European Inventor Award 2019 - vote for your favourite inventor
Nominations for the European Inventor Award 2019 are now open. You can vote for your favourite inventor until 28 September 2018.
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The European Patent Office has launched the European Inventor Award 2019, which honours inventors not only for the genius of their scientific or technological breakthroughs, but also for the impact their invention has on society and the economy, putting a spotlight on the individuals behind the inventions that are changing our lives for the better.
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European Inventor Award 2019
The European Inventor Award is presented in five categories:
- Industry
- Research
- Non-EPO countries
- SMEs
- Lifetime achievement
The general public is invited to vote for their favourite inventor. An additional prize - Popular prize - is awarded to the European Inventor Award finalist who receives the most votes on the EPO website and social media in the run-up to ceremony.
Anyone can submit an entry: whether you work in industry, at a university or research institute or for a professional association, are an individual inventor, or simply have an interest in the work these people do, there are no restrictions. If you are an inventor, you can even put yourself forward.
The nominations must respect specific eligibility criteria:
- an inventor must be granted at least one European patent for an invention by the European Patent Office;
- the patent must be maintained in force in at least one EPO member state (except for the Lifetime achievement category);
- the patent should show a high degree of inventiveness, display a recognisable benefit to society or the environment and demonstrate proven or potential economic success in Europe;
- inventors nominated for the Industry, Research, SMEs and Lifetime achievement categories must be citizens of one of the EPO’s 38 member states. Inventors from outside the EPO’s member states can only be nominated for the Non-EPO countries category;
- inventions from all fields of technology for which a European patent can be granted can be nominated for the European Inventor Award.
Deadline for submissions: 28 September 2018.