European Inventor Award 2012 goes to outstanding inventors from Germany, France, Denmark and Australia.


Pioneers in laser eye surgery, hearing-aid devices, fuel cells, hepatitis B treatment and wireless communication honoured in Copenhagen

The European Patent Office today announced the winners of the European Inventor Award 2012, which honours outstanding inventors for their contribution to social, economic and technological progress.
At the ceremony at the Royal Danish Playhouse in Copenhagen, the Danish Crown Prince and Princess and some 350 other guests, among them Danish Minister Of Economy Ole Sohn, the UK Secretary for Intellectual Property, Baroness Judith Wilcox, Gytis Andulionis, Vice Minister of Justice of Lithuania, and Bence Rédváry, State Secretary of Hungary's Ministry of Public Administration and Justice, as well as other political and economic decision-makers, scientists, researchers and intellectual property specialists watched as the trophies were handed out to the winners in each of the five categories:
  • Lifetime Achievement: Josef Bille, Heidelberg University (Germany), for his groundbreaking development of wavefront technology for laser eye surgery;
  • Industry: Jan Tøpholm, Søren Westermann and Svend Vitting Andersen, Widex (Denmark), for their invention of a computer-aided method to manufacture individually-fitted hearing-aid devices;
  • SMEs: Manfred Stefener, Oliver Freitag and Jens Müller, Smart Fuel Cell AG (Germany), for the creation of the first fuel cell for portable use;
  • Research: Gilles Gosselin, Jean-Louis Imbach and Martin L. Bryant, French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), for the development of an effective drug for the treatment of Hepatitis B;
  • Non-European Countries: John O'Sullivan, Graham Daniels, Terence Percival, Diethelm Ostry and John Deane, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (Australia), for laying the foundation for today's wireless networking technology (Wi-Fi).

"Innovation is a primary force for economic growth. It secures jobs and benefits society as a whole. But behind every innovation there are individual men and women, driven by the urge to discover and the impulse to 'make it new.' Inventors are the true heroes of the 21st century", said EPO President Benoît Battistelli.

"Here in Denmark we refer to the European Inventor Award as the 'Oscar' of the patent world", Danish Minister of Economy Ole Sohn stated. " Inventors are the drivers behind innovation. We need to encourage economic growth, and knowledge is the raw material at their disposal. The effectiveness of the IP system is crucial for securing the necessary R&D expenditure," the Minister stated, and urged the EU member states to find a solution for the Central Division of the planned European patent judiciary "before the end of this month".
The contribution of inventors to social advancement was also acknowledged by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik in an appraisal statement for the ceremony before handing over the trophy to Lifetime Achievement winner Prof. Josef Bille: "The dedication of the inventors to their work is extremely important for the economy. They bring about progress and prosperity in society."
"I dedicate this prize to all my students, with whom I have always worked like a team, and who have meanwhile created some 20 start-ups on the basis of our inventions", the laureate took up the Crown Prince's statement." We indeed saw ourselves as a spear-head to changing the world with our invention. 
This sentiment was expressed by all winners in their statements: Changing the world for the better, supporting ongoing developments to achieve a more sustainable creation and consumption of energy, and improving the lives of patients were the most frequently heard words in the ceremony. Most laureates were visibly and audibly moved by the distinction they had received -  moments of personal feelings the audience in the densely filled theatre eagerly requited with a long and warm applause, And all of winners subscribed to the closing words of Australian researcher John O'Sullivan, who was honoured developing a stable and robust W-LAN technology: "Our success will hopefully encourage a new generation of young scientists to follow in our footsteps."
"These awards recognise the very best of Europe's creative spirit and ingenuity," said European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn in a video message to the awards. "Basic research is fundamental to European competitiveness and innovation. We also need basic research that will lead to the new technologies and processes that will tackle climate change, give us sustainable transport, power our cities with clean energy, provide safe and nutritious food, and improve public health," she said.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Meet "T.Y Skeylz".

Image
Born Oyejobi Omotoyosi but popularly known as "T.Y Skeylz", he's presently a student of Business Administration in the University of Lagos. His love for music back to his early childhood when he would sing along to everything that appeals to him, growing in a family where Music was of relevance which helped rekindled his first love. He is one of the versatile singer and entertainer that is soon to blow in your face in  the Nigerian entertainment industry and beyond. Born  on October 8th 19**, "T.Y Skeylz" hails from ijebu ode in Ogun state. He is the young act behind the song "Dutty wine" and the club banging single "Groove on", "T.Y Skeylz" has graced a few stages in Nigeria and beyond. At the moment he is also working and cooking up some new stuffs with kayfresh beats and other prominent acts. T.Y Skeylz is an Entertainer, Song writer/lyricist and extraordinaire gentleman, he's a loveable and humble dude. Sure we
Read more

Lagos turns Fela’s home into Kalakuta Republic Museum

Image
The Lagos State Government has turned the house of the late Afrobeat legend, Fela Kuti, into a museum to “promote cultural heritage and mark the 74th birthday” of the legendary musician. Inside the museum located at 8, Gbemisola Street, Allen Avenue, Ikeja, to be and managed by Total Consult, are Fela’s trademark items like dresses, shoes and household materials. The dresses are about 3,000. Others include covers of the albums of the late musician. Images on the album covers bear a variety of styles and typefaces which echo and comment on the works and politics of the artiste. According to the state Commissioner for Tourism and Inter-Government Relations, Mr. Disun Holloway, the Kalakuta Republic Museum is to bring back the old social life and culture to Lagos. He noted that it was impossible to overstate the importance of Fela to Lagos and the global musical village. He said, “It is only appropriate to have chosen a day as this to declare this monument
Read more

Nigeria: $707m Approved For 5 New International Airports

Image
Nigeria, in a strong move to increase the contribution of the aviation sector to its GDP, has approved the sum of 106 billion naira ($707 million), through the Federal Executive Council (FEC), for the construction of five new, world-class international airports. According to  BusinessDay , the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah disclosed the development during a media briefing in Abuja. Upon assuming office, the minister had penned the construction of five new international terminals in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano and Enugu as the second phase in the ministry’s development strategy for the aviation sector which had been struggling with debts, lack of qualified personnel, below industry standard operations, among others. In September, Nigeria’s national carrier, Air Nigeria sacked a substantial number of its employees, leaving only a staff of 50 to try to resuscitate its shut down operations within a year, after management was mounted with overbearing debts.
Read more