A COUNTY company that genetically engineers insects was among the winners at a local business awards ceremony.

A space-age satellite services firm and a company that has developed a 'fully industrialised diamond marking system' were also among the winners at this year's Oxford Trust Enterprise Awards.

The science education charity uses the annual ceremony to celebrate innovative companies and individuals working in the science and technology industry in the area.

The awards are sponsored by big names such as Barclays bank, Marks & Clerk, Advanced Oxford, Oxford Innovation and product design company Triteq.

The ceremony was once again held in partnership with Venturefest Oxford and was held at Oxford Brookes University’s Headington Campus on Wednesday night.

Oxford Trust chairman John Boyle said: “Now in their 15th year, The Oxford Trust Enterprise Awards are an annual highlight and a real showcase for Oxfordshire’s entrepreneurs and high-tech industry.

"This year was no exception with a strong list of contenders and some outstanding winners.

"We look forward to seeing these companies develop and grow.”

The awards have been running since 2005.

The award categories and winners were:

Young Entrepreneur Award - Dr Liberty Foreman and Dr Katherine Willetts founded DynamX Medical in 2015 to commercialise research carried out during their PhDs into the clinical applications of infrared spectroscopy. They have developed a software platform for developing multi-screening solutions.

Start-up Award – recognises the outstanding performance of an Oxfordshire tech start-up that has been trading for one to three years.

This year’s winner is Opsydia. A spin-out from Oxford University, Opsydia creates practically invisible structures inside transparent materials by using ultra-fast laser technology.

Breakthrough Technology Award – this year’s winner is Oxitec.

Oxitec is a UK-based biotechnology company pioneering the use of genetic engineering to control insect pests that spread disease and damage crops.

Award for Innovation – this year’s winner is Oxford Space Systems, a Harwell Campus-based satellite tech firm.

Outstanding Achievement Award – this year’s winner is Professor Lionel Tarassenko, an engineer and academic and the Head of Department of Engineering Science at the Oxford University. He was chosen for his contribution to biomedical engineering. For more visit theoxfordtrust.co.uk