The Colin Campbell Mitchell Award commemorates the life and work of one of Scotland's most accomplished marine engineers, Edinburgh-born Colin Campbell Mitchell OBE FRSE (1904-69). He had a long and distinguished career with Brown Brothers Engineering, where he pioneered the development of the steam catapult for use on aircraft carriers.
A cash prize of £6,000 will be awarded to the chosen team.
Who is eligible to be nominated?
- A team will have made the greatest contribution to the advancement of any field of engineering within the period of the four years prior to the making of the award.
- Nominees must be a team, with a maximum of six members, working or studying in the UK.
- Self-nominations are not accepted. If you wish to be considered but do not have a nominator, please contact the Academy.
Meet our 2026 winner
The team behind 'Robotics Technology for Industry Exploitation'
The cross-organisational team has successfully translated cutting-edge robotics and AI research into operational technologies used across the nuclear, infrastructure, defence, aerospace and space sectors.
Across these industries, many critical tasks like nuclear decommissioning or infrastructure inspection continue to expose workers to inaccessible or challenging environments. Although advances in robotics and AI offer significant potential to reduce these risks, research breakthroughs have struggled to transition into real-world industrial deployment.
In response to this issue, the team developed “Robotics Technology for Industry Exploitation”, a first-of-its-kind collaborative model for accelerating the adoption of robotics and AI in industrial settings, bridging the gap between research and industry.
Their work has delivered significant engineering, safety and economic benefits, including robotic deployments that reduce human exposure to dangerous environments, estimated savings of around £20 million for Sellafield and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, and a projected future value of £500 million through wider adoption of the technologies developed.
Top row from left to right: Rob Buckingham OBE FREng, Dr Kirsty Hewitson FRSC, Dr James Kell. Bottom row from left to right: Professor Barry Lennox FREng, Duncan Steel, Professor Michael Fisher.
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