Nominations can be submitted for the categories of “Lifetime Achievement”, “SMEs”, “Industry”, “Research” and “Non-European Countries”

The European Patent Office presents yearly awards to inventors for exceptional innovations

The tenth edition of the Award ceremony will take place on 11 June 2015 in Paris

EPA President Benoît Battistelli: “Innovations are the key to growth and prosperity in Europe”

The award ceremony for next year’s Inventor Award will take place in Paris on 11 June 2015. Once again, the ceremony will be preceded by an intensive selection process. The award is therefore now open for entries from any member of the public with an interest in nominating an inventor or invention of their choice. Besides the general public, the EPO also calls on its more than 4,000 patent examiners to enter groundbreaking inventions from their technological area. Examiners at the national patent offices of the 38 member states of the EPO are likewise invited to join in and put forward outstanding inventors.

When a nomination is submitted, the comprehensive selection process which follows relies on the legal and technical analysis by the EPO experts and on the final selection by an international jury that evaluates innovations not only on their technological originality but mainly on their economic and social impact. From all the submissions, the jury nominates a shortlist of 15 inventors in the five award categories. The final winners of the awards are revealed during a ceremonial gala in Paris.

“Innovations are the key for Europe, for securing future economic growth and prosperity,” said EPA President Benoît Battistelli, stressing the enormous importance of inventions and patents. “The presentation of the European Inventor Award is our tribute to the outstanding researchers and scientists who make what we generally call ‘progress’ possible in the first place. I would like to extend an invitation to the public to now submit your nominations for 2015.”

About the European Inventor Award
The European Inventor Award is the most important award for technical innovations in Europe. Launched in 2006, it is awarded annually by the European Patent Office (EPO). It gives recognition to inventors or teams making contributions to the development of technical solutions to the biggest challenges of our age and, thereby, contributing to the economic and social development. A jury of international authorities in the applicable fields examines the extent to which these inventors make a contribution to social progress, the creation of jobs and to prosperity.

About the EPO
With 7,000 staff, the European Patent Office (EPO) is one of the largest European public sector organisations. It has its headquarters in Munich and also has offices in Berlin, Brussels, Den Haag and Vienna. The EPO was established to promote co-operation between the countries of Europe on patents. The EPO has centralised patent granting procedures to enable inventors to obtain single patents covering up to 38 EPO member states. In addition, the EPO is also the world’s leading authority in terms of patent information and patent research.
You will find the link to the nominations page for the European Inventor Award 2015 here.
Contact:
Oswald Schröder
Spokesperson
Tel.: +49 89 23991800
Mobile: +49 (0)163 8399668
oschroeder@epo.org

Rainer Osterwalder
Deputy Spokesperson
Tel: +49 89 23991820
Mobile: +49 163 8399527
rosterwalder@epo.org