Awards, Recognition and Media
External recognition of our work in inclusive technology, employment, research and digital innovation
The work behind 3DNovations has received recognition from business organisations, government, broadcasters, research bodies and the technology sector.
Much of this earlier work was undertaken when we were called Hao2.eu, which developed and commercialised technology under the 3DNovations name before the incorporation of the present 3DNovations Limited.
The recognition below provides a record of how this work developed from inclusive employment practice into accessible digital services, research, skills development and responsible innovation.
2010: South London Business Best Equalities Employer
Hao2.eu received the South London Business Best Equalities Employer award in Kingston in 2010.
The recognition came at an early stage in the development of Hao2.eu as a social firm combining technology development with inclusive employment. The organisation employed autistic and non autistic staff and sought to create working practices that allowed people with different communication, accessibility and support requirements to contribute effectively.
The Open University later included the award among the significant achievements associated with Hao2.eu and 3DNovations.
https://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/greenforum/index.php/2020/07/25/3dnovations
2011: International Health Promotion Awards Finalist
In 2011, the Hao2.eu project People with Autistic Spectrum Conditions Making a World of Difference was selected as a United Kingdom finalist in the International Health Promotion Awards, jointly sponsored by URAC and the Care Continuum Alliance.
The international awards were presented in Rome in December 2011. The recognition related to Hao2.eu’s work exploring how three dimensional virtual environments could increase access to services, learning and employment for autistic people.
This work was closely connected with the Technology Strategy Board funded digital services feasibility research undertaken during the same period, in which a predominantly autistic project team explored new ways of delivering accessible digital services.
https://www.ri.gov/press/view/15359
2012: Featured in the DWP Untapped Talent Employer Guide
In March 2012, the Department for Work and Pensions and the National Autistic Society published Untapped Talent: A Guide to Employing People with Autism.
https://www.3dnovations.co.uk/pdf/Untapped_Talent_-_English.pdf
Hao2.eu was one of only three employers represented through detailed employee case studies, alongside Goldman Sachs and Norton Rose.
The Hao2.eu case study followed George, who initially joined the company as a trainee Digital Project Assistant. Within a year, he had progressed to a Sub Group Team Leader role managing two other members of staff.
The publication documented practical measures used by Hao2.eu, including flexible working hours and location, structured objectives, frequent feedback, personal development sessions and training in presentation, teamworking and networking skills. It also highlighted George’s rapid development of creative and technical skills and his role in sharing those skills with colleagues.
Hao2.eu was also formally thanked as one of the organisations that supported production of the DWP guide.
When Lord Freud launched Untapped Talent, he specifically named Goldman Sachs, Norton Rose and Hao2 as employers demonstrating the business case for employing autistic people.
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/supporting-people-with-autism-into-employment
For a small technology company, being presented alongside major international employers provided significant external recognition of our inclusive employment practices.
2012: Nominet Internet Awards Winner
Later in 2012, Hao2.eu and 3DNovations won the Most Innovative Business category at the Nominet Internet Awards.
The winning initiative was recognised for providing autistic people with access to employment, training and business opportunities through an online three dimensional virtual world.
This represented an important early endorsement of the idea that collaborative virtual environments could have practical social and economic applications beyond entertainment.
Read more about the 2012 Nominet Internet Award
2015: BBC Make It Digital, Ones to Watch Finalist
Hao2.eu was subsequently selected as a finalist in the BBC Make It Digital, Ones to Watch initiative.
BBC Make It Digital was intended to increase awareness of digital creativity, skills and technology across the UK. The Ones to Watch initiative formed part of BBC Radio 5 Live’s contribution to that wider programme.
The recognition reflected the growing profile of Hao2.eu’s work using collaborative digital environments to support employment, learning and accessibility.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1gbxKpN91hN5rlvXLDjjdYx/5-live-ones-to-watch
2015: TIGA Games Industry Awards Finalist
In 2015, Hao2.eu was selected as a finalist in the Education Initiative and Talent Development category of the TIGA Games Industry Awards.
The shortlist placed Hao2.eu alongside established games education and skills initiatives including PlayStationFirst, Next Generation Skills Academy, Grads in Games, Staffordshire University, London South Bank University and the University of Portsmouth.
The recognition reflected Hao2.eu’s use of three dimensional technology for vocational learning, digital skills and employment development.
At the time, the Hao2.eu team itself worked remotely through collaborative three dimensional environments and involved service users in developing the virtual spaces used for learning and work. A 2016 profile in The Guardian also records both the earlier Nominet win and the 2015 TIGA Education and Talent Development shortlist.
The TIGA recognition was particularly valuable because it placed socially focused and inclusive technology development within the wider UK games and interactive technology sector.
https://tiga.org/news/2015-tiga-games-industry-awards-finalists-revealed
2016: 3DNovations Research Featured on TV3’s The Gadget Buzz
3DNovations technology and research associated with University College Dublin SMARTlab were also featured on Irish television through TV3’s technology programme The Gadget Buzz.
The programme explored emerging and practical applications of technology. Its second series placed greater emphasis on how new technologies might affect people’s lives, with virtual reality among the areas it examined.
The 3DNovations feature demonstrated a collaborative virtual environment and discussed the potential for this type of technology to support autistic people.
Rather than using virtual reality purely as entertainment, the work explored how shared three dimensional spaces could support learning, communication, confidence and skills development.
Users could enter through avatars and interact within environments designed around particular activities or situations. This allowed research partners to examine how virtual settings might provide an alternative route into experiences that could be difficult to access through conventional physical environments.
The television feature also reflected the longer research relationship between Hao2.eu and UCD SMARTlab, through which researchers and developers explored applications of collaborative virtual environments in education, accessibility and social participation.
Watch the TV3 feature
2016: European Foundations Award for Responsible Research and Innovation Finalist
In November 2016, 3DNovations represented the UK as a finalist in the inaugural European Foundations Award for Responsible Research and Innovation in Brussels.
3DNovations was the only UK candidate and the only industry finalist, shortlisted alongside 14 projects from across Europe. The recognition focused particularly on the involvement of autistic people in the development and application of technology intended to increase inclusion, employment and participation.
The team also demonstrated its approach during the event by streaming activity from Brussels into a virtual recreation of the venue, allowing people unable to attend physically to participate remotely.
The recognition marked an important progression from the earlier awards. By this stage, the focus was not simply on the technology itself, but on the way research, development, lived experience and social outcomes were being brought together.
https://www.3dnovations.co.uk/efarri-2016/
2023: European Commission Judicial Training Conference
In April 2023, 3DNovations presented at the European Commission high level conference Judicial Training: The Right Skills to Embrace the Digitalisation of Justice, held at Blue Point Brussels and online.
The three day event brought together more than 290 representatives of judicial training providers and professional associations across 37 countries. It examined how digital technologies were changing justice and how judges, prosecutors, lawyers, court staff and other justice professionals should be prepared for that transition. The European Commission describes the conference as part of its work to build the digital capacity of justice professionals through 26 specialist workshops and plenary sessions.
3DNovations led a workshop titled Beyond Traditional Methods: The Future of Unconscious Bias Training Through Immersive Technology. The session explored how virtual environments, VR, and AI could support unconscious bias training, including the use of a virtual courtroom to simulate jury selection and examine how participants respond to different scenarios.
The workshop also examined accessibility and participation. The conference report highlighted the potential for virtual environments to allow people from different backgrounds to explore courts remotely, reduce barriers for autistic adults and support hybrid participation for marginalised groups. Its recommendations included experimenting with virtual jury selection, considering how avatars might reduce appearance based bias and exploring the role of AI in making justice more accessible.
