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Isle of Wight-based RF Engines has won a Queen's Award for innovation.
"It is a very great honour to win this award. The Queen's Awards are internationally recognised markers of excellence," said RFEL CEO John Summers (pictured). "To win in the innovation category against the stiff competition is a tremendous testament to our team of engineers.
The firm specialises in FPGA-based signal processors, including designs that capture fast-moving radio spectrum events like frequency hopping signals, and the Queen's Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category is for this range of DSP technologies.
"Products based on digital signal processing techniques are implemented on the very latest FPGAs, which possess enormous computing power," said the firm. "These are incorporated into an increasing number of our own products as well as their customers' products."
Customers include: Siemens, BAE Systems, Thales, ITT Defence (USA), Anritsu, LG (Korea), the UK Home Office, and the UK MoD.
Applications have included satellite and terrestrial wireless communication networks, test and measurement instrumentation, homeland security surveillance systems, wideband receivers/transceivers, and in systems to detect signals from fast moving missiles or other military threats.
The Innovation category is for continuous innovation and development, sustained over not less than five years to levels that are "outstanding for the size of a company's operations", claimed RFEL.
The firm was formed in 2000 and claims to have been profitable for several years.
It has grown steadily and now employs over 20 designers.