20 Years of CPI: Celebrating the Past, Shaping the Future
Celebrating 20 years of innovation, impact and collaboration — highlights from a milestone year at CPI and what it means for our future.
Matthew Herbert and Becky Fields
In 2004, CPI was born with a bold vision — to help turn great science into world-changing innovations. Over the last two decades, we’ve grown from a small team with an ambitious idea into a national innovation organisation with global influence.
We’ve helped thousands of innovators overcome barriers, scale their businesses, and transform bold ideas into impactful products while generating billions for the UK economy. But beyond the numbers, what’s made the journey truly special is the people — those within CPI, and the countless collaborators, partners, and innovators we exist to support.
This year wasn’t just a celebration of what we’ve achieved. It was a moment to pause, reflect, and set our sights on what comes next.
Here’s a look back at the moments, milestones and memories that made our 20th year one to remember.
Roadshows: Celebrating With Our People and Partners
We kicked off our anniversary celebrations with a series of roadshow events at our sites across the UK. These events brought together our people, alumni, partners and supporters for a moment of reflection on how far we’ve come — and the connections, collaborations, and shared purpose that got us here. They offered a chance to reconnect, make new links across teams and generations, and celebrate CPI’s journey… with a side of street food, cake, and a bit of fun along the way.
20 for 20: Giving Back to Our Communities
In September, we launched our 20 for 20 Giving Back Week, where over 180 of our people rolled up their sleeves to volunteer their time and skills across a range of charitable initiatives. From environmental clean-ups and blood donations to school engagement and food bank support — the week was a reflection of CPI’s values in action. We exist to serve others, and this initiative was a powerful reminder of how we can drive impact well beyond our labs and innovation centres.
Read more about Giving Back Week here: CPI celebrates 20 years by volunteering in communities
People in Innovation: Our First Podcast
To capture the stories behind the science, we launched our very first podcast: People in Innovation. The four-part series explores the origins, growth, and future of CPI through the voices of the people who’ve shaped it. It’s a celebration of the individuals behind the innovation — and a must-listen for anyone interested in deep tech, collaboration, and what it really takes to turn an idea into impact.
Listen here: People in Innovation: A CPI Podcast
Westminster Reception: A Celebration of National Impact
In March, we hosted a special reception at the Palace of Westminster. It was an opportunity to reflect on 20 years of national impact, with contributions from Director General Alex Jones for the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, Anna Turley MP for Redcar, Dr Stella Peace, Interim Executive Chair of Innovate UK and Dr Luana Ferrara, Head of R&D and Collaborations at Qkine. The event reinforced our role as a key convenor in the UK innovation ecosystem — bridging science and industry, accelerating emerging technologies, and helping the UK compete globally.
You can read more about the event here: CPI celebrates 20 years of innovation at Westminster.
Sharing What We’ve Learned
This year wasn’t just about looking back — it was about sharing what we’ve learned with others. Throughout the year, we published a range of thought leadership articles capturing insights from two decades of scaling businesses, accelerating technologies and building partnerships.
Some of our most-read pieces included:
In the Media: Sharing Our Story
Over the past year, we’ve had fantastic media coverage across local, regional, and national outlets. Highlights include:
- Tees Business — Teesside-born CPI celebrating 20 years
- Politics Home — Celebrating 20 years of CPI
- The Chemical Engineer — Making innovation pay
- The Northern Echo – Finding a route across the valley of death
- Business IQ – Life Changing
- Tees Business — How CPI Enterprises helps finance the deep tech innovators
Annual Review: The 20th Anniversary Edition
Of course, no milestone year would be complete without a special edition of our Annual Review. It features highlights from the last two decades, impact stories, data, and interviews from across the organisation. If you haven’t read it yet — now’s your chance.
Looking Ahead
CPI has always been more than an organisation — we’re a catalyst. For businesses. For ideas. For people.
We don’t exist for our own success — we exist so others can succeed. And as we look ahead to the next chapter, we remain committed to delivering innovation with impact, in partnership with the industries, founders, academics, investors and communities who make progress possible.
A huge thank you to every person, partner, and team who has helped shape our story so far.
Let’s keep innovating together.
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