European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...
, to inventors who have made a significant contribution to innovation, economy and society in Europe. Inventions from all technological fields are considered for this award. The winners in each category are presented with an award shaped like a sail. There is no cash prize associated with the award.
Award categories
The European Inventor Award is presented in the following five categories:
*Industry
* Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
*Research
*Non-European countries
*Lifetime achievement
Since 2013, the public is invited to vote to select the winner of a ''Popular Prize'' from among the finalists.
Nomination and selection
Each year the European Patent Office calls on its patent examiners, on examiners at the patent offices in the EPO's member states and on public at large to propose inventions for the award that were patented at the European Patent Office and have made a significant contribution towards innovation, economy and society in Europe.
A short list of nominees is then drawn up from the proposals and submitted to an international jury. The independent jury selects three inventors in each category for the final round, and eventually chooses the winners.
Awards per year
2006
The first European Inventor of the Year awards took place at the AutoWorld Museum in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
on 3 May 2006. Prizes were presented in six categories.
The 2006 winners were:
*Industry: ''Zbigniew Janowicz'' and ''Cornelis Hollenberg'', who invented a method for making
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respon ...
yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to consti ...
*SMEs: '' Stephen P.A. Fodor'', ''Michael C. Pirrung'', ''J. Leighton Read'', and '' Lubert Stryer'' who invented the DNA microarray (DNA chip)
*Research: '' Peter Grünberg'' for his discovery of the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect
*New EU member states: ''John Starrett'', ''Joanne Bronson'', ''John Martin'', ''Muzammil Mansuri'', and ''David Tortolani'', for their prodrugs of phosphonates
*Non-European countries: ''Larry Gold'' and ''Craig Tuerk'', who discovered that nucleic acids can bind a protein to potentially intercept other proteins that cause diseases like age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
*Lifetime Achievement: '' Federico Faggin'', for inventing the
microprocessor
A microprocessor is a computer processor where the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit, or a small number of integrated circuits. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, and control circu ...
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
, Germany on 18 April 2007. Prizes were presented to inventors - individuals and teams - in four categories.
The 2007 winners were:
*Industry: ''Franz Lärmer'' and ''Andrea Urban'', Bosch GmbH (Germany), for their Bosch process for microfabrication
*SMEs/Research: ''
Catia Bastioli
Born in Foligno in 1957, Italian researcher, chemist, and entrepreneur Catia Bastioli was always interested in chemistry and the natural world. Bastioli went on to attend the Business Management School at Bocconi University and get a degree in c ...
'' and her team at Novamont S.p.A. (Italy), for inventing biodegradable plastics made from starch
*Non-European countries: ''Joseph P. Vacca'' and the team at Merck Research Laboratories (USA), for Crixivan, a protease inhibitor
*Lifetime Achievement: '' Marc Feldmann'', Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology (United Kingdom), for identifying the role of
cytokine
Cytokines are a broad and loose category of small proteins (~5–25 kDa) important in cell signaling. Cytokines are peptides and cannot cross the lipid bilayer of cells to enter the cytoplasm. Cytokines have been shown to be involved in a ...
The third European Inventor of the Year awards took place in Ljubljana on 6 May 2008, marking Slovenia's presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2008. Prizes were presented to inventors - individuals and teams - in four categories.
The 2008 winners were:
*Industry: ''Norbert Enning'', ''Ulrich Klages'', ''Heinrich Timm'', ''Gundolf Kreis'', ''Alois Feldschmid'', ''Christian Dornberg'' and ''Karl Reiter'', Audi (Germany) for revolutionising automotive manufacturing by making car frames lighter and safer through the use of aluminium.
*SMEs/Research: ''Douglas Anderson'', ''Robert Henderson'', and ''Roger Lucas'' of Scotland's SME Optos (United Kingdom) for developing a new
laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The firs ...
scanning technology for the eye which allows powerful but pain-free examination of the retina.
*Non-European countries: ''Philip S. Green'', SRI International (USA) 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.
*Lifetime Achievement: ''
Erik De Clercq
Erik De Clercq M.D. Ph.D., (1941) is a Belgian physician and biologist. He studied medicine at the Catholic University of Leuven (Leuven, Belgium). He did research and later became a professor at the Department of Medicine, where he specialised ...
'', University of Leuven (Belgium) for landmark contributions to antiviral treatment, including developing the drug cocktail for HIV/AIDS which has become the therapy gold standard of the early 21st century.
2009
The European Inventor of the Year ceremony 2009 took place at Prague Castle in the Czech Republic on 28 April 2009.
The 2009 winners were:
*Industry: ''Jürg Zimmermann'' (Switzerland) and '' Brian Drucker'' (USA) for inventing an effective drug to combat chronic myelogenous leukaemia.
*SMEs/Research: ''Joseph Le Mer'' (France) for inventing a heat exchanger of such a brilliantly simple design that it makes heating systems both inexpensive and energy-efficient.
*Non-European countries: '' Zhou Yiqing'' and his team (China) for an anti-
malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or deat ...
drug based on a herbal agent, which has been instrumental in saving hundreds of thousands of lives.
*Lifetime Achievement: ''
Adolf Goetzberger
Adolf Goetzberger (born 29 November 1928 in Munich) is a German physicist.
Life
Goetzberger studied physic in Munich, Germany. He finished his university studies with a work over ''Über die Kristallisation aufgedampfter Antimonschichten''. He w ...
'' (Germany) for his work on the commercial use of solar energy, helping to make
solar cell
A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect, which is a physical and chemical phenomenon.fossil fuels.
2010
Renamed the European Inventor Award, the 2010 awards ceremony took place in Madrid, Spain on 28 April 2010. The ceremony at the Eurostars Tower Hotel was attended by Their Royal Highnesses Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Asturias.
The 2010 winners were:
*SMEs/Research: ''Jürgen Pfitzer'' and ''Helmut Nägele'' (Germany), who made a breakthrough by developing an easily formable, biodegradable organic
polymer
A polymer (; Greek ''poly-'', "many" + '' -mer'', "part")
is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic and ...
.
*Industry: ''Albert Markendorf'' (Switzerland) and ''Raimund Loser'' (Germany), whose portable 3D scanning and measuring system opened up a new level of accuracy in industrial measuring systems and revolutionised the field.
*Non-European countries: '' Sanjai Kohli'' and ''Steven Chen'' (USA), whose work paved the way for global positioning systems (GPS) that became used commercially and are a part of our everyday lives (joint winners).
*Non-European countries: ''Ben Wiens'' and ''Danny Epps'' (Canada), who developed electrochemical fuel cells which are now a commercially successful alternative to fossil fuels (joint winners).
*Lifetime Achievement: ''
Wolfgang Krätschmer
Wolfgang Krätschmer (born 16 November 1942 in Berlin) is a German physicist.
Krätschmer studied physics in Berlin. After his Diplom he went to the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg and earned his PhD there in 1971 with a t ...
'' (Germany), who discovered a whole new field of research in physics.
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
. The 2011 winners were:
*Lifetime Achievement: '' Per-Ingvar Brånemark'' (Sweden). He is the pioneer of osseointegration, now a widely practised medical method based on titanium implants, which creates a stable connection between the implant and bone. Today it is a standard implant technique among dentists and is widely used in reconstructive surgery. Millions of people worldwide have benefited from his landmark method.
*Industry: ''Ann Lambrechts'', Bekaert (Belgium). Her invention opened up a world of new architectural possibilities by improving the bending strength of reinforced concrete structures. The steel fibre elements that she developed greatly increase the tensile strength of concrete, reduce construction time, and have enabled many spectacular new structures such as the Gotthard tunnel.
*SMEs: ''
Jens Dall Bentzen
Jens Dall Bentzen (born 18 April 1968 in Aalborg) is a Danish engineer.
Bentzen studied Thermodynamics and Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark in Copenhagen. Bentzen made a master's degree in gasification of biomass in 1995. After ...
'', Dall Energy Aps (Denmark). His special low-emission furnace burns biofuels with a moisture content of up to 60% and is thus ideal for eco-friendly, highly efficient and hence inexpensive power generation from
biomass
Biomass is plant-based material used as a fuel for heat or electricity production. It can be in the form of wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms, and households. Some people use the terms biom ...
in factories and production plants.
*Research: '' Christine Van Broeckhoven'', Vlaams Interuniversitair Instituut voor Biotechnologie (Belgium). Her pioneering method for identifying disease genes in Alzheimer's sufferers paved the way for developing modern drugs and treatments to combat Alzheimer's disease. Each of the genes and proteins that Broeckhoven has identified acts as potential "target" for researchers working to develop treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.
*Non-European countries: '' Ashok Gadgil'', ''Vikas Garud'', University of California, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
WaterHealth International
WaterHealth International is a private, American multinational corporation headquartered in Irvine, California. The company operates as a social business that provides drinking water to communities in primarily rural areas. WaterHealth purifies a ...
(USA/India). Using gravity and a carefully planned hydraulics design to ensure even water flow, their
ultraviolet
Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 PHz) to 400 nm (750 THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiati ...
(UV) disinfection device requires only a 40 watt UV light bulb to disinfect 1,000 litres of water per hour. The water purification device has been installed in more than ten countries worldwide, delivering clean water to over two million people.
2012
The 2012 award ceremony was held in Copenhagen at the Royal Danish Playhouse in the presence of Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark. The 2012 winners were:
*Industry: ''Jan Tøpholm'', ''Søren Westermann'', and ''Svend Vitting Andersen'' (Denmark), for their tailor-made hearing aid.
*Research: ''Gilles Gosselin'', ''Jean-Louis Imbach'', and ''Martin L. Bryant'' (France), for their new drug for hepatitis B treatment.
*SMEs: ''Manfred Stefener'', ''Oliver Freitag'', and ''Jens Müller'' (Germany), for their portable direct methanol fuel cell.
*Lifetime Achievement: '' Josef Bille'' (Germany), for his device for laser eye surgery.
*Non-European countries: '' John O' Sullivan'', ''Graham Daniels'', ''Terence Percival'', ''Diethelm Ostry'', and ''John Deane'' (Australia), for their contribution to wireless local area networks (LAN) for high speed data transfer ( Wi-Fi).
2013
The 2013 award ceremony was held in Amsterdam at Beurs van Berlage in the presence of Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands. The 2013 winners were:
The 2013 winners were:
* Industry: ''Claus Hämmerle'' and ''Klaus Brüstle'' (Austria) from Austrian manufacturer Julius Blum for inventing a damper system for soft closing of furniture doors,
drawers
A drawer is a box-shaped container inside a piece of furniture that can be pulled out horizontally to access its contents. Drawers are built into numerous types of furniture, including cabinets, chests of drawers (bureaus), desks, and the l ...
, and wall cabinets named Blumotion.
* Research: '' Patrick Couvreur'', ''Barbara Stella'', ''Véronique Rosilio'', ''Luigi Cattel'' (France, Italy) for inventing nanocapsules which destroy cancer cells without harming healthy tissue.
* SMEs: '' Pål Nyrén'' (Sweden) for inventing pyrosequencing, a far faster, simpler, and cheaper method to sequence DNA strands.
* Lifetime Achievement: '' Martin Schadt'' (Switzerland), inventor of the world's first flat-panel liquid crystal display (LCD).
* Non-European countries: '' Ajay V. Bhatt'', ''Bala Sudarshan Cadambi'', ''Jeff Morriss'', ''Shaun Knoll'', ''Shelagh Callahan'' (USA), for creating and developing
Universal Serial Bus
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard that establishes specifications for cables, connectors and protocols for connection, communication and power supply ( interfacing) between computers, peripherals and other computers. A broa ...
(USB) technology.
For the first time, the public was invited to vote to select the winner of a ''Popular Prize'' from among the 15 finalists. The winner in this category is José Luis López Gómez (Spain) from
Patentes Talgo
Talgo (officially Patentes Talgo, SAU) is a Spanish manufacturer of intercity, standard, and high-speed passenger trains.
Corporate history
TALGO, an abbreviation of Tren Articulado Ligero Goicoechea Oriol (English: ''Lightweight articulated tra ...
, whose invention to use a unique ‘independent guided' wheel design rather than a standard axle on high-speed passenger trains makes those trains some of the most comfortable and safe in the industry.
2014
The 2014 award ceremony was held in Berlin at Deutsche Telekom's Berlin Representative Office (Former Kaiserliches Telegrafenamt) on 17 June. The 2014 winners were:
* Industry: '' Koen Andries'' (BE), ''Jérôme Guillemont'' (FR), ''Imre Csoka'' (FR), ''Laurence F.F. Marconnet-Decrane'' (FR), ''Frank C. Odds'' (UK), ''Jozef F.E. Van Gestel'' (BE), ''Marc Venet'' (FR), ''Daniel Vernier'' (FR) for their invention: the drug against multi-resistant tuberculosis
* Research: '' Christofer Toumazou'' (UK) for his microchip for quick DNA testing
* SMEs: ''Peter Holme Jensen'', ''Claus Hélix-Nielsen'', ''Danielle Keller'' (DK) for their energy-efficient water purification
* Lifetime Achievement: '' Artur Fischer'' (DE) for his wall plug, synchronised flash, and many more.
* Non-European countries: '' Charles W. Hull'' (US) for inventing 3D printing (stereolithography)
* Popular Prize Winner: ''Masahiro Hara'', ''Takayuki Nagaya'', ''Motoaki Watabe'', ''Tadao Nojiri'', ''Yuji Uchiyama'' (JP) for developing the QR code.
2015
The 2015 award ceremony was held in Paris at Palais Brongniart (La Bourse) on 11 June. The 2015 winners were:
* Industry: ''Franz Amtmann'' (AT), et al., and ''Philippe Maugars'' (FR), et al., who invented near field communication (NFC) technology
* Research: '' Ludwik Leibler'' (FR) for his vitrimers – a new class of
polymer
A polymer (; Greek ''poly-'', "many" + '' -mer'', "part")
is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic and ...
s
* SMEs: '' Laura J. van 't Veer'', et al. (NL) for their gene-based breast cancer test
* Lifetime Achievement: ''Andreas Manz'' (CH) for his microchip-sized analysis system
* Non-European countries: '' Sumio Iijima'', ''Akira Koshio'', and ''Masako Yudasaka'' (JP) for inventing carbon nanotubes
* Popular Prize Winner: '' Ian Frazer'' (AUS), Jian Zhou† (CN) who developed the HPV vaccine
2016
The 2016 award ceremony was held in Lisbon on 9 June. The 2016 winners were:
* Industry: ''Bernhard Gleich'', ''Jürgen Weizenecker'', and their team (DE) for inventing
magnetic particle imaging Magnetic particle imaging (MPI) is an emerging non-invasive tomographic technique that directly detects superparamagnetic nanoparticle tracers. The technology has potential applications in diagnostic imaging and material science. Currently, it ...
(MPI)
* Research: ''
Alim-Louis Benabid
Alim Louis Benabid is a French-Algerian emeritus professor, neurosurgeon and member of the French Academy of Sciences, who has had a global impact in the development of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson's disease and other movement dis ...
'' (FR) for his work on a treatment for Parkinson's disease
* SMEs: ''Tue Johannessen'', ''Ulrich Quaade'', ''Claus Hviid Christensen'', ''Jens Kehlet Nørskov'' (Denmark) for their ammonia storage to reduce nitrogen oxides ( NOx)
* Lifetime Achievement: ''Anton van Zanten'' (DE, NL) for his electronic stability control system
* Non-European countries: ''
Robert Langer
Robert Samuel Langer Jr. FREng (born August 29, 1948) is an American chemical engineer, scientist, entrepreneur, inventor and one of the twelve Institute Professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He was formerly the Germesh ...
'' (US) for his work on targeted anti-cancer drugs
* Popular Prize Winner: '' Helen Lee'' (UK, FR) for inventing diagnostic kits for resource-poor regions of the globe.
2017
The 2017 award ceremony was held in Venice on 15 June. The 2017 winners were:
* Industry: Jan van den Boogaart and Oliver Hayden (Netherlands/Austria) for inventing a rapid blood test for malaria
* Research: Laurent Lestarquit, José Ángel Ávila Rodríguez, Günter W. Hein, Jean-Luc Issler and Lionel Ries (France, Spain, Germany, Belgium) for inventing radio signals for better satellite navigation ( Galileo (satellite navigation))
* SMEs: Günter Hufschmid (Germany) for his supersponge for oil spills
* Lifetime Achievement: Rino Rappuoli (Italy) for his next-generation vaccines against meningitis, whooping cough and other infections
* Non-EPO countries:
James G. Fujimoto
James G. Fujimoto is Elihu Thomson Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a visiting professor of ophthalmology at Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts ...
Adnane Remmal Adnane Remmal (Arabic: عَدنان رِمَّال, born 1962) is a Moroccan pharmacology professor, senior researcher, and entrepreneur in the field of biotechnology at Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University. His works focus on fighting antimicrobi ...
'' (Morocco) for boosting antibiotics with essential oils
2018
The 2018 award ceremony was held in
Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the centre of Paris.
Inhabitants are called ''Saint-Germanois'' or ''Saint- ...
, Paris, on 7 June. The 2018 winners were:
* Industry: Agnès Poulbot and Jacques Barraud† (France) for inventing an auto-regenerating tyre tread
* Research: Jens Frahm (Germany) for inventing faster, real-time MRI
* SMEs: Jane ní Dhulchaointigh (Ireland) for inventing Sugru, the multi-purpose mouldable glue
* Lifetime Achievement: Ursula Keller (Switzerland) for inventing ultrafast pulsed lasers
* Non-EPO countries:
Esther Sans Takeuchi
Esther Sans Takeuchi (born Esther Sans, lv, Estere Sāns) is a materials scientist and chemical engineer, working on energy storage systems and power sources for biomedical devices. She is also a Distinguished Professor at Stony Brook University ...
(US) for inventing batteries to reset the heart
* Popular Prize Winner: Erik Loopstra and Vadim Banine (The Netherlands/Russia) for inventing extreme ultraviolet lithography
2019
The 2019 award ceremony was held in Vienna, Austria, on 20 June. The 2019 winners were:
* Industry: Klaus Feichtinger and Manfred Hackl (Austria) for inventing higher-performance plastic recycling
* Research: Jérôme Galon (France) for inventing Immunoscore®, a clearer cancer test
* SMEs: Rik Breur (the Netherlands) for his marine antifouling fibre wrap
* Lifetime Achievement:
Margarita Salas Falgueras
Margarita Salas Falgueras, 1st Marchioness of Canero (30 November 1938 – 7 November 2019) was a Spanish scientist, medical researcher, and author in the fields of biochemistry and molecular genetics.
She started developing molecular biology i ...
(Spain) for inventing DNA amplification for genomics
* Non-EPO countries: Akira Yoshino (Japan) for inventing the lithium-ion battery and its evolution
* Popular Prize Winner:
Margarita Salas Falgueras
Margarita Salas Falgueras, 1st Marchioness of Canero (30 November 1938 – 7 November 2019) was a Spanish scientist, medical researcher, and author in the fields of biochemistry and molecular genetics.
She started developing molecular biology i ...
(Spain) for inventing DNA amplification for genomics
2020
The 2020 award was deferred to the following year due to the pandemic.
2021
The 2021 award ceremony was held digitally on 17 June. The 2021 winners were:
* Industry: Per Gisle Djupesland (Norway) for inventing a device for better nasal drug delivery
* Research: Robert N. Grass and Wendelin Stark (Austria/Switzerland) for their DNA-based data storage
* SMEs: Henrik Lindström and Giovanni Fili (Sweden) for inventing flexible solar cells for portable devices
* Lifetime Achievement: Karl Leo (Germany) for his lifetime work in organic semiconductors
* Non-EPO countries: Sumita Mitra (India/USA) for restoring smiles with nanomaterials
* Popular Prize Winner: Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic (Serbia/USA) who dedicated her career to advances in tissue engineering
2022
The 2022 award ceremony was held digitally on 21 June. The 2022 winners were:
* Industry: Jaan Leis, Mati Arulepp, and Anti Perkson (Estonia) for inventing a revolutionary no-waste car body paint system
* Research: Elena García Armada (Spain) for the world’s first adaptable robotic exoskeleton for children
* SMEs: Madiha Derouazi (Switzerland), Elodie Belnoue (France) and their team for inventing a therapeutic vaccine platform to treat cancer
* Lifetime Achievement:
Katalin Karikó
Katalin Karikó ( hu, Karikó Katalin, ; born 17 January 1955) is a Hungarian-American biochemist who specializes in RNA-mediated mechanisms. Her research has been the development of in vitro- transcribed mRNA for protein therapies. She co-f ...
(Hungary/USA) for her lifetime work on modified mRNA for lifesaving vaccines and therapies
* Non-EPO countries: Donald Sadoway (Canada/USA) for inventing liquid metal batteries for storing renewable energy
* Popular Prize winner: Elena García Armada (Spain) for the world’s first adaptable robotic exoskeleton for children
Juries
For the 2006 awards, the jury was:
* Wim Kok, former Prime Minister, the Netherlands (chairman)
*Gilles Capart, Chairman of PROTON Europe, Belgium
*Dimitri F. Dimitriou, CEO of DyoDelta Biosciences, United Kingdom
*
Leif Edvinsson
Leif Edvinsson (born 1946) is a Swedish organizational theorist, Professor at the University of Lund in Sweden and consultant, known for his work on intellectual capital. and knowledge management.Wenger, Etienne, Richard Arnold McDermott, and W ...
, Director of Intellectual Capital at Skandia, Sweden
*Robert Peugeot, Executive Vice President at PSA Peugeot-Citroën, France
*Maive Rute, SME Envoy for the European Commission, Estonia
*
Paul Rübig
Paul Rübig (born 6 May 1953) is an Austrian politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1996 until 2019. He is a member of the Austrian People's Party, part of the European People's Party.
Rübig became a Member ...
, founding member of the SME Union, Austria
The jury in 2007–2008 was:
* Nani Beccalli-Falco, President and CEO of GE International in Brussels, Belgium
*Franjo Bobinac, President of the Management Board and CEO of Gorenje gospondinjski aparati in Velenje, Slovenia
*Kastitis Gecas, Director of the Lithuanian Innovation Centre in Vilnius, Lithuania
*
N. R. Narayana Murthy
Nāgavārā Rāmarāo Nārāyana Mūrthy (born 21 August 1946) is an Indian billionaire businessman. He is the founder of Infosys, and has been the chairman, chief executive officer (CEO), president, and chief mentor of the company before ret ...
, Chairman and Chief Mentor at Infosys Technologies Limited in Bangalore, India
*Ruud Peters, Executive Vice President and CEO of Philips International in Eindhoven, The Netherlands
*Edoardo Tusacciu, President of PlastWood s.r.l in Calangianus, Italy
*Eugene van As, Chairman at Sappi Limited in Johannesburg, South Africa
*Carmen Vela Olmo, Managing Director of INGENASA in Madrid, Spain
*Wang Zhibiao, President of the Chongqing Haifu Technology Co., Ltd in Chongqing, China
The jury in 2009–2010 was:
*Jürgen Dormann, Chairman of the board at Metall Zug AG
*Zbyněk Frolík, Managing Director of LINET spol. s r.o.
*Bowman Heiden, Operations Director for the Qatar Science & Technology Park
*Jonathan Liebenau, Reader in Technology Management at the London School of Economics
*Emma Marcegaglia, Managing Director of Marcegaglia S.p.A.
*Olivier Tardy, Senior Partner and Managing Director at the Boston Consulting Group in Paris
* Sylvester Vizi, former President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
* Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker, Secretary General of the European Research Council
The jury in 2011 was:
* Jerzy Buzek, President of the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adop ...
*Wolfgang Heckl, Director General of the Deutsches Museum
*Bowman Heiden, Innovation Director for the Qatar Science & Technology Park
*Emma Marcegaglia, Managing Director of Marcegaglia S.p.A. and President of Confindustria
*
Ernő Rubik
Ernő Rubik (; born 13 July 1944) commonly known by his nickname, "Little Man", is a Hungarian inventor, architect and professor of architecture. He is best known for the invention of mechanical puzzles including the Rubik's Cube (1974), Rubik ...
, architect, designer, university professor and inventor of the Rubik's Cube
* Margarita Salas, President of Royal Board of the Biblioteca Nacional de España (National Library of Spain) and the Institute of Predictive and Personalized Medicine of Cancer
*Thierry Sueur, Vice President of Intellectual Property and of European and International Affairs at Air Liquide
The jury in 2012 was:
* Jerzy Buzek, President of the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adop ...
*Wolfgang Heckl, Director General of the Deutsches Museum
*Emma Marcegaglia, Managing Director of Marcegaglia S.p.A. and President of Confindustria
*Peter Marsh, manufacturing editor at the
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nikke ...
*Agnete Raaschou-Nielsen, A PhD in economics and senior manager with companies such as Aalborg Portland, Coca-Cola and Carlsberg
*
Ernő Rubik
Ernő Rubik (; born 13 July 1944) commonly known by his nickname, "Little Man", is a Hungarian inventor, architect and professor of architecture. He is best known for the invention of mechanical puzzles including the Rubik's Cube (1974), Rubik ...
, architect, designer, university professor and inventor of the Rubik's Cube
*Margarita Salas, President of Royal Board of the Biblioteca Nacional de España (National Library of Spain) and the Institute of Predictive and Personalized Medicine of Cancer
*Thierry Sueur, Vice President of Intellectual Property and of European and International Affairs at Air Liquide
The 2013 jury was:
*
Jens Dall Bentzen
Jens Dall Bentzen (born 18 April 1968 in Aalborg) is a Danish engineer.
Bentzen studied Thermodynamics and Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark in Copenhagen. Bentzen made a master's degree in gasification of biomass in 1995. After ...
, biomass scientist, owner of Denmark-based Dall Energy Aps
*Wolfgang Heckl, Director General of the Deutsches Museum and professor of scientific communication at the School of Education at the Munich University of Technology
*Ann Lambrechts, Head of R&D for Building Products at NV Bekaert (Belgium).
*Peter Marsh, manufacturing editor at the
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nikke ...
Ernő Rubik
Ernő Rubik (; born 13 July 1944) commonly known by his nickname, "Little Man", is a Hungarian inventor, architect and professor of architecture. He is best known for the invention of mechanical puzzles including the Rubik's Cube (1974), Rubik ...
, architect, designer, university professor and inventor of the Rubik's Cube
* Martin Schulz, President of the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adop ...
and leader of the
Party of European Socialists
The Party of European Socialists (PES) is a Social democracy, social democratic and Progressivism, progressive European political party.
The PES comprises national-level political parties from all member states of the European Union (EU) plus ...
(PES).
*Thierry Sueur, Vice President of Intellectual Property and of European and International Affairs at Air Liquide
The 2014 jury was:
*Gerhard Cromme, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Siemens AG and member of the Supervisory Board of Axel Springer AG.
*Wolfgang M. Heckl, Director General of the Deutsches Museum in Munich
* Mandy Haberman, British inventor and entrepreneur whose inventions include the Haberman® Feeder, used in hospitals throughout the world for over 30 years, and the Anywayup® cup, which since its launch in 1996 has revolutionised the nursery market with its non-spill technology
* Patrick Couvreur, Winner of the European Inventor Award 2013 and prolific researcher and innovator
*Aino Heikkinen-Mustonen, engineer, inventor and Managing Director of Fatec Ltd
* Mario Moretti Polegato, Chairman of the Italian Geox Group
* Ernö Rubik, architect, designer, university professor and inventor of several mechanical puzzles, including the Rubik's Cube
*Tony Tangena, president of the epi
The 2015 jury was:
* Louis Schweitzer – Chair, General Commissioner for Investment (appointed by the French President), Chairman of France's Foreign Affairs Council and special representative of the French Foreign Minister for Japan
*Gerhard Cromme, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Siemens AG and member of the Supervisory Board of Axel Springer AG.
*Ayşe Odman Boztosun, member of the Akdeniz University Faculty of Law in Antalya, Turkey. She serves as the Head of the Private Law Section and also as the Executive Director of the University Technology Transfer Office.
*
Clara Gaymard
Clara Gaymard (née Lejeune; born 27 January 1960) is a French businesswoman, official and author. She co-founded RAISE, an investment fund and philanthropic group which promotes entrepreneurial growth. She was the president of GE France from 200 ...
, CEO and President of GE France since 2006. In January 2013, she was elected president of the American Chamber of Commerce in France (AmCham France), becoming the first female president of this organisation in its hundred-year history
* Mandy Haberman, British inventor and entrepreneur whose inventions include the Haberman® Feeder, used in hospitals throughout the world for over 30 years, and the Anywayup® cup, which since its launch in 1996 has revolutionised the nursery market with its non-spill technology
*Anna Haupt, developer of the "invisible" bike helmet together with Terese Alstin. They began their quest for the "helmet of the future" as industrial design students at Lund University, Sweden.
*Wolfgang M. Heckl, Director General of the Deutsches Museum in Munich
* Ingeborg Hochmair, CEO, CTO and co-founder of MED-EL Medical Electronics Corporation, which she founded together with her husband Dr Erwin Hochmair in 1990. Together, they developed the very first microelectronic multichannel cochlear implant
*Tian Lipu, Commissioner of China's State Intellectual Property Office from 2005 to 2014 and Member of the 17th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
*Mario Moretti Polegato, Chairman of the Italian Geox Group
* Ernö Rubik, architect, designer, university professor and inventor of several mechanical puzzles, including the Rubik's Cube
*Tony Tangena, president of the epi
* Christine Van Broeckhoven, best known for her pioneering research into neurodegenerative dementias, where she has made several seminal contributions
The 2016 jury was:
*José Luís Arnaut, who served as Portuguese Deputy Prime Minister between 2002 and 2004.
*
António Campinos António Campinos is a Portuguese civil servant. He is the seventh and current president of the European Patent Office (EPO), a post he took up on 1 July 2018 for a five-year term. He was re-elected in 2022 for a second five-year term, which will s ...
, Executive Director of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) since 2010.
*Mandy Haberman, British inventor and entrepreneur whose inventions include the Haberman® Feeder, used in hospitals throughout the world for over 30 years, and the Anywayup® cup, which since its launch in 1996 has revolutionised the nursery market with its non-spill technology
*Wolfgang M. Heckl, Director General of the Deutsches Museum in Munich
*Ingeborg Hochmair, past European Inventor Award finalist and CEO, CTO and co-founder of MED-EL Medical Electronics Corporation, which she founded together with her husband Dr Erwin Hochmair in 1990. Together, they developed the very first microelectronic multichannel cochlear implant.
*Richard L. Hudson, a leading science and technology journalist in Europe for more than 30 years. He is CEO and Editor of ScienceIBusiness, a media company dedicated to European innovation strategy.
* Ivars Kalvins, Chairman of the Scientific Board of the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis and past European Inventor Award finalist. With nearly 260 inventions and over 900 patents and patent applications, he is one of the world's most prolific scientists and inventors in the field of medicinal chemistry, having developed a new generation of drugs mimicking natural compounds for targeted treatment and prevention of heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer's and cancer.
*Mario Moretti Polegato, Chairman of the Italian Geox Group
* Ernö Rubik, is an architect, designer, university professor and inventor of several mechanical puzzles, including the Rubik's Cube.
* Laura van ’t Veer, co-founder and Chief Research Officer of Agendia, a company offering molecular cancer diagnostics. She won the European Inventor Award 2015 in the SMEs category
*
Cecilia Wikström
Cecilia Karin Maria Wikström, née Sundström, originally Nodbjörk (born 17 October 1965) is a Swedish politician who served as Member of the European Parliament from 2009 until 2019. She is a member of the Liberal Party of Sweden, part of the ...
, member of the European Parliament, representing the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, since 2009.
The 2017 jury was:
* Eleni Antoniadou, President of the European Health Parliament in Brussels and multidisciplinary researcher in regenerative medicine, artificial organ bioengineering and space medicine.
*José Luís Arnaut, who served as Portuguese Deputy Prime Minister between 2002 and 2004.
*
António Campinos António Campinos is a Portuguese civil servant. He is the seventh and current president of the European Patent Office (EPO), a post he took up on 1 July 2018 for a five-year term. He was re-elected in 2022 for a second five-year term, which will s ...
, Executive Director of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) since 2010.
*Virna Cerne, finalist in the European Inventor Award 2016 in the Industry category and director of the Research & Development Centre and a member of the Executive Board at the Dr Schär group in Triest, Italy.
*Tore Curstedt, finalist in the European Inventor Award 2016 in the Lifetime Achievement category and one of the world's foremost experts in surfactant research
*Dora Groó is responsible for international affairs at the Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture of Hungary's National Agricultural Research and Innovation Centre, and President of the Association of Hungarian Women in Science
*Wolfgang M. Heckl, Director General of the Deutsches Museum in Munich
* Roger Highfield, Director of External Affairs at the Science Museum Group
*Ingeborg Hochmair, finalist European Inventor Award 2014 in the Lifetime Achievement category and CEO, CTO and co-founder of MED-EL Medical Electronics Corporation
*Helen Lee a researcher with an outstanding career in diagnostics and winner of the European Inventor Award 2016 in the Popular Prize category.
*
Angelika Niebler
Angelika Niebler (née Rupertseder; born 18 February 1963) is a German lawyer and politician who has been serving as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since 1999. She is a member of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria, part of the Euro ...
, German politician and member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Bavaria with the Christian Social Union
* Mario Moretti Polegato, inventor of the Geox shoe and chair of the jury
The 2019 jury was:
*Ulrike Rabmer-Koller, Chair, President of SMEunited, the association of Crafts and SMEs in Europe
* Eleni Antoniadou, a researcher in regenerative medicine and bioastronautics
*
Benoît Battistelli Benoît Battistelli (born 12 July 1950 in Paris, FranceEPO web sitePresident, Benoît Battistelli, August 2011.) is a French civil servant, former president of the European Patent Office (EPO) (2010-2018), and former head of the French National ...
, ex president of the European Patent Office (2010–2018)
*Wolfgang Heckl, professor at TU Munich
*Roger Highfield, director of External Affairs at the Science Museum Group
* Ursula Keller, professor at the ETH Zurich
* Helen Lee, associate professor at Cambridge University
*Francis Leyder, President of the Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office
* Elmar Mock, swiss inventor, entrepreneur and serial innovator
*Massimo Sideri, journalist and writer
*Agnė Šimukovičė, journalist
*Thierry Sueur, Air Liquid Vice President
The 2021 jury was:
* Helen Lee, associate professor at Cambridge University and founder of Diagnostics for the Real World Ltd. She is the winner of the European Inventor Award 2016 in the Popular Prize category
*
Benoît Battistelli Benoît Battistelli (born 12 July 1950 in Paris, FranceEPO web sitePresident, Benoît Battistelli, August 2011.) is a French civil servant, former president of the European Patent Office (EPO) (2010-2018), and former head of the French National ...
, ex president of the European Patent Office (2010–2018)
*Sylwia Czubkowska, journalist at the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza
*Jens Frahm is a biophysicist and Director of the Biomedical NMR Research Group at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen, Germany.
*Wolfgang Heckl, Director General of the Deutsches Museum in Munich
*Roger Highfield, director of External Affairs at the Science Museum Group
*Jean-Luc Issler, Senior Expert and Senior Advisor at CNES Radio Frequency (RF) Directorate
* Ursula Keller, professor at the ETH Zurich
*Francis Leyder, President of the Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office
*Renata Righetti Pelosi, Managing Partner and President of Italian law firm Bugnion spa
*Jean-Pierre Santos, Head of the Intellectual Property Division of the Business Development Agency of the Government of Monaco.
*Luisa Santos, Director for International Relations at BusinessEurope and a member of the Trade Expert Group of the European Commission.
The 2022 jury was:
*Wolfgang Heckl, Director General of the Deutsches Museum in Munich
*Esben Beck, founder of Stingray Marine Solutions and finalist for the European Inventor Award 2019
*Virna Cerne, Senior Director Research & Development at Dr. Schär, finalist for the European Inventor Award 2016
* Elvira Fortunato, professor at the New University of Lisbon and a Fellow of the Portuguese Engineering Academy and finalist for the European Inventor Award 2016
*Carmen Hijosa, founder and Chief Creative & Innovation Officer at Ananas Anam, winner of the Popular Prize at the European Inventor Award 2021
*Jean-Luc Issler, Senior Expert and Senior Advisor at CNES Radio Frequency (RF) Directorate
* Ursula Keller, professor at ETH Zurich in the Ultrafast Laser Physics research lab
*Richard Palmer, entrepreneur and innovation consultant and former 2019 European Inventor Award finalist
*Bo Pi, Chief Technology Officer at Goodix Technology Inc.; 2021 European Inventor Award finalist
*Carles Puente, co-founder of Ignion and Fractus; 2014 European Inventor Award finalist
*Manfred Stefener, Vice President Fuel Cell Systems at Freudenberg Sealing Technologies and former 2012 European Inventor Award finalist
*Laura van't Veer, Chief Research Officer and the co-founder of Agendia; 2015 European Inventor Award finalist