The Smith Institute for Industrial Mathematics and System Engineering has won the award in recognition for its pioneering work in spectrum auctions worldwide. Last year the Institute supported the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to deliver their most complicated auction to date, by providing Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Testing of algorithmic components in the auction bidding systems. Having first been approached by Ofcom in 2007 to verify the implementation of a ground-breaking auction for radio spectrum licences, the Smith Institute are world-leaders in the IV&V of spectrum auctions. The organisation has since worked on 30 auctions across 10 countries, generating over £100bn worth of spectrum licences and supporting the exponentially growing demand for mobile access to data.
