The 252 recipients of this year’s King’s Awards for Enterprise have been announced today.

Previously known as The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, the awards have celebrated the achievements of UK businesses since the mid-1960s.

The awards have four categories: International Trade, Sustainable Development, Promoting Opportunity (through social mobility), and most pertinent to the tech sector, Innovation.

This year, 59 of the 252 awardees were recognised in the Innovation category, with winning businesses providing forward-thinking technological and scientific products and services.

One recipient in particular is Halo Solutions, the Nottinghamshire-based producer of crowd safety and security software.

The company was created by Lloyd Major, a former national counter-terrorism police officer, who wanted to improve emergency communications, safety, and security in venues and public spaces after the Manchester Arena bombing.

Speaking on the award and the solution that’s been created, Major said: “Halo is in the business of protecting people.

“Anywhere the public gather, from train stations to football stadiums, festivals to universities and everywhere in-between, it takes great communication and co-ordination of information and resources to keep them safe.”

“Winning the King’s Award for Enterprise is a stunning recognition of the hard work we do in this space as a British tech company to bring innovative software to the operational environments that need it most.”

In Scotland, five companies won Innovation awards: JST (Floating Points), Liquid Gas Equipment which is trading as Babcock LGE, Mike Stoane Lighting trading as Stoane Lighting, Sarco Stopper, and Vascutek, trading as Terumo Aortic.

JST is a logistics company active in the port services sector, Babcock LGE is a company in liquefied gas solutions, and Terumo Aortic a medical device company.

Stoane Lighting meanwhile manufactures and designs architectural lighting equipment, and Sarco Stopper manufactures onshore and offshore pipeline stopping solutions.

Richard Jennings, JST’s managing director, commented on the win: “As a service business, receiving the King’s Award for Innovation is an absolute honour for the company and a huge testament to our employees, partners and customers.”

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Speaking on the awards as a whole, Kevin Hollinrake, minister for enterprise, remarked: “I congratulate the recipients of this year’s King’s Awards for Enterprise, who exemplify the talent, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit of British business.

“I wish them every success and commend the invaluable contributions they make to communities both at home and overseas, helping to grow the UK economy.”