Lancaster University spinout company Quinas Technology has won a 2025 World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Global Award.
The WIPO Global Awards recognise startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that use intellectual property (IP) as a driver for innovation, business growth, and positive social impact.
Quinas was awarded the prize in the ICT Start Up category as one of only ten global winners and the joint first ever UK WIPO winner.
Selected from a highly competitive pool of more than 780 applicants across 95 countries, Quinas was recognised for its work in reshaping the future of computer memory with its patented ULTRARAM™ technology, which combines the speed of DRAM and the non-volatility of flash in a single device. This breakthrough enables faster, more energy-efficient computing with vast applications across data centres, mobile devices, and AI hardware.
The technology was developed at Lancaster University in the research group of Physics Professor Manus Hayne, also Quinas Chief Scientific Officer, resulting in five granted patents in four countries with another eight patents pending to date.
Professor Hayne said, "Quinas Technology is truly delighted and honoured to be a winner in the WIPO Global Awards 2025. Innovation and intellectual property are inseparable aspects at the heart of Quinas' approach to the commercialisation of ULTRARAM™, and to have this recognition by the World Intellectual Property Office is a huge milestone in our journey. With the use of quantum resonant tunnelling as the key inventive step behind ULTRARAM™, it is particularly fitting in the UN International Year of Quantum. The award represents international recognition of the insight, creativity and hard work from colleagues at Quinas and in the Physics Department and commercialisation team at Lancaster University. I would also like to thank our legal partners for their invaluable assistance in drafting and securing ULTRARAM™ patents and for supporting the award nomination."
Science Minister Lord Vallance said: "It is excellent to see Quinas Technology winning this prestigious international award - demonstrating the ability of our great universities to spin out world-class semiconductor research into successful commercial opportunities with a global reach.
"Through our Industrial Strategy this government will continue to back British innovation like this breakthrough memory technology - making data centres more energy-efficient to help them grow and compete around the world."
The CEO of the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) Adam Williams said: "Congratulations to Quinas Technology on becoming one of the UK's first ever WIPO Global Award winners. The IPO is proud to see a UK university spinout earning such prestigious global recognition.
"Their remarkable achievement showcases the journey from laboratory research to pioneering technology, highlighting the UK's strengths in quantum innovation and IP-intensive enterprise. Quinas' story exemplifies how forward-thinking SMEs can leverage their intellectual property to scale-up and have worldwide impact, benefitting people and businesses alike."
The awards were presented during the 66th WIPO General Assembly at WIPO headquarters in Geneva, in the presence of over 1,400 delegates, including representatives from WIPO's 193 member states, international organisations, and innovation experts.
Marcelo Di Pietro, Director of the WIPO Awards Program, said: "The winners of the 2025 Global Awards are not just inventive, they are strategic, impact-driven, and globally minded, and we're proud to support their journey."
Jessica Wenmouth, Lancaster University's Head of Research Commercialisation, said: "This award for Quinas is a fantastic recognition of the role that strategic IP management and research commercialisation play in transforming world-class science into globally impactful technologies. At Lancaster University, we are proud to support the UK's ambition to cultivate high-growth spinouts using publicly funded research assets to drive innovation, economic growth, and international leadership in deep tech."
As a winner, Quinas will benefit from a tailored support package that includes strategic mentoring, global visibility, and access to WIPO's international network of IP and business partners.
Supported by Innovate UK and working with leading research and industry partners worldwide, Quinas is advancing ULTRARAM™ for AI, in-memory computing, and secure low-power applications, positioning the UK at the forefront of future memory technology.
The company has received multiple global awards for innovation, including first prize in the IC Taiwan Global Challenge and Most Innovative Startup at the Flash Memory Summit in Silicon Valley.
