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
