2026 award program
As digital technologies are increasingly integrated with operational systems, the traditional separation between IT and OT has become unsustainable. An effective and secure approach to IT/OT convergence is critical to achieving operational excellence and maintaining a competitive edge.
For the 2026 Joseph C. Belden Innovation Award program, entrants will be asked to describe how their innovation supports IT/OT convergence – bringing IT and OT worlds closer together to capitalize on technological advancements, unlock data-driven efficiency, and drive overall agility and profitability.
Winners and finalists will receive benefits such as:
- Networking opportunities with fellow innovators, industry experts, Belden executives, customers, and partners
- Attendance and speaking opportunities at the summer 2026 Belden Innovation Summit
- Additional co-marketing opportunities to be determined based on applicable markets and use cases
- Promotional campaign featuring video, social media, and press release (winner only)
Requirements:
- Business impact: Entries must address the integration and optimization of IT and OT environments.
- Company size: Small or medium-sized companies with less than $500 million in revenue are invited to submit entries.
- Product availability: Submitted products must have been made available for sale on or after July 1, 2024.
- Implementation success: The product must be implemented in at least one customer application. The entry form will require testimonials from customers who can attest to the value and benefit of your innovation.
- Market(s) served: Eligible products or technologies should support IT/OT convergence in one or more of Belden’s key markets, such as manufacturing, transportation, data centers, warehousing & logistics, energy, healthcare or hospitality.
Process:
Complete the nomination form by February 13, 2026. Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of industry judges under NDA. Top finalists will be announced in early April and invited to attend and present at the Belden Innovation Summit in Summer 2026. The winner will be announced at the event during the evening awards dinner. If you have questions, please contact [email protected].
2025 award program
Congratulations to InUse on being named the winner of the second annual Joseph C. Belden Award for their ilean solution. The industrial agentic AI assistant helps industrial and technical field teams manage tasks and meet high expectations to reduce downtime, improve efficiency and cut operational costs.
Belden honored InUse and finalists HGS and Corero at the award presentation event in Chicago on June 17, 2025.
(Left to right: Martin Van Der Burgt, Vice President, R&D - Data Acquisition and Transmission Products, Belden Inc.; Sharath Tadepalli, Principal Data Scientist at HGS; Laurent Couillard, Founder & CEO at InUse (Winner); Michael Honeycutt, Product Marketing Manager at Corero; Ashish Chand, President and Chief Executive Officer, Belden Inc.)
InUse
HGS CX
Corero
Congratulations to the 2024 Honorees
Finalists
TECHMEDO
TECHMEDO HOS (Intelligent Healthcare Operating System)
Voleatech GmbH
VT AIR OT Firewall Software