Each year, the European Patent Office (EPO) celebrates inspirational inventors by handing out the European Inventor Award in various categories, including industry, non-EPO countries, research, SMEs, lifetime achievement, the popular prize, and the young inventor’s prize.
This year, the European Inventor Award ceremony was held in Valencia, Spain. The winners – who were chosen by an independent international jury – are as follows.
In the industry category, the award was handed to the Finnish team of Pia Bergström, Annika Malm, Jukka Myllyoja, Jukka-Pekka Pasanen and Blanka Toukoniitty for turning waste into renewable fuel.
In the non-EPO countries category, the award was handed to the Chinese inventor Kai Wu and team for lowering the risk of car explosions caused by lithium-ion batteries.
In the research category, the award was handed to the French team of Patricia de Rango, Daniel Fruchart, Albin Chaise, Michel Jehan and Nataliya Skryabina for finding a safe and efficient way to store hydrogen. This team was also handed the popular prize.
In the SMEs category, the award was handed to the Irish team Rhona Togher and Eimear O’Carroll who invented a new material for preventing ear damage caused by noise.
The lifetime achievement award was handed to a Spanish chemist Avelino Corma Canós who is a widely acclaimed pioneer in the field of catalysts.
The young inventors prize – launched only in 2022 – was handed a 22-year-old inventor Richard Turere from Kenya. He developed a system called Lion Lights™, which uses light sequences to deter lions and other predators from approaching livestock.
Next year, the award ceremony will be held in Malta, and public nominations for 2024 are open!
More can be read about the European Inventor Award here: https://new.epo.org/en/news-events/press-centre/press-release/2023/740248.
