Nominations for the European Inventor Award 2016 are now open. The Award recognises outstanding inventors from around the world, from all technical fields and backgrounds. You don’t have to be an inventor yourself to put forward a nominee. People from industry, research institutes, intellectual property associations and universities, as well as the general public, are all welcome to make a suggestion. So why not go ahead and nominate your favourite inventor? You can even nominate yourself if you want!
Deadline for submissions: 14 October 2015
The categories
Industry: for outstanding and successful technologies patented by large European companies
SMEs: for exceptional inventions at small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
Research: for pioneering inventors working at universities or research institutes
Lifetime achievement: honouring the long-term contribution of an individual European inventor
Non-European countries: for all inventors who are not European nationals but have been granted a European patent
Determining the winners
Any member of the public can nominate an inventor for the European Inventor Award. The selection process relies on the hard work of EPO experts and an independent international jury that evaluates innovations not only on their technological originality but also on their economic and social impact.
A panel of EPO experts rigorously checks the proposals to ensure that they meet the procedural and legal requirements and that the relevant patents are still valid. A shortlist consisting of about 40 pre-selected candidates across the five categories is prepared for the jury, including detailed reports on the merits of the inventions. During a face-to-face meeting, the jury selects three finalists in each category by majority voting before finally selecting the winners.
Source: European Patent Office
