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Europe hails top inventors

Antiviral treatment, aluminium car frame, revolutionary eye scan and robot surgery honoured with the European Inventor of the Year 2008 award

• Four outstanding inventors receive Europe's top innovation prize in Ljubljana today
• Award-winners from Belgium, Germany, United Kingdom and United States
• Slovenian EU Presidency, European Commission and European Patent Office acclaim contributions to Europe's innovative capacity and competitiveness

Ljubljana/Brussels, 6 May 2008 - Today the inventors of a ground-breaking AIDS treatment, lighter and more environmentally friendly aluminium car frames, a powerful but pain-free laser scanner for the eye, and a robot designed to overhaul medical surgery were presented with the European Inventor of the Year 2008 award. Europe's top innovation prize honours pioneers whose inventions have changed our everyday lives and helped to strengthen Europe's competitiveness. The award trophies were handed over by the Slovenian President Danilo Türk, Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen and the President of the European Patent Office (EPO), Alison Brimelow, at a celebratory gala in Ljubljana.

An international jury selected the winners in the following categories:

Lifetime Achievement

• Erik De Clercq of the University of Leuven (Belgium) for landmark contributions to antiviral treatment, including the development of the drug cocktail for AIDS which has become the gold standard of our day.

Industry

• Audi's Norbert Enning, Ulrich Klages, Heinrich Timm, Gundolf Kreis, Alois Feldschmid, Christian Dornberg and Karl Reiter (Germany) for revolutionising automotive manufacturing by making car frames lighter and safer through the use of aluminium.

SMEs and Research

• Douglas Anderson, Robert Henderson and Roger Lucas of Scotland's SME Optos (United Kingdom) for developing a new laser scanning technology for the eye which allows powerful but pain-free examination of the retina.

Non-European Inventors

• SRI International's Philip S. Green (United States) for developing a robotic surgical system that has helped to improve surgery in Europe by allowing surgeons to perform complex procedures with the highest precision.

Günter Verheugen, Vice-President of the European Commission, said: "All winners of the European Inventor of the Year 2008 award developed truly groundbreaking inventions. They are evidence of Europe's innovative strength and competitiveness. Promoting innovation remains a top priority for creating jobs and growth."

Andrej Vizjak, Minister for Economic Affairs of Slovenia, explained: "The Slovenian Presidency is firmly committed to advance Europe's competitiveness and innovative capacities. The groundbreaking inventions honoured today underline the importance of an effective legal framework for the protection of intellectual property rights to support the creative potential of the European economy. We are convinced that an agreement on a Community patent and EU patent jurisdiction will help to boost Europe's innovative process and international competitiveness."

Alison Brimelow, President of the EPO, added: "The award-winners have excelled in their creative achievements. Their success demonstrates the importance of patent protection in the invention process. If we want to tackle climate change or develop new ways of treating diseases, we need a quality-oriented patent system which stimulates and sustains innovation. The IP system can be a pivotal element in the efficient diffusion of cutting-edge technologies, as this year's awards clearly demonstrate."

European Inventor of the Year: the background

Among the array of innovation awards, the European Inventor of the Year stands out not only because of the quality and prominence of the winning researchers, but also because of its unique selection procedure and geographical span. In selecting the award winners, an independent and high-profile international jury was able to draw on the expertise of the EPO and of patent examiners from national patent offices. The jury looked at inventions that had been patented and successfully marketed between 1993 and 2002. The prize is purely symbolic and does not involve any financial or other reward.

The prize recognises inventors and innovations that have made a significant and lasting contribution to technical progress in Europe and beyond, and thus have strengthened Europe's economic position. The European Inventor of the Year Award was jointly instituted by the European Commission and the European Patent Office (EPO).

This year's award ceremony was held in Ljubljana alongside the European Patent Forum 2008 "Inventing a cleaner future". This EPO conference provides a platform for internationally renowned experts to discuss the potential role of the intellectual property system in combating climate change.

Short profiles of the winners and their inventions, audiovisual materials and pictures can be downloaded from the European Inventor of the Year pages on this website.

For more information, please contact

European Patent Office                                             

Rainer Osterwalder
Tel: +49 (0)89 2399-1820
Mobile: +49 (0)163 8399 527             

European Commission

Ton van Lierop
Tel: +32(2)29.665.65

Catherine Bunyan
Tel: +32(2)29.965.12