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Empresas y finanzas

European Inventor of the Year 2008


    Today, the European Patent Office (EPO) and the European
    Commission announced the twelve nominees for the Inventor of the Year
    2008 awards. An independent and high-profile international jury has
    nominated twelve outstanding researchers and their inventions which
    have had a significant impact on our everyday lives and were patented
    by the EPO between 1993 and 2002. The prizes will be awarded in four
    categories: industry, small- and medium-sized enterprises/research
    institutes, non-European countries and lifetime achievement. Past
    winners include German scientist Peter Grunberg, who won the Nobel
    Prize for physics in 2007 after receiving the European Inventor of the
    Year 2006 award. He discovered the giant magnetoresistance (GMR)
    effect, which considerably increased the storage capacity of hard
    drives.

    This year´s awards ceremony in Ljubljana brings together some of
    the foremost inventors of the past decade, such as Eric De Clerq, who
    developed the drug cocktail which has become standard in AIDS
    treatment; Leonardo Chiariglione, the creator of digital TV and MPEG
    technology; and Stefan Hell, the scientist who overcame the
    conventional physical limits in light microscopy. Other inventions
    considered for the prize have brought advances in car manufacturing to
    make driving safer and cleaner, or have addressed the problem of noise
    pollution from aeroplane engines.

    The awards will be presented by the President of the Republic of
    Slovenia, Danilo Turk, and EPO President Alison Brimelow at a gala
    event in Ljubljana on 6 May, held in conjunction with the European
    Patent Forum 2008.

    The twelve nominees are:

    Lifetime Achievement:

    -- Erik De Clercq (Belgium) for landmark contributions to

    antiviral treatment, including the development of the drug

    cocktail which has become today´s gold standard for AIDS

    treatment

    -- Stefan Hell (Germany) for overcoming long-established

    paradigms in optical physics by developing the powerful STED

    light microscope which facilitates new breakthroughs in

    medical research

    -- Leonardo Chiariglione (Italy) for developing the

    video compression technology leading to the MPEG format for

    motion video and audio, and for his work in setting the

    technical standards for digital TV

    Industry:

    -- Svend Havelund, John Broberg Halstrom, Ib Jonassen, Asser

    Sloth Andersen and Jan Markussen (Denmark) for Novo Nordisk:

    for significantly improving the safety and quality of life of

    diabetes patients with a new insulin derivative for once-daily

    administration

    -- Alain Porte, Andre Robert and Herve Batard (France) for

    Airbus: for filing the first patent effectively tackling noise

    pollution from aeroplane engines, enabling airlines to serve

    destinations around the world 24 hours a day

    -- Norbert Enning, Ulrich Klages, Heinrich Timm, Gundolf Kreis

    Alois Feldschmid, Christian Dornberg, and Karl Reiter

    (Germany) for Audi: for revolutionising automotive

    manufacturing by making car frames lighter and safer through

    the use of aluminium

    SMEs/Research:

    -- Bertrand Seraphin and Guillaume Rigaut (France) for EMBL: for

    creating an advanced biotechnological method for purifying

    biomolecule complexes, for fast and efficient drug development

    and medical research

    -- Sonke Siegfriedsen (Germany) for Aerodyn: for contributing to

    the use of new renewable energy sources by developing crucial

    technologies for offshore wind parks

    -- Douglas Anderson, Robert Henderson and Roger Lucas (United

    Kingdom) for Optos: for developing a new ophthalmoscope laser

    scanning technology for the eye which allows for painless and

    powerful examination of the retina with a view to earlier

    detection of dangerous medical conditions such as eye cancers

    diabetes and high blood pressure

    Non-European countries:

    -- Philip S. Green (United States) for SRI International: for

    developing a robotic surgery system that allows surgeons to

    perform complex procedures with maximum precision

    -- Van L. Phillips (United States) for Flex Foot: for developing

    an exceptionally powerful and flexible prosthetic leg which

    improves the mobility of those who have lost a limb, even

    allowing them to excel in athletics

    -- Stephen R. Quake, Marc A. Unger, Hou-Pu Chu, Todd A. Thorsen

    Axel Scherer (United States) for the California Institute of

    Technology: for providing a breakthrough in nanotechnology by

    developing an integrated fluidic circuit - a tool comparable

    to a computer microchip - which allows researchers to run

    experiments with quantities of liquids invisible to the eye

    European Inventor of the Year: the background

    Among the array of innovation awards, the European Inventor of the
    Year stands out not only because of the eminence of the winners and
    the quality of their work; it is also unique in its geographical span
    and selection procedure. In making its nominations, the independent
    international jury was able to draw on the expertise of patent
    examiners from national patent offices and the EPO. It looked at
    inventions that had been patented and successfully marketed between
    1993 and 2002. The prize is purely symbolic and does not involve any
    pecuniary or other recompense.

    The prize recognises inventors and innovations that have made a
    significant and lasting contribution to technical development in
    Europe and beyond and thus have strengthened Europe´s economic
    position. The European Inventor of the Year Award has been jointly
    instituted by the European Commission and the European Patent Office
    (EPO).

    This year´s award ceremony will be held alongside the European
    Patent Forum 2008 "Inventing a cleaner future" in Ljubljana. With this
    conference, the EPO will provide a platform for internationally
    renowned experts to discuss the role which the intellectual property
    system could have in combating climate change. Film, photos, an Audio
    Podcast and further information are available under:

    http://www.epo.org/about-us/events/epf2008.html

    To find out more about the European Inventor of the Year 2008, see

    www.epo.org/patent-forum

    For further information, and accreditation and interview requests

    please contact:

    Rainer Osterwalder
    Director Media Relations
    European Patent Office
    Erhardtstr. 27
    D-80469 Munich
    Tel. +49 (0)89 2399-1820
    Fax +49 (0)89 2399-2850
    Mobile +49 (0)163 8399 527
    rosterwalder@epo.org
    http://www.epo.org