The Mike Barnes Award for Innovation 2025

The Mike Barnes Award for Innovation 2025, sponsored by Thompsons Solicitors and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) HealthTech Research Centre in Brain Injury, is now open for entries.

The Award seeks to recognise and celebrate the most innovative and credible project or concept in the management of Acquired Brain Injury, and to provide the winner with support to advance their project. This could include anything from improving an aspect of neurorehabilitation in hospital, the community, school, prison or even in connection with sport-related concussion.

Entrants must demonstrate originality, viability, feasibility and desirability in their project or concept to be eligible, and the winner will receive support from NIHR to take their project to the next level.

Don't miss this amazing opportunity to be recognised and rewarded for your innovative ideas!   Entries must be submitted by 12th September 2025. 

Find out More Information  ~  Enter The Award 

Previous winners of the award

2024 - Recallify

Recallify is an AI-powered memory support, training and productivity app which can transcribe and summarise conversations. It has been designed by Dr Sarah  Rudebeck and Dr Berkan Sesen  to help individuals to easily record, review, and recall their experiences. This intuitive app enhances communication and makes memory management simple for everyone 

2023 - Melo

Melo is an AI driven app that is designed to help clinicians better understand challenging behaviours and improve the way data is used to support patients

2022 - Krysalis Consultancy

Digital health platform and vocational rehabilitation service solution; Neuro Logical was created by Krysalis Consultancy. Neuro Logical uses Krysalis’ specialist expertise to identify and remove the barriers of complex neurological conditions that would otherwise limit potential and opportunity. It helps individuals and the workplace recognise what is possible.

2021 – MyAbility

This innovation was created by Dr Andrea Pickering, Consultant Clinical Psychologist of Recolo; Fran Sephton, Emma Bowers and Niki Dutton, Highly Specialised Speech and Language Therapists at AT Therapy. They are being supported by the National Institute for Health Research to advance their project and mentoring from Dr Penny Trayner from Goal Manager.

2020 - Alfred

Dr Ellis Parry of Neumind won the award for his app 'Alfred.' Please click here to see more about Ellis and Alfred! Ellis has won several other awards for Alfred most recently the Young Innovators Next Steps award to provide additional support for the UK’s most promising young entrepreneurs. You can read more about this award in this article from The Guardian.

2019 - Goal Manager

Dr Penny Trayner won the first ever Mike Barnes Innovation Award in 2019. You can read more about Goal Manager here.