UK) and AIA Carnival (Hong Kong SAR)

A giant augmented reality screen using high quality 3D visuals that allows children to get up-close with fascinating extinct creatures, from the T-Rex to the pterodactyl.

Live: Foster + Partners (UK) and Harbour City Estates (Hong Kong SAR)

A new public plaza extending the Ocean Terminal in Hong Kong – providing an outdoor space for the people of Hong Kong and a distinctive getaway to the city for its visitors.

Play: Arts Council England (UK) and Arts Council Korea (South Korea)

Three UK based artists were commissioned to produce an array of site specific artworks as part of an urban regeneration project connecting Busan and Sheffield.

Work: Medopad (UK) and China Resources (China)

Health-tech pioneers developed a data-capture platform that allows doctors to remotely track and monitory patients in real time thanks to wearables like the Fitbit.

International Trade Secretary, Dr Liam Fox said:

It is a great honour to announce the winners of the GREAT Innovation in Action Awards following the success of the GREAT Festival of Innovation in Hong Kong.

The winners, like the festival itself, highlight the brilliant cutting-edge collaborations between UK and Asian companies that will help create the products and services which will change the way work, live, play or learn in the future.

I want more UK companies to develop ambitious business partnerships across the Asian Pacific region. That’s why, as an international economic department, we are helping UK companies forge new business ties that will boost exports and investment to every part of the country.

Over 1,600 people attended the GREAT Festival of Innovation, including nearly 300 UK businesses and seven universities, to hear from 160 world leading experts and enjoy over 25 showcases of innovative new businesses, ideas and ground-breaking technologies from the UK and across Asia.

The festival celebrated collaboration and support between British and Asian businesses, governments, cultural and educational institutions.

Highlights included the signing of a joint statement by the UK and Hong Kong setting the agenda for future collaboration on innovation, creative industries and Belt and Road Initiatives.

Attendees also had a first look at record breaking British TV exports BBC’s Top Gear and Blue Planet; an exploration into new robot technologies showing how scaled-down machinery could transform food production by doing away with the need for big farm machinery; and menus from celebrity chefs Tom Kerridge, Tom Aikens, Issac McHale and Andrew Wong.

Further information

Read the full list of nominations at www.greatinnovationawards.com.

The GREAT Festival of Innovation is part of the UK government’s GREAT Britain campaign which aims to generate jobs and growth by promoting Britain as a world-class destination for trade, tourism, investment and education

About Department for International Trade

The UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT) has overall responsibility for promoting UK trade across the world and attracting foreign investment to our economy.

We are a specialised government body with responsibility for negotiating international trade policy, supporting business, as well as delivering an outward-looking trade diplomacy strategy.

About the GREAT International Trade Campaign

The GREAT International Trade Campaign works to promote the strength of UK industries to overseas buyers, forging new business partnerships through DIT Trade experts across the globe.

Whether its celebrating close UK-US ties in the creative industries, or the use of UK technology across the world, the campaign creates an online presence through which exceptional UK companies are promoted on a global stage.