The European Patent Office (EPO) is proud to unveil twelve finalists for the 2024 European Inventor Award. From healthcare breakthroughs to sustainable manufacturing, the finalists’ inventions transcend boundaries, tackling pressing global issues head-on. They also represent diverse countries, including France, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Malta, Poland, Sweden, Brazil, Japan and the United States.
Now that we have announced the finalists, the Popular Prize contest begins! This unique prize is decided by online public vote, so learn more about the finalists via the links at the bottom of this page, and then vote for your favourite inventor.
The 2024 finalists are
Industry
- Icelandic Fertram Sigurjonsson and his team for developing a biotech-derived wound healing product using fish skin.
- Fiorenzo Dioni from Italy and Richard Oberle from Germany for their advancements in aluminium casting technology that reduces carbon emissions in automotive manufacturing.
- Ulf Landegren and Simon Fredriksson from Sweden for their work in molecular diagnostics enhancing disease detection and management.
SMEs
- Finnish inventors Sirpa Jalkanen and Markku Jalkanen for their work on a targeted immunotherapy to treat cancer.
- French inventors Bruno Mottet, Lydéric Bocquet and their team for their osmotic power generation technology utilising nanostructured materials.
A Polish team led by Olga Malinkiewicz for their innovative thin-film perovskite solar cell printing technology.
Reseach
- German Cordelia Schmid, for her AI solutions that enable advanced machine perception that closely mimics human visual interpretation.
- Maltese Tonio Sant and Daniel Buhagiar and their team for their sustainable offshore energy storage solution.
- The French team led by David Devos and Caroline Moreau for their innovative treatments for Parkinson’s disease that offer better management of the disease and fewer side effects.
Non-EPO Countries
- A Brazilian team led by Fernando Catalano and Micael Carmo for their innovations that reduce noise and carbon emissions in air travel.
- American-based David Fattal for his advancements in display optics and software to create glasses-free 3D imaging.
Masato Sagawa from Japan for his contributions to developing superior permanent magnets used in various high-tech applications.
epoLooking ahead, we will announce the Young Inventors Prize finalists on 4 June and the Lifetime Achievement laureate on 25 June. We will reveal the winners at ceremony streamed live from Malta on Tuesday, 9 July.