European Patent Office announces the finalists for the European Inventor Award 2022 Award highlights breakthroughs in cancer research, renewable energy, climate innovation, green industry, medical technology and manufacturing
Munich, 17 May 2022 - Thirteen inventors or teams spanning the fields of cancer, energy, climate, green industry, medtech and manufacturing have today been announced as finalists in the European Inventor Award, the European Patent Office's prestigious annual innovation prize.
The European Inventor Award celebrates the genius and creativity of inventors for their contributions to technology, sustainability and economic growth, as well our daily lives. With eight women named finalists and multiple inventions in green technologies, the 2022 Award reflects progress and positive societal change. The winners will be announced at a virtual ceremony on 21 June.
"Our finalists represent diverse sectors of industry and fields of technology, underlining the depth of human ingenuity while providing solutions for challenges that impact us all," says EPO President António Campinos. "The European patent system provides a framework that encourages inventors to develop their ideas, enabling them to keep us healthy, our planet sustainable, and our society prosperous."
Awards will be given in five categories: Industry, Research, Non-EPO countries, SMEs and Lifetime achievement. From this year onwards, the Lifetime Achievement category will feature a single laureate who will be revealed at the ceremony. In addition, the public can now begin voting online to decide which of the 13 finalists should receive the Popular Prize. Votes may be cast until 21 June 2022.
The 2022 finalists represent 12 countries: Belgium, Canada, China, Estonia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the United States. They were selected by an independent, international jury from a pool of hundreds of inventors put forward by members of the public, national patent offices around Europe, and EPO staff.
The 2022 finalists in four categories are:
Industry
Frank Herre, Hans-Georg
Fritz, Timo Beyl, Marcus Kleiner and Benjamin Wöhr (Germany):
Revolutionary no-waste
car body paint system
Engineers Frank Herre, Hans-Georg Fritz, Timo Beyl, Marcus Kleiner and Benjamin Wöhr developed EcoPaintJet, an automated system that paints customised designs on cars without wasting a drop, allowing a car painting line to save approximately 50 000 kg of paint per year and reduce energy usage by up to 30%.
Jaan Leis, Mati Arulepp
and Anti Perkson (Estonia):
Superior carbon-based
materials for ultracapacitors
Estonian scientists Jaan Leis, Mati Arulepp and Anti Perkson optimised a material called curved graphene for use as an electrode in ultracapacitors, providing quick-charging, long-lasting energy sources for industry and electric cars.
Frédérick Pasternak
(France):
Unlocking next-gen weather forecasts and climate models
Aeronautical engineer Frédérick Pasternak invented a satellite-based weather instrument to greatly improve the accuracy of weather forecasts and scientific predictions on climate change. This cutting-edge device will help European early warning systems save lives and hundreds of millions of Euros in damages each year.
Research
Elena García Armada
(Spain):
World's first adaptable
robotic exoskeleton for children
Elena García Armada has invented the first adaptable robotic exoskeleton for children who use wheelchairs. The exoskeleton enables children to walk during muscle rehabilitation therapy, improving their wellbeing and extending their life expectancy.
Claude Grison
(France):
Decontaminating
polluted soils with metal-eating plants
Researcher Claude Grison developed a method of using plants to extract metal elements from polluted soil around mining sites and then uses these as ‘ecocatalysts' to make new molecules for the chemical, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.
Johan Martens, Tom
Bosserez and Jan Rongé (Belgium):
Green hydrogen from
sunlight and air
Johan Martens, Tom Bosserez and Jan Rongé broke new ground in the clean energy sector with their solar panel that produces clean hydrogen gas from sunlight and ambient moisture, potentially providing an alternative source of green energy for buildings around the world.
Non-EPO countries
Donald Sadoway
(Canada/United States):
Liquid metal batteries
for storing renewable energy
Chemist Donald Sadoway developed a liquid metal battery to store solar and wind energy. These liquid metal batteries retain 99% of their original capacity over 5 000 charging cycles. Comprised of locally sourced raw materials, his battery also provides a cost-effective long-term storage solution.
Ido Sella and Shimrit
Perkol-Finkel
(Israel):
Concrete technology to
encourage marine biodiversity
Ido Sella and the late Shimrit Perkol-Finkel pioneered a new type of concrete that creates a habitat for sea life such as oysters and barnacles, whose shells then act as a biological glue to strengthen the concrete's structure. For nearly ten years ‘ECOncrete' has used its unique formula and surface to rejuvenate infrastructure such as sea walls, ports and marinas.
Marco Stampanoni, Zhentian
Wang and team (Switzerland/China):
Phase-contrast X-ray
imaging for advanced breast cancer detection
During years of research, Marco Stampanoni, Zhentian Wang and their colleagues developed a technology that can provide high resolution, three-dimensional X-ray images of soft tissue using a safe amount of radiation, which can enable earlier, painless and more accurate diagnosis of breast cancer.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
Nuno Correia,
Carla Gomes and team
(Portugal):
Floating solar farm
mooring system that tracks the sun
Through a business-research partnership, Correia Gomes and their team developed a moored modular floating photovoltaic (PV) solar island. The system tracks the sun and maximises the amount of solar energy captured at any moment, increasing panel efficiency by up to 40% compared to stationary solutions.
Madiha Derouazi, Elodie
Belnoue and team (Switzerland/France):
Therapeutic vaccine
platform to treat cancer
Together with their team, Madiha Derouazi and Elodie Belnoue pioneered a new medical platform to make therapeutic cancer vaccines that help the immune system recognise and destroy cancer cells in the body of a patient.
Nuria Espallargas and
Fahmi Mubarok (Spain/Indonesia):
Ground breaking
spray-on ceramic coatings
Taking on a challenge previously thought impossible, materials scientists Nuria Espallargas and Fahmi Mubarok invented a technique to apply protective coatings of unmeltable ceramics through thermal spraying - opening the door to thinner, lighter industrial coatings.
Joachim Fiedler
(Germany):
Fun, strong fasteners
for quick release
A musician by training, Joachim Fiedler was inspired to make his first easy-to-open fastener in order to unclip his cello bow with one hand. His magnetic-mechanical fasteners are now found in dozens of everyday products, from bike helmets to car seats.
About the European Inventor Award
The European Inventor Award is one of Europe's most prestigious innovation prizes. Launched by the EPO in 2006, the award honours individuals and teams' solutions to some of the biggest challenges of our times. The finalists and winners are selected by an independent jury comprising former Award finalists. Together, they examine the proposals for their contribution towards technical progress, social and sustainable development and economic prosperity. The EPO will confer the Award in four categories (Industry, Research, SMEs and Non-EPO countries), as well as announcing a Lifetime achievement award at a virtual ceremony on 21 June. In addition, the public selects the Popular Prize winner from the 13 finalists by voting on the EPO website in the run-up to the ceremony. Voting is open until 21 June 2022. Read more on the European Inventor Award eligibility and selection criteria.
This year, for the first time, the EPO will also award bright young minds with the Young Inventors prize. The new prize offers a monetary reward to the three finalists to further encourage them to find creative solutions to pressing sustainable development challenges.
About the EPO
With 6 400 staff, the European Patent Office (EPO) is one of the largest public service institutions in Europe. Headquartered in Munich with offices in Berlin, Brussels, The Hague and Vienna, the EPO was founded with the aim of strengthening co-operation on patents in Europe. Through the EPO's centralised patent granting procedure, inventors are able to obtain high-quality patent protection in up to 44 countries, covering a market of some 700 million people. The EPO is also the world's leading authority in patent information and patent searching.
Media contacts European Patent Office
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EPO Press Desk
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press@epo.org