Polysolar and Voyage Control have been selected as the first two winners in Canary Wharf Group’s Smart Cities accelerator, the Cognicity Challenge.
The winners, announced at Level39, each receive a £50,000 prize and the opportunity to pilot their ground-breaking technology on the Canary Wharf estate.
Sir George Iacobescu, chairman and CEO, Canary Wharf Group plc, said: “The Cognicity Challenge is helping to ensure we have access to some of the most important innovations in smart, sustainable cities.
“We want Canary Wharf to remain one of the most sustainable, convenient and technologically advanced ‘cityscapes’ in the world, and the Cognicity Challenge is helping us improve even further our unique approach to property development.
“With Cognicity we are very pleased to be playing a key role in moving smart cities from concept to reality.”
Polysolar, the winner of the ‘Sustainable Buildings’ stream, has developed transparent, thin-film photovoltaic glass panels which can be fitted, or retrofitted, into a building to generate clean energy.
And the Cambridge-based firm has already completed projects at the Barbican and the Future Business Centre.
The winner of the ‘Integrated Transportation’ stream, Voyage Control, aims to optimise the freight industry through advanced logistics management, tracking and data-gathering.
Their system also matches customers with empty trucks to utilise spare capacity, reducing costs and emissions in the process.
Founding chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Smart Cities and former MP Dan Byles said: “It is fantastic to see innovative companies like these breaking new ground in the fields of sustainable buildings and integrated transportation.
“If we want a sustainable planet we need sustainable cities, and Canary Wharf Group is showing real vision and leadership with programmes like the Cognicity Challenge.
“The government is working closely with thought leaders like CWG and Cognicity and the UK has the opportunity to lead the world in smart city thinking.”
Head of Level39 Eric Van der Kleij added: “I have never seen such a close competition. The calibre of all the participants and our winners, Polysolar and Voyage Control, is testament to the high level of talent amongst those working on innovative technologies in the smart city sector.
Both companies will now work with key Canary Wharf specialists to deploy their pilot within Canary Wharf.