Established by the editors of R&D Magazine, the annual R&D 100 Awards identify the 100 most significant, newly introduced research and development advances in multiple disciplines. Winning one of the R&D 100 Awards provides a mark of excellence known to industry, government, and academia as proof that the product is one of the most innovative ideas of the year, nationally and internationally. It has also been helping companies provide the important initial push a new product needs to compete successfully in the marketplace.
The R&D 100 Awards were established in 1963. They were originally known as the I-R 100s, in keeping with the original name of the magazine, Industrial Research. In 1963, the winners were picked by a panel of outside judges selected by the publisher and editor. No entries were required, and only U.S. companies could win. A formal entry procedure was established in 1964 and final judging was made by the magazine's editors (with the advice of outside experts). The first non-U.S. winners came along in 1965.
Over the years, the R&D 100 Awards have recognized winning products with such household names as Polacolor film (1963), the flashcube (1965), the automated teller machine (1973), the halogen lamp (1974), the fax machine (1975), the liquid crystal display (1980), the printer (1986), the Kodak Photo CD (1991), the Nicoderm antismoking patch (1992), Taxol anticancer drug (1993), lab on a chip (1996), and HDTV (1998).
Awards have been granted for such projects as: