Arktis Radiation wins USD 200.000

After pitching their security innovation to a panel of judges before a live audience of investors, industry, government, VCs and peers, Arktis Radiation Detection Ltd.  from Zurich has been crowned winner of the 2011 Global Security Challenge, and awarded prize funds worth $200,000

The award was made at PitchLive, a Dragons’ Den style pitching event for hi-tech innovators, which marks the culmination of the 2011 Global Security Challenge, an annual competition to find the Best Security Start-Up. The competition attracts entrants from around the world, and innovators must excel at regional finals to be invited to the final summit in London, where the 12 finalists pitched their ideas.

Arktis Radiation Detectors, Best Security Start-up, has developed a technology for detecting ionizing radiation. Arktis’ technology uses tubes of compressed helium to detect the hard-to-shield, high-energy ’fast’ neutrons emitted by special nuclear materials and identify their source. Thetechnology has applications in various markets including border security where it can be used to spot the transportation of material that could be used to build nuclear weapons.

The technology overcomes many challenges associated with radiation detection, notably that radiation material intended for criminal use has to be differentiated from that which occurs naturally, and that materials necessary for detection are often scarce and expensive.

Arktis Radiation Detectors Ltd is a Swiss high-tech start-up.