European Inventor Award 2021 finalists announced

The annual innovation prize, now in its 15^th year, recognizes outstanding inventors who have made an exceptional contribution to technology, society, and economic growth.

The 2021 European Inventor Award winners will be announced at a ceremony beginning at 19:00 CEST on 17 June 2021, which has this year been reimagined as a digital event for a global audience. The ceremony will be open to the public and held in an extended reality format.

The 2021 finalists come from Austria, China, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. They were selected from a pool of nearly 400 inventors and teams of inventors by an independent, international jury. The pool itself was proposed by members of the public, representatives of national patent offices across Europe, and EPO staff.

The Award comprises five categories: "Industry", "Research", "Non-EPO countries", "SMEs" and "Lifetime achievement". The winner of the sixth category, the "Popular Prize", will be chosen by the public. Voting for the Popular Prize is now open and will close during the ceremony on 17 June 2021.