ICS is sponsoring the special award for Best Technology Start-Up as part of the Deloitte Fast 50

Leading Scottish technology companies are being urged to enter one of the most prestigious award ceremonies in the Scottish business calendar, the Scottish Deloitte Fast 50 awards. ICS is this year sponsoring the special award for Best Technology Start-Up.

To be eligible for the 2005 Technology Start Up Award a company must be:

1. Headquartered in Scotland;

2. Incorporated in last 2 years (anytime from January 2003)

3. Must either produce technology, manufacture technology related products, be technology intensive or use technology in problem solving; and

4. Have created intellectual property with global potential

The annual Scottish Deloitte Fast 50 Awards will take place in Edinburgh in November and are regarded as an authoritative barometer of the health of the nation’s technology sector. The awards were launched in 1998 to recognise the 50 fastest growing technology companies in Scotland.

Companies vying to enter this year’s ranking will be determined by turnover growth achieved between 2000 and 2004. The closing date for nominations is Friday 9 September and companies entering the main awards must be headquartered in Scotland and have been operational for at least five years. Full criteria are listed on Deloitte’s specially dedicated website, www.fast50.co.uk.

There will also be three special awards presented on the night - A “Rising Star” award, an award for outstanding achievement in the Life Sciences sector, as well as the award for best Technology Start-Up.

Applicants will also be put forward for consideration in the European Technology Fast 500. Last year over 20 Scottish companies were ranked in the Fast 500.

The awards, which are sponsored by Finlayson Wagner Black, Maclay Murray & Spens, Scottish Enterprise, Innovation Centres (Scotland) Ltd and the BioIndustry Association in Scotland (BIA), take place on Thursday 3 November.