The Engineering Council would like to congratulate Keith Heyes CEng FIET, Systems Engineering Director & Original Inventor from Quanta Dialysis Technologies, named as the winner of the 2022 MacRobert Award, the most prestigious prize for UK engineering innovation.

Quanta Dialysis Technologies was honoured for creating a compact and portable dialysis machine (the SC+), allowing more flexible and accessible care for patients with renal failure. The MacRobert Award celebrates engineering developments that demonstrate outstanding engineering innovation, commercial success and tangible social benefits, and the SC+ haemodialysis system impressed judges across all three criteria.

The SC+ marks a major advance in dialysis technology, which has seen little innovation in decades, and is already used by several NHS trusts. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Quanta provided its entire stock of dialysis machines to the NHS to help relieve some of the pressure in hospitals and Intensive Care Units (ICUs). The innovation is already CE-marked and FDA-cleared and stands to be a global leader in the industry, which is projected to exceed $12bn in the US alone.

Professor Sir Richard Friend FREng FRS, Chair of the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) MacRobert Award judging panel, said:

“This UK-based global healthtech success story, which traces back to technology first developed for use in fruit juice dispensers, demonstrates remarkable engineering ingenuity. Recent success comes on the back of Quanta’s considerable journey as a company. The team has been working for a decade to develop a machine that dramatically improves patient care and quality of life, relieves pressure on hospitals and showcases the enormous commercial potential that cutting edge engineering can unlock. The team exemplifies the persistence, innovation and unconventional thinking that has long been a hallmark of the UK’s greatest engineering success stories and they are worthy winners of the MacRobert Award.”

John E Milad, CEO of Quanta Dialysis Technologies, said: 

“I am incredibly proud of our team for developing an innovation deemed worthy of the prestigious MacRobert Award. This is truly an honour to all of us at Quanta.”

The MacRobert Award was presented at the RAEng Awards Dinner 2022, on 12 July, alongside other major Academy awards for achievements in engineering. These included the Rooke Award for the public promotion of engineering, which was presented to registrant Dr Mark McBride-Wright CEng MIChemE.

The MacRobert Award is the UK's longest-running and most prestigious national prize for engineering innovation. Each year a winning team receives a gold medal and £50,000 prize to recognise outstanding innovation, tangible societal benefit and proven commercial success.

For the full announcement, details and the judging panel and finalists for the MacRobert Award, please see the RAEng website.

For press enquiries:   
Kate Webster, Engineering Council – kwebster@eng.org.uk, 020 3206 0567

The Engineering Council was incorporated by Royal Charter in November 1981 to regulate the engineering profession in the UK. This is our 40^th year of setting and maintaining standards, to ensure that society continues to have confidence and trust in the engineering profession.

The Engineering Council holds the national Register of Engineering Technicians (EngTech), Incorporated Engineers (IEng), Chartered Engineers (CEng) and Information and Communication Technology Technicians (ICTTech). It also sets and maintains the internationally recognised standards of competence and ethics that govern the award and retention of these titles. By this means it is able to ensure that employers, government and wider society, both at home and overseas, can have confidence in the skills and commitment of registrants. For more information see our website: www.engc.org.uk