The Norwegian Research Council’s Innovation Award (Innovasjonsprisen) is given to an individual, business, or public entity that has achieved innovation through the strategic use of research. For the award, the council look for candidates who are moving boundaries for what is possible within a field. ZEG is ranked as top 3 in this year’s prestigious award.

The award is intended to highlight the benefits of research as a starting point for innovation and is meant to inspire others to invest strategically in research and apply research results in innovative ways. ZEG was nominated for the company's development of an efficient solution for the conversion of natural gas and biogas to hydrogen.
“We are proud of being one of the three finalists in this prestigious award, where we met tough competition from great teams with exceptional research and innovative product development. It is very satisfying that our research and technology development over the last 20 years is recognised. Our goal is to contribute to Norway’s transition towards a greener ecomomy and industry. This recognition inspires us to continue to develop climate-friendly technology and solutions that can further develop the Norwegian industrial adventure,” says CEO of ZEG, Arild Selvig.

The researchers Magnar Bjørås and Sulalit Bandyopadhyay at The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), won the Norwegian Research Council’s Innovation Award for 2021. They have developed a sensitive corona test that has been a key tool in the work of taking the country through the corona pandemic. The innovation has been sold to health services in other countries and have resulted in a start-up company with international potential in diagnostics.

The industrial software company Cognite was the third finalist.The company provides software solutions for industries such as oil and gas, and renewable energy, and is considered to be one of Norway's first unicorns.