European Inventor Award 2021

On the 17th June, the European Patent Office (EPO) announced the winners of the European Inventor Award 2021, its prestigious annual innovation prize. The individuals and teams were recognised for their innovative contributions in the fields of nasal drug delivery, DNA-based data storage, nanomaterials in dentistry, solar cells for self-charging devices, organic semiconductors, and advances in tissue engineering.

"In these challenging times, it is inspiring to see the creativity and dedication shown by these inventors in bringing innovative solutions to the world,” said EPO President António Campinos. “Their achievements remind us that obstacles can be overcome by applying imagination, knowledge and ingenuity. The ability to take a new idea all the way to market also demands perseverance and a supportive environment for innovation, and the finalists and winners of the European Inventor Award 2021 are all testament to this."

This year’s winners were chosen from a pool of hundreds of inventors and teams of inventors put forward for the award; they come from Austria, Germany, India, Norway, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.

Now in its 15^th year, the European Inventor Award is presented annually by the EPO to distinguish outstanding individuals from Europe and beyond who have made an exceptional contribution to society, technological progress and economic growth. The finalists and winners in five categories were selected by an independent international jury. They have all made use of the European patent system to protect their technologies and, in so doing, enabled other researchers and inventors to build on their innovations.

This year’s Award ceremony, held for the first time as a digital event, was open to the public, who tuned in from around the world as the winners were announced.

The laureates of the European Inventor Award 2021 are:

Industry

Per Gisle Djupesland (Norway)

Better nasal drug delivery

Research

Robert N. Grass and Wendelin Stark (Austria/Switzerland)

DNA-based data storage

Non-EPO countries

Sumita Mitra (India/USA)

Restoring smiles with nanomaterials

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

Henrik Lindström and Giovanni Fili (Sweden)

Flexible solar cells for portable devices

Lifetime achievement

Karl Leo (Germany)

Advances in organic semiconductors

​Popular Prize

Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic (Serbia/USA)

Advances in tissue engineering

About the European Inventor Award

The European Inventor Award is one of Europe's most prestigious innovation prizes. Launched by the EPO in 2006, it honours individual inventors and teams of inventors whose pioneering inventions provide answers to some of the biggest challenges of our times. The finalists and winners are selected by an independent jury consisting of international authorities from the fields of business, politics, science, academia and research who examine the proposals for their contribution towards technical progress, social development, economic prosperity and job creation in Europe. The Award is conferred in five categories (Industry, Research, SMEs, Non-EPO countries and Lifetime achievement). In addition, the public selects the winner of the Popular Prize from among the 15 finalists through online voting.