Now Accepting Nominations for the
2024 IRI Innovation Excellence Awards
Have you submitted your nominations for individuals and teams pushing the boundaries to set new organizational standards in innovation?
Nomination will be considered once payment is received.
The IRI Innovation Excellence Awards represent an unwavering commitment to innovation and pushing the boundaries to set new organizational standards in research and development. These awards honor both organizations and individuals whose outstanding vision and tireless pursuit of excellence are already impacting our lives today and shaping the industries of tomorrow.
Companies of all sizes and industries are encouraged to participate. Additionally, consultants and university partners are encouraged to nominate their colleagues as a way to recognize their accomplishments.
Who should enter the IRI Innovation Excellence Awards? This program is for you if:
- You’re an innovator using technology to improve operational performance or become more sustainable
- You have created a more collaborative, engaged office culture that celebrates innovation.
- You have a high-performing leader (or up-and-coming leader) driving your sustainability initiatives
- You are a consultant or university partner working on an exciting new project with a company to do any of the above.
Nominations are being accepted through January 17, 2024. Questions? Reach out to Victoria Kanevsky for additional information.
$295 per submission.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2023 AWARDS RECIPIENTS!
It is with great pleasure that we announce the winners of the 2023 IRI Excellence Awards and the IRI Innovation Leadership Award. These honor the outstanding achievements and contributions of IRI’s member organizations across several categories. Congratulations to our 2023 Award Winners!
Dr. Alexa Dembek (DuPont)
IRI Innovation Leadership Award
For her exceptional leadership and vision in driving innovation and transformation, resulting in significant contributions to her organization, industry, and society. Her work at DuPont has set the standard for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) leadership.
Michelman
IRI Excellence Award for Corporate Citizenship Award
For strong commitment to sustainable chemistry in the design of their products and technologies, and for establishing partnerships with other organizations to drive sustainable innovation.
Lam Research Corporation
IRI Excellence Award for Culture of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award
For their robust programs supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion, and for creating a workplace where all employees feel welcomed, respected, safe, and valued.
The Lubrizol Corporation
IRI Excellence Award for Digital and Technological Innovation
For the development of Q.life, a virtual testing and data analytics system that enables the company to rapidly develop and launch new products, reduce costs, and improve efficiency.
DuPont
IRI Excellence Award for Member Engagement
For demonstrating exceptional commitment to engaging with and contributing knowledge to the IRI community, and advancing the field of innovation management.
PPG Industries
IRI Excellence Award for Scientific Advancement
For the development of Copper Armor Antimicrobial (in partnership with Corning Incorporated), a breakthrough product in the paint industry and a valuable tool in reducing the spread of diseases.

Maurice Holland Award Recipients
D. Bruce Merrifield (1982) Warren R. Stumpe (1983) George E. Manners, Jr., Joseph A. Steger, Thomas W. Zimmerer (1984) Robert A. Frosch (1985) Richard N. Foster, Alan M. Kantrow, Lawrence H. Linden, Roger L. Whiteley (1986) Harry W. Coover (1987) Roland W. Schmitt (1988) Lester C. Krogh, Julianne H. Prager, David P. Sorensen, John D. Tomlinson (1989) Albert C. Perrino, James W. Tipping (1990) Robert G. Cooper (1991) Walter L. Robb (1992) Graham R. Mitchell (1993) C. K. Prahalad (1994) Robert G. Cooper (1995) Mark R. Gallon and Harold M. Stillman (1996) Deb Chatterji (1997) Sheldon A. Buckler (1998) John Seely Brown (1999) William C. Herbein, Robert C. Morris, and Gregory R. Smith (2000) Ian C. MacMillan and Rita Gunther McGrath (2001) Marc H. Meyer and Paul C. Mugge (2002) Robin A. Karol, Ross C. Loeser, and Richard H. Tait (2003) Jeffrey T. Glass, Ingrid M. Ensing, and Gerardine DeSanctis (2004) Jay Paap and Ralph Katz (2005) Miles P. Drake, Nabil Y. Sakkab, and Ronald Jonash (2007) Raymond R. Cosner, E. Jefferson Hynds, Alan R. Fusfeld, Carl V. Loweth, Charles Scouten, and Richard Albright (2008) Paul B. Germeraad and Ronald P. Taylor (2009) Seongkeun Jang, Yongki Yoon, Inseong Lee, and Jinwoo Kim (2010) William Banholzer (2011) Bilal Kaafarani and Jane Edison Stevenson (2012) Peter Toft, Bill Crandall, and Paul Henderson (2013) Ray O. Johnson and John D. Evans (2014) Abhijit Ganguly and James Euchner (2015) Anita Friis Sommer, Christian Hedegaard, Iskra Dukovska-Popovska, and Kenn Steger-Jensen (2016) Emily B.Kennedy and Thomas A. Marting (2017), Andrew Harrison (2018), Robert Cooper and Anita Friis Sommer (2019); Sihem Ben Mahmoud-Jouini, Didier Boulet, and Sebastian Fixson (2020); Pam Henderson, Terry Rosenstiel, and Kent Young (2021); Kah-hin Chai, James Nebus, Annapoornima S. Subramanian (2022); Dirk J Primus (2023)

Previous IRI Medalists (Legacy Award)

IRI Achievement Award Past Recipients (Legacy Award)
William F. Gresham (1974) William G. Pfann (1975) Maurice R. Hilleman (1976) LeGrand Van Uitert (1977) Robert H. Wentoff, Jr. (1978) Frank B. Colton (1979) Stanley D. Stookey (1980) Andrew H. Bobeck (1981) Robert N. Noyce (1982) Herbert W. Boyer (1983) John W. Backus (1984) Allan S. Hay (1985) John E. Franz (1986) Robert D. Maurer (1987) Howard G. Rogers (1988) Alfred Yi Cho (1989) Robert H. Dennard (1990) Leonard S. Cutler (1991) Victor Mills (1992) Richard H. Frenkiel (1993) Marvin M. Johnson (1994) Marinus Los (1995) Andrzej M. Pawlak (1996) Stephanie L. Kwolek (1997) Simon F. Campbell (1998) James E. West (1999) Harry W. Coover (2000) C. Don Bateman (2001) George H. Beall (2002) Madan M. Bhasin (2003) Edith M. Flanigan (2004) Dennis M. Richie ( 2005) Paul D. Trokhan ( 2006) Rakesh Agrawal (2007) Dean L. Kamen (2008) Ashok J. Joshi (2009) Linden Blue (2010) Richard Hayes (2011) John J. Curro (2012) Charles “Chuck” Hull (2015), Tan Le (2018)