World-leading British engineering innovations revealed as MacRobert Award finalists

• 2020 finalists represent world firsts in UK engineering that are contributing to the green revolution in motoring, construction and shipping

• Jaguar Land Rover, JCB and Babcock’s Liquid Gas Equipment (LGE) business all in the running for the premier award for UK innovation in engineering, recognising the ingenuity of engineers who are shaping the future

• The winning team will receive the signature MacRobert Award gold medal and a £50,000 cash prize, joining the pioneers behind innovations such as the Harrier Jump Jet, the Raspberry Pi micro-computer and the CT scanner

The Royal Academy of Engineering has today announced the finalists for the 2020 MacRobert Award, the most prestigious prize for UK engineering innovation.

This year’s shortlist recognises world-first engineering innovations developed in the UK that deliver tangible social benefits through significantly reduced environmental impact. The final line-up is made up of British teams that are reducing vehicle emissions, from construction and shipping to family cars.

The MacRobert Award is run by the Royal Academy of Engineering and since 1969 has recognised engineering achievements that demonstrate outstanding innovation, tangible societal benefit and proven commercial success.

This year’s three finalists are all world firsts developed in the UK:

• Babcock’s LGE business (Fife, Scotland) for developing ecoSMRT®, a disruptive technology to dramatically improve the efficiency of transporting Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) around the world. Ships carrying LNG must control the pressure of their LNG cargo, as evaporation occurs in the tanks. The ecoSMRT® system captures and reliquefies this ‘boil-off’ gas, with significant reductions in emissions compared with current technology. The ecoSMRT® LNG reliquefaction system for LNG carriers delivers up to a 50% reduction in carbon footprint, a 50% reduction in maintenance costs, 40% reduction in the physical space required, and improves power efficiency by up to 20% when compared with existing systems. Each ecoSMRT® reliquefaction system in service on an LNG ship will save the equivalent of up to 19,000 tonnes of CO2 from being emitted per year, compared to older systems that burn off the excess gas. With demand for LNG set to double by 2040, boil-off gas recovery is fundamental to improving the environmental credentials of today’s modern LNG carrier fleets.
• Jaguar Land Rover (Warwickshire) for developing the I-PACE, the world’s first premium battery-electric sports utility vehicle (SUV). Jaguar Land Rover is one of the first major vehicle manufacturers to transition to electric vehicles and the I-PACE is in the vanguard of this strategic shift. Revolutionary in its design, engineering and technical specifications, the I-PACE has a range of up to 292 miles1. Its core innovations include novel approaches to battery, thermal management, and e-motor technology. The I-PACE was granted 40 significant patents for its innovative technology overall, and its software and control systems include over 250,000 lines of code.
• JCB (Staffordshire) for developing and manufacturing the world’s first volume produced fully electric digger (19C-1E), with zero exhaust emissions, improved productivity, outstanding noise and vibration characteristics and emission-free at point of use for use inside buildings. Rapid urbanisation is happening across the globe, but this is negatively impacting air quality and global warming initiatives. The JCB 19C-1E signals the beginning of a revolution in conscious construction, and is the only volume produced battery-powered excavator on the market. To date, the current fleet has saved the equivalent of 15,100kg in CO2 emissions across 5,616 hours of work.

All three finalists demonstrate the sheer ingenuity of engineers in developing significant engineering innovations that support the Academy’s drive to build a sustainable society, enabling faster decarbonisation and more sustainable use of resources.

The winner of this year’s MacRobert Award will be announced in July. The winning team will receive the signature MacRobert Award gold medal and a £50,000 cash prize.

Now in its 51st year, MacRobert Award winning innovations have changed the world, delivering enormous economic and societal benefit and contributing to the UK’s standing as a world leading knowledge economy and the eighth largest manufacturing economy.

The first award in 1969 was made jointly for two iconic innovations: to Rolls-Royce for the Pegasus engine used in the Harrier jump jet, and to Freeman, Fox and Partners for aerodynamic deck design of the Severn Bridge.

Other former winning innovations include:

• Allowing doctors to see inside the human body with the CT scanner invented at EMI (1972 MacRobert Award winner)
• Raising one of the world’s largest structures – the Millennium Dome, now the O2, engineered by Buro Happold (1999 MacRobert Award winner)
• Creating a computer the size of a credit card – Raspberry Pi (2017 MacRobert Award winner)
• Diagnosing cancer through a simple breath test – the ReCIVA breath biopsy developed by Owlstone Medical (2018 MacRobert Award winner)

MacRobert Award winners are chosen by an expert panel of Academy Fellows, who have vast experience across engineering industry and academia.

Professor Sir Richard Friend FREng FRS, Chair of the Royal Academy of Engineering MacRobert Award judging panel, said:

”This year’s finalists raise the bar when it comes to understanding the part British engineering has to play in shaping a more sustainable future. UK engineers are influential agents of change, and our shortlist represents the transformative impact that their innovations are having on a global scale.

”It is testament to the strength and experience of our UK engineering community – a sector that contributes 25% to the UK’s economy – that Babcock’s LGE business, Jaguar Land Rover and JCB have established world firsts in their respective fields.“

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Notes to editors

MacRobert Award for engineering innovation

First presented in 1969, the MacRobert Award is widely regarded as the most coveted in the industry, honouring the winning organisation with a gold medal and the team members with a cash prize of £50,000. Founded by the MacRobert Trust, the award is presented and run by the Royal Academy of Engineering, with support from the Worshipful Company of Engineers.

Royal Academy of Engineering

Royal Academy of Engineering is harnessing the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone. In collaboration with our Fellows and partners, we’re growing talent and developing skills for the future, driving innovation and building global partnerships, and influencing policy and engaging the public. Together we’re working to tackle the greatest challenges of our age.

The MacRobert Award 2020 Judging Panel

• Professor Sir Richard Friend FREng FRS (Chair)
  Cavendish Professor of Physics, University of Cambridge
• Naomi Climer CBE FREng
  Chair of Council, International Broadcasting Convention (IBC); Former President Media Cloud Services, Sony
• Professor Nick Jennings CB FREng
  Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise), Imperial College London
• Professor Sir John McCanny CBE FREng FRS
  Regius Professor Emeritus, Electronics and Computer Engineering, Queen’s University Belfast
• Professor Gordon Masterton DL OBE FREng FRSE
  Chair of Future Infrastructure, University of Edinburgh; Former Vice-President, Jacobs
• Professor Phil Nelson CBE FREng
  Professor of Acoustics, University of Southampton
• Professor Ric Parker CBE FREng
  Former Director of Research and Technology, Rolls-Royce plc
• Dr Liane Smith FREng
  Director, Larkton Ltd
• Professor Sir Saeed Zahedi OBE RDI FREng
  Technical Director, Blatchford