The EPO presented the European Inventor Award 2014, last month in Berlin to outstanding inventors or teams, honouring their contribution to social, economic and technological progress.
The award ceremony, held at the former Kaiserliches Telegrafenamt (Imperial Telegraph Office) in Germany’s capital, was attended by some 500 guests from the fields of business, science, culture and politics, including German Federal Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection Heiko Maas.
“Innovation is absolutely essential for Europe to generate growth and prosperity and secure its position among the leading industrial regions,” said EPO President Benoît Battistelli at the award ceremony. “All of the inventors we are honouring here today have introduced game-changing technological innovations in their respective fields. Their achievements improve people’s everyday lives, and represent substantial contributions to tackling major global challenges such as climate change, access to clean drinking water and improving health. Their ingenuity and creativity are indicative of Europe’s position as a leading technology region. And patents play a major role in protecting this status on a daily basis.”
The winner in Non-European countries category is Charles W. Hull (United States)
Charles W. Hull received his European Inventor Award for the invention of 3D printing – a technology that is currently in use in numerous fields and that has triggered a veritable revolution in manufacturing. Although a multitude of different procedures for 3D printing now exist, they all build on Hull’s original invention. He thanked the “hundreds and hundreds of scientists and engineers who helped make 3D printing what it is today”.
Source: EPO
