European Inventor Awards (6) - The Trophy

 Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

The European Inventor Awards Trophy was designed by the German Industrial Designer, Miriam Irle. The trophy is shaped like a sail (no English pun intended). A sail that harnessed the winds of exploration some 3000 years ago as a lasting symbol of innovation. However, the trophy design is not only loaded with symbolic meaning, the trophy is also produced each year using an industrial process, material or craft that is quintessential in the country hosting the awards ceremony. 

This year was no exception. The trophy was made of limestone, the most abundant building material found on the island of Malta, also used for centuries to build churches, palaces and the walled cities of the island. Cities like Valletta, the capital of Malta, built in the 1500s, now a Unesco World Heritage Center, hosting the 2024 European Inventor Awards ceremony. For a historical city celebrating innovation on the occasion of the 2024 EPO Awards ceremony, this year’s trophy also combined the innovation of 3D printing using the iconic and historical building material of the island of Malta. 

References

European Inventor Awards 2024

https://www.epo.org/en/news-events/european-inventor-award 

Miriam Irle

https://www.miriam-irle.com/

European Inventor Awards 2024 (4) - The Jury.

 Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

The European Inventor Awards Jury selected the twelve 2024 contest finalists out of a pool of more than 550 proposals. The Jury was made up of distinguished scientists and entrepreneurs, former finalists or winners of the contest in previous years. The following  six women and seven men were members of the 2024 Jury:

(from right to left)

Wolfgang M. Heckl (Chair) is Director General of the Deutsches Museum in Munich.
Catia Bastioli, CEO of the Novamont Group, an international leader in the bioplastics and biochemicals sector. 

Winner European Inventor Award 2007 (SMEs/Research)

Nuno Correia, Founder of SolarisFloat Ltd, and co-inventor of a mooring platform for floating solar farms that tracks the sun.  

Finalist European Inventor Award 2022 (SMEs)

Nuria Espallargas, Professor at the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering NTNU, Norway.

Finalist European Inventor Award 2022 (SMEs)

Joachim Fiedler,  Professional cellist in several orchestras and ensemble. In 2007, founded Fidlock GmbH to develop quick-release magnetic-mechanical fasteners for cello bows, and additional applications. 

Finalist  European Inventor Award 2022 (SMEs)

Peter Holme Jensen, PhD and founder of Aquaporin, a company that develops natural, sustainable water treatment solutions.

Winner of the European Inventor Award 2014 (SMEs)

Marta Karczewicz, Vice-President of Technology at Qualcomm, where she has driven advances in data coding algorithms since 2006. 

Winner of the  European Inventor Award 2019 for Lifetime Achievement

Ursula Keller, Professor at ETH Zurich in the Ultrafast Laser Physics research lab and co-founder of several companies. 

Winner of the European Inventor Award 2018 for Lifetime Achievement

Agnès Poulbot, Senior expert at Michelin, where she co-invented a regenerative tire tread technology that extends tire life and reduces fuel consumption.

Winner of the European Inventor Award 2018 (Industry)

Erin Smith, Entrepreneur and inventor of FacePrint, a screening tool that uses AI to analyze facial expressions that indicate the onset of Parkinson's.

Winner of the Young Inventors First Prize 2022

Richard Turere, Conservationist, entrepreneur and author from Kenya.

Winner of Young Inventors First Prize 2023

Zhentian Wang, Associate Professor at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, dedicated to developing X-ray imaging methods for advanced breast cancer screening. 

Finalist European Inventor Award 2022 (Non-EPO Countries)

Reference

European Inventor Award
https://www.epo.org/en/news-events/european-inventor-award

EPO Popular Prize (3) - Vote here!

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

The European Patent Organization (EPO) invites the public to vote for the Finalist who will receive the Popular Prize. The Popular Prize winner, solely decided by the public, will be announced on the occasion of the European Inventor Awards Ceremony, to be held in Malta, on July 9, 2024. 

The rules for voting are the following:

• You may vote as many times as you like, but only once a day, for any one of the 12 Finalists.
• You may vote as many times as you like, up to the Awards Ceremony. Votes are counted during the ceremony. 
• Voting is free.
• Registration to vote requires an authenticated email, or social media account, the first time you vote. 

Click below to vote for your favorite inventors/inventions!

Click here to vote

Reference

European Inventor Award: Meet the Finalists.

https://tinyurl.com/2p57rc2r