Beginning at NYU in Jan 2013 within the context of a Patents Translation course delivered online, this blog seeks to uncover the patents that rock our daily lives....
On July 2nd, 2026, the winning European Inventors were announced during a ceremony held in Berlin, Germany. The winners in the four categories of Industry, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Research, and Non-EPO Countries, plus the Popular Prize, and a Lifetime Achievement Award were the following:
In 2027, the European Patent Office (EPO) will be honoring Young Inventors < 30 years old. The ceremony will take place in Vienna (Austria), at a date yet to be announced. The nomination period is now open, until September 30th, 2026. Please click here to access the EPO nomination platform.
If you missed the Awards Ceremony on July 2nd, 2026, a link to the YouTube video recording of the event is included below the group picture. The ceremony lasts about 80 minutes.
In 2025, theEuropean Patent Office (EPO) is celebrating young inventors (30 years and under) inventors. Ten inventions have been shortlisted. The inventions fall within the framework of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A vast 15-year program designed to end world poverty, divided into 17 SDGs*.
The following ten inventions are in competition for a 2025 European Patent Prize:
Mark Kennedy Bantugon (Philippines): Material to prevent fuel leakages in planes
Alisha Fredriksson (Sweden/Canada) and Roujia Wen (China): Retrofit carbon capture system for cargo ships
Pilar Granado, Pablo Sosa Domínguez and Luis Chimeno (Spain): Smart labels for food
Laurynas Karpus, Vykintas Jauniškis and Irmantas Rokaitis (Lithuania): AI platform for creating and enhancing enzymes
Franziska Kerber (Austria): Sustainable paper components for electronic devices
Neeka Mashouf and Leila Mashouf (US): Process to transform CO2 emissions into cellulose
Sandra Namboozo and Samuel Muyita (Uganda): Sachets for extending the shelf life of fruit
Mariana Pérez (Colombia): Air pollution capture and cleaning technology
Teja Potočnik (Slovenia): Automated manufacturing platform for nanomaterial-based semiconductor devices
Marie Perrin (France/US): Recycling rare earth elements from electronic waste
---------
*#1No poverty,#2Zero Hunger, #3Good Health and Well-being,#4Quality Education, #5Gender Equality, #6Clean Waterand Sanitation, #7Affordable and Clean Energy, #8Decent Work and Economic Growth, #9Industry, Innovation and infrastructure, #10Reduced Inequalities, #11Sustainable Cities and Communities, #12Responsible Consumption and Production, #13Climate Action, #14Life below the Water, #15Life on Land,#16Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions and #17Partnerships for the Goals.
The winners of the European Inventor Awards 2024 were announced earlier, at 12:00 Central European Summer Time (CEST), on July 9th, 2024. The high-tech ceremony was live-streamed online from Valletta, the UNESCO World Heritage Center, and capital city of Malta, in the middle of the Mediterranean Ocean, 80 miles from the coast of Sicily. The European Inventor Lifetime Achievement Award was announced, as well as the winning inventors in the four Award categories of Industry, Small and Medium Enterprises, Non-European Countries, and Research. The three Young European Inventor finalists were also each awarded cash prizes. Finally, the Popular Prize was announced, with the polling QR Code flashing onscreen live, well into the ceremony. The hyperlinked list of winners is included below:
Invention: AI solutions for improved machine visual perception.
Young Inventors' Prizes
First place 20,000 euros–Rochelle Niemeijer (NL)(info here)
Invention: Portable AI-driven chemistry kit that quickly identifies bacteria causing infections like urinary tract infections. This invention allows for faster, point-of-service, and more accurate medical treatment decisions.
Second place 10,000 euros–Valentyn Frechka(UA) (info here)
Invention: Method to turn fallen leaves into sustainably made paper, significantly reducing the need for tree harvesting in paper production.
Third place $5000 euros–Khaoula Ben Ahmed, Ghofrane Ayari, Souleima Ben Temime, and Sirine Ayari (TN)(info here)
Invention: Thought, voice and facial movement-driven wheelchair control system, enhancing mobility and autonomy for individuals with severe physical disabilities.
Below, the YouTube video of the 2024 Inventor Award Ceremony.
Congratulations to all!
This year's European Inventor Awards ceremony was also an occasion to announce sweeping changes to the future European Inventor Awards and Young European Inventor Prizes. Going forward, the Awards and Prizes will take place on alternating years. Beginning in 2025, Young European Inventors will compete separately for Prizes that will be announced at a ceremony, taking place for the first time in Iceland. Whereas, the next European Inventor Awards competition and ceremony will take place in 2026 (at a hitherto undisclosed location), independently from the Young Inventors competition. The nominations period for the Young European Inventor Prizes extends from this day through to September 27, 2024.
On July 9, 2024, the prestigious European Inventor Awards will be conferred upon inventors competing in one of four categories: Industry, Small and Medium (S&M) Enterprise,Research, and Non-European Patent Organization. This year, the ceremony will take place in the beautiful Mediterranean city of Malta, on the Island Republic of Malta, next to the southern Italian island of Sicily.
Below, the list of the 12 finalists and their competing inventions, in each of the four categories.
ROSH333, aka Raoul Gandolfo, commissioned to paint the 2023 Young Inventor Award sail trophies, on the occasion of the European Inventor Awards Ceremony, on July 4th 2023, in Valencia, Spain, is one of Spain’s most famous street artists (in Spanish, artista callejero).
OKUDA, aka Okuda San Miguel, is a Spanish painter and sculptor, known for his distinctive colorful figurative geometric art.
Below, the YouTube video of a 2014 Okuda + ROSH333 project. The project involves a 300-square-meter mural, decorating the Paco de Lucía Metro Station in Madrid Spain. The mural depicts a portrait of Paco de Lucía, legendary virtuoso flamenco and classical guitar player, and composer (1947-2014).
The winners of the European Inventor Awards receive a trophy in the shape of sail (no puns intended). In other words, a sail-shaped trophy powered by the winds of ingenuity and research, as well as the promise of promotion, considering the increased visibility conferred by such a prestigious award.
The European Inventors Award sail trophy was designed by the German industrial designer Miriam Irle, with the added twist that the sail be manufactured in the city where the European Inventor Awards Ceremony takes place. A local manufacture of the trophy each year, highlighting the iconic craftsmanship of a particular local industry or workshop. For example, the 2015 European Inventor Awards sail trophy, made out of famous venetian murano glass, was blown in Venice, Italy, where the 2015 Awards Ceremony took place. Likewise, the 2016 trophy, made of azulejo ceramic tile, was fired in Lisbon, Portugal, where the 2016 Awards Ceremony took place.
The year 2023 was no exception. The trophies were locally-made of socarrat* red (oxidized iron) and black (manganese) ceramic tile. Each trophy was hand-painted, using different 15th century-stye decorative Valencian designs, one for each of the seven categories of award: Industry, Research, Small and Medium Enterprise, Non-European Country, Lifetime Achievement and Popular Prize. However, in complete contrast, the three trophies awarded to the Young Inventors (<30 years of age), were hand-painted ceramic by Alicante-based ROSH333, currently one of the most famous Street artists in Spain.
Below, images of two of the 2023 traditional, Valencia-ceramic, craft-guild-design trophies, awarded respectively in the Non-European Country and Lifetime Achievement categories, plus one of the contrasting Young Inventor Award trophies, hand-painted by the street artist ROSH333.
-------
* socarrat, meaning "burnt" in Catalan, refers to the high temperature used to bake the hand-painted pigment into the clay.
The winners of the European Inventor Awards 2023 were announced on July 4th, in a festive ceremony, live-streamed online at 12:00 Central European Summer Time (CEST), from the historic Edificio de Correos y Telegrafos (Post Office Building) in Valencia, Spain.Winners were announced in the four Award categories of Industry, Small and Medium Enterprises, Non-European Countries, and Research, as well as for the three Young Inventor’s cash Prizes, the Life-Time Achievement Award, and the Popular Prize. The list of winners is included below.
Industry
Pia Bergström, Annika Malm, Jukka Myllyoja, Jukka-Pekka Pasanen & Blanka Toukoniitty (FI)
Invention: The transformation of a wide variety of wastes and residues into premium-quality renewable products, such as fuel.
Small and Medium Enterprises
Rhona Togher & Eimear O’Carroll (IE)
Invention: Reducing noise with advanced acoustic material.
Non-European Countries
Kai Wu and team (CN)
Invention: Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries that lower fire and explosion risks due to overcharging.
Research & Popular Prize (both prizes were awarded to the same Center for Scientific Researchteam from France)
Patricia de Rango, Daniel Fruchart, Albin Chaise, Michel Jehan & Nataliya Skryabina (FR)
Invention: This team of scientists from the National Center for Scientific Research (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - CNRS) in France, invented a safe and sustainable way to store hydrogen.
Young Inventors' Prizes
First place 20,000 euros - Richard Turere (Kenya - KE)
Invention: Lion Lights™ - solar-powered LED lights, programmed to flash in randomly selected patterns, both to prevent lions from attacking livestock, and farmers from killing lions in defense of livestock. The invention thus also contributes to saving lions from extinction in Kenya.
Second place 10,000 euros - Filipa de Sousa Rocha (Portugal - PT)
Invention: Block-based Accessible Tangible Programming Systems (BATS) – a programming language for the visually impaired, using legos and cute robots.
Third place $5000 euros - Fionn Fereira (Ireland - IE)
Invention: Method of removing microplastics from water, using a magnetic liquid that binds to particles.
Life-Time Achievement Award Avelino Corma Canós (ES)
Spanish chemist, pioneer in the field of catalysts, and founder of the Instituto de Tecnología Química (ITQ) de València, Spain (Chemical Technology Institute of Valencia).
Below, the YouTube video of the 2023 Inventor Award Ceremony. Congratulations to all!
