Award Recipients

Ionix Advanced Technologies has been honoured with a King’s Award for Enterprise for Innovation 2026 in recognition of its HotSense sensing platform, based on its proprietary high-performance piezoelectric (HPZ) materials.

A spin out from the University of Leeds in 2011, Ionix has spent over a decade engineering sensing technology that operates where conventional instrumentation fails. The HotSense platform delivers continuous, real-time ultrasonic measurement at temperatures from -200 to +600 °C, under high pressure, and in explosive and radioactive atmospheres.

At the heart of the platform is HPZ, a patented piezoelectric ceramic designed to maintain electro-mechanical performance under extreme conditions. Piezoelectric materials – which convert electrical impulses into mechanical movement and sound, and vice versa – are familiar from medical ultrasound, naval SONAR and parking sensors. Ionix’s HPZ extends that same physics into the harshest industrial settings. Unlike conventional inspection methods, which typically require plant shutdowns, scaffolding or temporary instrumentation, HotSense operates continuously in-service. Deployed by hand, by robotic platforms, or as fixed-point installations, it gives operators real-time process control and structural health data.

“Receiving this Award is a defining moment,” says Tim Stevenson, Chief Executive Officer. “This recognition reflects years of advanced materials research, relentless engineering, and a clear commercial conviction to improve the resilience and operational efficiency of the world’s critical infrastructure.”

Ionix’s HPZ materials have also been adopted by major industrial measurement and control providers. The recently-launched TRND intelligent monitoring system extends HotSense into a turnkey precision corrosion and erosion monitoring solution, while the XLF family of lead-free piezoelectric materials prepares OEMs for tightening global regulations on lead-based materials.

Ionix remains committed to West Yorkshire, with the recent inauguration of its Centre of Excellence for extreme environment sensing and ongoing expansion of advanced materials manufacturing in Leeds. During a recent visit, Chancellor Rachel Reeves noted: “Businesses like Ionix showcase the great potential that Britain has to lead in sectors such as advanced manufacturing.”