European Inventor Award 2022: Meet the inventors that are shaping our world at virtual event
- The winners of the European Patent Office's annual innovation prize will be revealed at a ceremony on 21 June 2022 at 12:00 CEST held in an all-new format
- Discover the stories of 14 exceptional inventor teams and 4 young innovators from 14 countries
- The public is now invited to vote for their favourite inventor to win the Popular Prize at popular-prize.epo.org
- The ceremony will be broadcast live at inventoraward.org and on social media.
Munich, 14 June 2022 - Finalists of the European Inventor Award 2022 will gather in Munich on 21 June for this year's winner announcements and to share stories of their remarkable breakthroughs in areas as diverse as cancer research, renewable energy, climate innovation, green industry, medical technology and manufacturing.
A new hybrid format for the European Patent Office's prestigious annual innovation prize will see the winners being revealed live, with a worldwide audience joining the ceremony online at inventoraward.org. The ceremony will celebrate the inventors behind inventions that are helping to solve some of the biggest global problems of our day. The inventions developed by this year's finalists include the world's first exoskeleton for children, space technology to boost the reliability of climate change forecasts and a new type of mammography machine that gives people a better chance of surviving breast cancer.
Jury-selected winners will be announced in the following categories: Industry, Research, SMEs and Non-EPO countries. A Lifetime achievement award will also be conferred at the ceremony on one inventor with an extraordinary career and life story, who has made an outstanding contribution to their field that has saved countless lives. In addition the Popular Prize will be awarded to the inventor who receives the most votes from the public.
Public vote is open for the Popular Prize
The public is now invited to vote for their favourite inventor from among this year's 13 finalists to win the European Inventor Award 2022 Popular Prize. Votes can be cast online - one per day - from now until the ceremony on 21 June at popular-prize.epo.org. The winner with the most public votes will be announced during the Award ceremony.
Young Inventors prize
This year's ceremony has also expanded in scope to include the inaugural Young Inventors prize, which was launched by the European Patent Office to recognise ground-breaking innovations from people aged 30 and under. Three young innovators are vying for first, second and third place, with cash prizes of EUR 20 000, EUR 10 000 and EUR 5 000 respectively.
The 13 finalists in four categories of the European Inventor Award 2022 are:
Industry
- German engineers Frank Herre, Hans-Georg Fritz, Timo Beyl, Marcus Kleiner and Benjamin Wöhr have created a revolutionary car body paint system that doesn't waste a drop of paint.
- Estonian scientists Jaan Leis, Mati Arulepp and Anti Perkson have developed superior carbon-based materials for ultracapacitors that allow for fast charging and energy release.
- French aeronautical engineer Frédérick Pasternak is unlocking next-gen weather forecasts and climate models with a new satellite-based weather instrument.
Research
- Spanish researcher Elena García Armada has invented the world's first adaptable robotic exoskeleton for children who use wheelchairs.
- French chemist Claude Grison uses plants to extract metal elements from polluted soil around mining sites and then re-uses these metals as catalysts in chemical reactions.
- Belgian research team Johan Martens, Tom Bosserez and Jan Rongé have invented a solar panel that produces green hydrogen from sunlight and air.
Non-EPO countries
- Canadian-American chemist Donald Sadoway has developed liquid metal batteries for storing renewable energy at a large scale.
- Israeli scientistsIdo Sella and the late Shimrit Perkol-Finkel invented concrete technology to encourage marine biodiversity around infrastructure such as sea walls.
- Swiss-Chinese researchers Marco Stampanoni, Zhentian Wang and team have developed phase-contrast X-ray imaging for advanced breast cancer detection at safe radiation levels.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
- Portuguese engineers Nuno Correia, Carla Gomes and team created a floating solar farm mooring system that tracks the sun.
- Swiss-French scientists Madiha Derouazi, Elodie Belnoue and team have created a new type of therapeutic vaccine platform to treat cancer by helping the immune system recognise and destroy cancer cells.
- Spanish-Indonesian researchers Nuria Espallargas and Fahmi Mubarok have developed ground breaking spray-on ceramic coatings to better protect industrial components from wear and tear.
- German entrepreneur Joachim Fiedler has invented a suite of fun, strong fasteners for quick release, which are now found in dozens of everyday products from bike helmets to car seats.
Lifetime achievement
To be revealed during the event
Young Inventors prize
- Brazilian innovator Rafaella de Bona Gonçalves developed biodegradable sanitary pads and tampons for disadvantaged groups in her country using readily available harvest waste.
- Belgian and British entrepreneurs Victor Dewulf and Peter Hedley have developed an AI-driven waste recognition and sorting system that waste processing facilities can use to quickly and accurately sort waste, ensuring that more of it is recycled.
- American scientist Erin Smith has developed an AI-powered app that uses video to enable early detection of Parkinson's disease, which could help slow development of the condition.
More information
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
Luis Berenguer
Giménez
Principal Director Communication, Spokesperson
EPO Press Desk
Tel. +49 89
2399 1833
[email protected]