Technology & Innovation Award
The application form remains confidential and will only be shared with the Department for International Trade France, the Franco-British Chamber and members of the Jury. Please read the full category criteria and terms & conditions before applying.
The Franco-British Trade & Investment Awards will celebrate innovation across all economic sectors in the UK and France. Companies of all sizes and in any sector are encouraged to apply, so long as they are champions of innovation as well as advocates of technology and new talent in France and the UK.
The Judging panel will be looking for a company that has made a real impact in driving the business world’s tech revolution.
Examples could include:
Tech & Innovation can cover a number of sectors or product areas: Financial & Professional Services, Agri-tech, FinTech, E-Commerce, Smart Cities, 5G, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, ed-tech, ad-tech, concepts to support our ageing society – we are open to suggestions!
The technology or innovation should have been implemented in the last three years, and it needs a Franco-British component, either through trade, investment or R&D collaboration.
Companies need to showcase the significant difference the innovation has made to their operations – even better if it has boosted their exports or investment into France or the UK. Please answer every question below. Only complete applications will be considered.
Please give details of how your company has placed technology and innovation at the heart of its commercial development in France and the UK and explain why your product / service is innovative. (250 words)
Please give details of how you champion key transformative technologies that drive the digital economy, society and industry in your wider company outreach. (125 words)
Please give details of how your product/service helps to transform your marketplace or sector and describe how your operations were impacted by this innovation. Please explain how this boosted exports or investment into the UK or France. (250 words)
Please attach a presentation of maximum 5 slides that highlights other evidence to support your application. It can include product images, case studies or charts demonstrating your company’s growth. (1 attachment max.)
Sustainability Award
The Sustainability Award will be presented to a company that is committed to cleaner economic growth, through either low carbon technologies or the sustainable use of resources.
Businesses that can apply who are in the green economy space, focusing on technologies that improve energy efficiency and help promote sustainable energy. Alternatively, it could be a company that is supporting other organisations in reducing their carbon footprint, encouraging a circular economy, or modifying consumer behaviour. The winning business will be able to demonstrate it has put in place an ambitious and quantifiable plan to reach Net Zero.
Sustainability is a wide-ranging term that refers to business activity in renewables, nuclear, hydrogen, future mobility and other forms of clean technology. Critically, the business must prove that they have united economic growth with sustainable development.
We want to encourage applicants in the following sectors of activity:
Transition to clean energy
Clean transport
Nature-based solutions
Green technology
Green finance
Please answer every question below. Only complete applications will be considered.
Please give details of how your company has placed Sustainability at the heart of its commercial development in France and the UK, and if your company has a sustainability plan, how it has implemented this. (250 words)
How do you support sustainability beyond your organisation, with the customers, supply chain and other businesses in your sector? (125 words)
Please give details of how your company has met the objective of its Sustainability plan, and if your company has joined any pledge, coalition or attained any relevant environmental certifications in support of sustainable initiatives. (250 words)
SME of the Year Award The application form remains confidential and will only be shared with the Department for International Trade France, the Franco-British Chamber and members of the Jury. Please read the full category criteria and terms & conditions before applying.
The SME of the Year Award will be presented to a company that has successfully exported or invested into the French or British market for the first time. Despite the many challenges faced over the last few years, companies remain committed to exploring the French and UK markets, and recent trade figures are proof of this: in 2022, trade between the UK and France rebounded to 2019 levels in nominal terms.
This business will demonstrate a solid foundation, a strategic vision for international expansion and a commitment to exporting or investing in France or the UK.
The winning company will be able to highlight a high-quality product, service or idea that has exposed a substantial gap in the market within the past two to three years.
Criteria for the businesses:
Turnover (less than £25m), employees (less than 250), and gross assets (less than £12.5m)
The business must have been in operation for at least two years
This must be their first time exporting or investing into the French or UK market
The term SME is deliberately broad to encourage applicants of different sizes from a variety of sectors. Small businesses, start-ups and scale-ups are all welcome to pitch for this Award.
Please give details of your motivation to expand your business operations to France/ the UK and how you planned your export journey. Please describe the greatest challenges you faced when expanding and how you overcame these. (250 words)
How will you make your initial step into the UK and French market a long-term commitment? (125 words)
Please give details of the impact the expansion to the UK/France had on your company, and how you had to adapt your processes in this new market. What are the lessons learn from your expansion and what would you do differently next time? (250 words)
Franco-British Partnerships Award The application form remains confidential and will only be shared with the Department for International Trade France, the Franco-British Chamber and members of the Jury. Please read the full category criteria and terms & conditions before applying.
The Franco-British Partnerships Award will recognise a vibrant and successful initiative focussed on Franco-British cooperation. We are looking for initiatives that foster bilateral ties by building on shared Franco-British interests and values.
This can be demonstrated through joint working on key sectors (energy, defence) or on priority issues for both the UK and France (NetZero, future working, Levelling Up). The award-winning initiative is one that has had concrete and durable results in any key sector for the UK and France (energy, defence) or on a priority issue for both countries (NetZero, future working, Levelling Up).
The company must be able to provide evidence of its commitment to bilateral working and demonstrate a positive and measurable impact on the UK-France economic relationship. These initiatives can be joint ventures between a UK and French company to promote investment, a partnership between a UK and French company dedicated to exports on both sides of the Channel, or even an SME that has been working on market access to facilitate UK-France trade.
Criteria
Extent of the commitment to fostering Franco-British trade collaboration
Quality and relevance of the initiatives taken to foster collaboration
Potential for repetition in other sectors to service the UK-France relationship
Can be a UK or a French company headquartered in either France or the UK
Can cover export, invest or market access
Please give details of how your company or initiative has worked to foster cooperative working between France and the UK in a sector or on a priority issue that is of interest to both countries. (250 words)
Please give details of how your work on this issue or in this sector has unlocked an area of trade for France and the UK. Please explain how you intend to work with France / the UK in the future. (250 words)
Please give details of how your initiative has had a positive and lasting impact on the UK-France economic relationship and the wider UK-France business community. Please describe how your measure this impact and provide concrete examples or statistics where possible. (250 words)
