Nominators have approved two Nottingham-based start-ups for entry into The Earthshot Prize, a prestigious environmental prize launched by Prince William designed to incentivise change and help repair our planet over the next ten years.
Hydrohertz, a developer of thermal source heat pumps, and Cognitive Business, a provider of AI-powered solutions, were nominated earlier this year by their patent attorneys, Adamson Jones – through the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys, an Official Nominator.
The two businesses are now among 1000 nominations who are undergoing a rigorous screening process to identify 15 finalists – five of whom will be announced the winners by The Earthshot Prize Council including Prince William and Sir David Attenborough later this year. The finalists will also receive an unprecedented opportunity to grow their businesses on a global scale, and the winners will be awarded £1m to invest in and scale their innovative solutions.
“As patent attorneys that specialise in protecting the intellectual property (IP) of complex technologies, we knew straight away that both Hydrohertz and Cognitive Business have the potential to make a real difference to the planet,” said Nicholas Ferrar, partner at Adamson Jones. “By submitting both our clients for this award, we hope to provide them with further opportunities to grow, scale and develop their technologies for mass adoption around the world. We wish them the very best of luck.”
Hydrohertz has developed a thermal source heat pump that will help to improve adoption of electric vehicles by improving range, battery performance and charging times. The pump, which uses heat that would otherwise be lost or wasted, is being developed for both cars and multi-passenger carriers, including aeroplanes. “It’s an honour to be selected for nomination,” said Martyn Talbot, left, founder and director at Hydrohertz. “Huge thanks to Adamson Jones for entering us and giving us this unique opportunity to accelerate our research and develop our technology.”
Cognitive Business uses artificial intelligence to help businesses learn from and analyse complex data. WindAI™, its AI and physics-based solution for monitoring wind farm performance, finds previously undetectable losses which it is estimated are globally equivalent to Europe’s entire offshore wind generation capacity.
“We’re very excited to be nominated, which is testament to the potential of our AI-based solutions to solve complex problems, empower decision making and harness renewable energy in new and more effective ways,” said Ty Burridge-Oakland, right, founder and director of product development at Cognitive Business.” 
Adamson Jones, which is part of Gateley, specialises in IP protection and strategy, as well as providing representation before the UK Intellectual Property Office and European Patent Office for domestic and overseas clients. As well as software, engineering, and design, it also has technical expertise in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and chemistry, electronics, biotechnology, and trademarks.
