Launched in 2006, this award is one of Europe’s most prestigious innovation prizes. This competition is organized by the “European Patent Office” (EPO) which is a body of the ” European Patent Organization”, an intergovernmental organization. The main award is the popular prize which is voted by the public and not by the jury. Besides the popular prize, 5 applicants in 5 categories are rewarded each year by a professional jury. Those 5 categories are industry, research, non-EPO countries, small and medium enterprises and lifetime achievement that rewards the innovation over an innovator’s career. Check their videos below to get a better understanding of why they are finalists in this competition.
The EPO is organizing the competition to allow each year to highlight the work of various innovators across Europe and beyond as we can read on their website:
” The European Inventor Award pays tribute to the
creativity of inventors the world over, who use their technical,
scientific and intellectual skills to make a real contribution
to technological progress and economic growth
and so improve people’s daily lives “
This year 15 finalists were competing for the ultimate prize. From auto-generating tire tread to closed-loop shower, many great inventions were presented to the jury this year. Let’s take a look at the 2018 winners: