The 2017 Science Enabler Awards

So, 2020 then. The time by which Professor Stephen Hawking says we should be back on the Moon. He thinks it’s the only way to save us from ourselves, as our population – and habits – push past the limits that our all-to-small planet can sustain.

But we can’t simply run away from the problems that we ourselves are largely responsible for. Or at least, we can’t afford to wait until we can. Which means there are mountains to climb right here.

Solving the energy crisis, democratising healthcare, meeting global food demand – you don’t need me to spell them out. It’s not that we want to do these things; it’s that we have to if we are to survive. These are necessities which will rest heavily on the shoulders of the scientific community. Academic and industrial, small start-ups and pan-global commercial giants – all hands will be needed on deck.

Integral to all this, of course, are the tools these brilliant minds will need as they shape the future. The interplay between scientific equipment (and indeed service) providers and scientists is really like no other sector. The advancement of science is deeply intertwined with the advancement of the tools to perform that science – and the innovation seen in the laboratory products sector is truly astounding.

The Science Enabler Awards

But that is only half the equation. Increasingly, companies serving science are working more closely with scientists and laboratory professionals to really understand the challenges they face and offer innovative solutions. They don’t just make and sell – they roll-up sleeves and stand alongside the scientists chipping away at the vanguard. And it’ll only become more intimate a relationship as that vanguard advances.

And it is high-time this is celebrated, which is why we are very proud to be launching the Science Enabler Awards. They are to be a prestigious awards focussing on a company’s ability to really help their customers in their science.

And you are the king-makers here. It is the experiences that you, the scientists and lab professionals, have with the companies you work with that is most important. We are interested in the occasions where they went so far beyond your expectations that they left an impression – when you felt like a collaborator not just a customer.

So, please keep your eyes peeled on the magazine, labnews.co.uk and our emails for how you can have your say over the next few months.

Phil Prime, Editor