2024 FOYA Banquet Recap: Celebrating Excellence and Tips for Submitting to the 2025 Facility of the Year Awards
The evening of Sunday, 13 October, many members of the ISPE community gathered in Orlando, Florida, USA, to honor the Facility of the Year Awards (FOYA) winners, a prestigious group of companies who set new benchmarks in pharmaceutical innovation, operational excellence, and societal impact. The 2024 FOYA Banquet and Awards Celebration was filled with excitement, highlighting each winner’s achievements in facility design, construction, and operations—each winner honored for their unwavering commitment to excellence.
2024 FOYA Winners
Innovation and Overall Winner: Eli Lilly Kinsale Limited for their pioneering advancements in facility innovation
Operations, Project Execution: Pfizer Asia Pacific Manufacturing Ltd recognized for exemplary project execution and operational efficiency
Operations – Facility Fit: Takeda Austria GmbH honored for their excellent facility fit, optimizing both space and process
Social Impact: Chugai Pharma Manufacturing Co., Ltd. acknowledged for impactful contributions to environmental and community welfare
Honorable Mentions: United Therapeutics Corporation and Zydus Pharmaceuticals Ltd. recognized for exceptional achievements in operational excellence
The evening featured inspiring acceptance speeches, highlighting not just technological advancements but the spirit of collaboration and commitment that drives these impactful projects. Eli Lilly Kinsale Limited’s recognition as the category winner for Innovation and Overall FOYA winner closed the night with a testament to the high bar set by this year’s FOYA winners. You can explore the energy and excitement of the event on the FOYA Activities webpage.
Why Submit a Facility to FOYA?
The FOYA program has become a cornerstone for companies across the globe to showcase their incredible projects while gaining recognition within the industry, and inspiring further innovation and advancement. The benefits of submitting a project to FOYA include but are not limited to the following:
Industry Leadership
Be positioned as a leader in pharmaceutical innovation and operational excellence.
Global Exposure
Gain visibility in the industry and network with other forward-thinking professionals.
Business Development
Strengthen existing relationships with stakeholders and open doors to new opportunities.
Recruitment Advantage
Enhance a company’s reputation to attract top talent.
Receiving FOYA recognition not only celebrates accomplishments but offers companies unique opportunities for business growth, enhanced reputation, and continued professional development.
Ready to position a facility among the industry’s best?
Here’s a breakdown of key steps for a FOYA submission. Please note, this is a very comprehensive submission process. Reviewing the submission form thoroughly before getting started is highly recommended.
- Review the 2025 FOYA Program Guide and Submission Instructions: The guide covers program details, eligible building types, judging criteria, award categories and more
- Prepare Your Proposal: Submit a project submission document, a comprehensive proposal with a cover page, executive summary, detailed project description (up to 10 pages), sustainability initiatives, and reasons for the project’s merit. Be sure to include nine high-resolution project photos
- Complete the online FOYA Submission Form: Provide details about the project, key participants, and contact information. Include the program entry agreement and required photography release forms
- Submit by 6 December 2024: Ensure all documents are complete and submitted before the deadline
Once submitted, the judging and selection process begins. The FOYA judging process led by the FOYA Judging Committee, comprised of seasoned industry experts, evaluates submissions across multiple rounds. Projects are judged on innovation, project delivery, sustainability, and operational excellence, with a focus on setting new industry benchmarks. For questions on the FOYA submission process, please contact FOYA@ISPE.org.
2025 ISPE FOYA Winner Activities
There are so many fun activities and opportunities that come along with submitting a project. Finalists and winners are highlighted at several ISPE conferences, such as the following:
- FOYA Category Winner Submission Finalists Announcement
2025 ISPE Facilities of the Future Conference, 27-28 January 2025, San Francisco, California, USA - 2025 ISPE FOYA Category Winner Announcement
2025 ISPE Europe Annual Conference, 12-14 May 2025, London, England, UK - 2025 FOYA Banquet and Awards Celebration
2025 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo, 26-29 October, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
These conferences provide the FOYA category winners with valuable networking and industry exposure, along with the opportunity to reinforce their project’s respective impact beyond the FOYA Banquet and Awards Celebration stage.
Learn more by visiting ISPE.org/FOYA to check out the 2024 submission finalists, winners, photos from the FOYA Banquet and Awards Celebration and so much more.
Showcase a Project!
This is the moment to showcase facility innovations, excellence, and commitment to advancing pharmaceutical engineering.
Submit a FOYA application by Friday, 6 December 2024 and seize the opportunity to gain recognition, network with industry leaders, and inspire the next generation of facility excellence.
View the “ISPE FOYA Submission Best Practices” webinar recording for additional insight on award submissions.
