European Inventor Award 2021 finalists announced
The European Patent Office (EPO) today announced the 15 inventors and inventor teams shortlisted as finalists for the 2021 edition of the European Inventor Award. The annual innovation prize, now in its 15th year, recognises outstanding inventors who have made an exceptional contribution to technology, society, and economic growth.
The 2021 European Inventor Award winners will be announced at a ceremony beginning at 19:00 CEST on 17 June 2021, which has this year been reimagined as a digital event for a global audience. The ceremony will be open to the public and held in an extended reality format.
"The past year has highlighted more than ever the importance of scientists, researchers, inventors and entrepreneurs in advancing technology and improving our lives," said EPO President António Campinos. "This year's finalists for the European Inventor Award 2021 are shining examples of the ingenuity and creativity that support technological progress and pave the way for job creation and economic growth. Each of the exceptional finalists is a trailblazer in their respective field and has made a tangible contribution to overcoming some of society's most pressing challenges, from turning carbon emissions into a resource to broadening our pool of antibiotics and more".
The 2021 finalists come from Austria, China, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. They were selected from a pool of nearly 400 inventors and teams of inventors by an independent, international jury. The pool itself was proposed by members of the public, representatives of national patent offices across Europe, and EPO staff.
The Award comprises five categories: "Industry", "Research", "Non-EPO countries", "SMEs" and "Lifetime achievement". The winner of the sixth category, the "Popular Prize", will be chosen by the public. Voting for the Popular Prize is now open and will close during the ceremony on 17 June 2021.
The 15 finalists in the five categories are:
Industry
- Per Gisle Djupesland (Norway) - Better nasal drug delivery
- Christoph Gürtler, Walter Leitner and team (Germany) - Using carbon dioxide to make greener plastics
- Jan van der Tempel (The Netherlands) - Safe transfer to and from offshore platforms
Research
- Marco Donolato and team (Italy/Denmark) - Magnetic nanoparticles to diagnose disease
- Robert N. Grass (Austria) and Wendelin Stark (Switzerland) - DNA-based data storage
- Mathias Fink and Mickael Tanter (France) - Ultrasound imaging method using shear waves
Non-EPO countries
- Bo Pi and Yi He (China) - Live fingerprint sensors for greater security
- Kim Lewis and Slava S. Epstein (USA) - Tools to cultivate microbes
- Sumita Mitra (USA/India) - Restoring smiles with nanomaterials
SMEs
- Carmen Hijosa (Spain) - Turning pineapple leaves into a sustainable alternative to leather
- Ben Kibel and Pete Kibel (United Kingdom) - Fishing hook cover to save seabirds
- Henrik Lindström and Giovanni Fili (Sweden) - Flexible solar cells for portable devices
Lifetime achievement
- Metin Colpan (Germany)- Efficient tools to analyse nucleic acids
- Karl Leo (Germany) - Advances in organic semiconductors
- Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic (Serbia/USA) - Advances in tissue engineering