London: In a move designed to highlight the importance of engineering to the competitiveness of the UK manufacturing sector and future prosperity of the wider economy, three Tata companies have committed their support to the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. 

Tata Steel, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Jaguar Land Rover have all welcomed today’s announcement from the Royal Academy of Engineering that a distinguished panel of judges has been appointed and nominations are now being accepted for what is the biggest and most prestigious prize ever created to celebrate the achievements of today’s engineers.

The £1million prize will be awarded biennially in the name of The Queen to an individual or team of up to three people, of any nationality, directly responsible for advancing the application of engineering knowledge.

The prize is the result of a growing realisation in the worlds of business, engineering and policy of the need for a pioneering initiative based in the UK to focus attention on engineering worldwide. The three Tata companies have joined other leading engineering companies in donating to an endowment fund, which is being managed by an independent charitable trust, the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation, chaired by Lord Browne of Madingley FREng FRS. The Royal Academy of Engineering will deliver the prize on behalf of the trust.

Senior executives from Jaguar Land Rover, Tata Steel and TCS have lent their support for the prize by saying:

Dr Ralf Speth, CEO, Jaguar Land Rover

“The UK has an incredibly rich heritage of engineering excellence and it is imperative that we nurture this vital skill. The opportunities for change today, driven by business and academia partnering in new and creative ways, are unprecedented: The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering celebrates this by recognising the elite innovators who will shape the future of our society.”

Andrew Robb, chairman of the board, Tata Steel Europe

“Tata Steel is proud to support this important prize, which recognises the crucial contribution of engineering to the development of the modern world.

Steelmaking is all about engineering, not only in the manufacture of the material itself, but also in the design and construction of structures in which steel is the key component.

Much of UK manufacturing depends on steel and engineering, and the partnership between all three will play a vital role in rebalancing the UK economy.”

Shankar Narayanan, head, UK and Ireland, Tata Consultancy Services

“This prize is another step forward in the United Kingdom's rich tradition of promoting innovation and entrepreneurship — a value shared by Tata Consultancy Services and the larger Tata group. We are proud to support this initiative that will help identify, nurture and reward the very best of engineering achievements globally."