Scaling nanofibres for cleaner air and advanced materials: Czech engineers selected as finalists for the European Inventor Award 2026

• Nanofibres produced using Nanospider™ technology are applied across a wide range of industries, from ultra-precise air filtration systems, through medicine, cosmetics, and electronics, among others
• The Czech inventor and team are finalists in the ‘SMEs’ category. The winners will be announced during the Award ceremony on 2 July 2026 in Berlin
• Public voting for the Popular Prize opens today and will be running until the ceremony on 2 July 2026

Munich, 12 May 2026 – Due to their high surface-area-to-volume ratio and lightweight nature, nanofibres can outperform conventional materials and play a vital role in everything from life-saving medical dressings to ultra-efficient air filters to waterproof clothing. However, these nanofibres are difficult to produce at scale because the dominant manufacturing technique, electrospinning, can only process a relatively low volume of material at a time. By refining a needle-free electrospinning technology, Jan Čmelík and the Elmarco team have made high performance achievable at an industrial scale. They have enabled the continuous, stable production of nanofibres. For this work, Čmelík and team have been selected as finalists in the ‘SMEs’ category of the European Inventor Award 2026 by an independent jury.

Making nanofibres work outside the lab

Nanofibres are extremely fine polymer fibres with high surface areas valuable for demanding applications. While electrospinning is common in research, traditional needle-based methods rely on forcing polymer through a needle. This approach faces limitations when scaled, such as clogging, unstable fibre formation and low throughput.

Elmarco’s Nanospider™ technology addresses these challenges using a needle-free approach. A stationary wire electrode is coated with a thin polymer film. When charged with high voltage, multiple Taylor cones form naturally along the wire, creating stable simultaneous jets. This allows for the continuous production of uniform nanofibre layers across industrial-scale widths of up to two metres, offering higher volumes and stability than conventional systems.

“People sometimes think electrospinning is simple because it works in the lab. Scaling it to a stable, industrial production process is a very different challenge; it took years of development, iterations and learning,” said Čmelík.

Turning a university breakthrough into industrial production

By enabling consistent large-scale production, the technology supports diverse applications. In air filtration, nanofibre layers improve particle capture while maintaining lower pressure drops. Surface-modified nanofibres can be tuned for hydrophilic, hydrophobic or oleophobic behaviour in liquid filtration. Other uses include battery separators, fuel-cell membranes, wound dressings and waterproof-breathable clothing.

The technology traces back to Liberec, where Professor Oldřich Jirsák’s team at the Technical University of Liberec developed a world-first needle-free electrospinning machine in 2004. Elmarco licensed the invention, presenting a prototype later that year and launching the first industrial line in 2006. The company has since established a major R&D centre and introduced a second-generation platform to refine the process for demanding industrial requirements.

Jan Čmelík joined Elmarco in 2004, where he has contributed multiple refinements to the company’s core manufacturing technology. Protecting this core manufacturing technology has been central to the company’s strategy as nanofibre applications expand.

“Translating an ambition into a manufacturable solution is always one of the most challenging — and rewarding — parts of our work. But innovation takes time. The lesson is: stay curious and stay patient. Breakthroughs come from persistence,” said Čmelík.

Jan Čmelík and the Elmarco team are one of three finalists in the ‘SMEs’ category of the European Inventor Award 2026. The other ‘SMEs’ finalists are French marine biologist Franck Zal for a universal oxygen carrier inspired by marine worms to preserve organs and tissues; and Polish inventor Przemek Ben Paczek and team for a magnetic levitation system to upgrade railways. The European Patent Office will announce the winners during a livestreamed ceremony from Berlin on 2 July 2026. In addition to the four award categories, the Popular Prize will be decided through a combined vote by the public and the independent jury. Public voting opens on 12 May 2026 and will be running until the ceremony on 2 July 2026.

Find more information about the technology, its impact and the inventors here.

Media contacts European Patent Office

Roberta Romano-Götsch
EPO spokesperson

EPO press desk
[email protected] 
Tel.: +49 89 2399-1833

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, who have come up with solutions to some of the biggest challenges of our time. The European Inventor Award jury consists of inventors who are all former finalists. To judge proposals, the independent panel draws on their wealth of technical, business, and intellectual property expertise. All inventors must have been granted a European patent for their invention. Read more on the various categories, prizes, selection criteria and livestream ceremony to be held on 2 July in Berlin.

About the EPO

With 6,300 staff members, 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 46 countries, covering a market of some 700 million people. The EPO is also the world's leading authority in patent information and patent searching.