Exceptional inventors from Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and the US receive European Inventor Award 2016 at ceremony in Lisbon.

• European Patent Office recognises inventors for outstanding achievements in the fields of automotive safety, diagnostic imaging, biochemical engineering, medicine, neurology and environmental technology
• Dutch-German engineer Anton van Zanten wins in the Lifetime achievement category for ground-breaking contributions to automotive safety systems
• Tue Johannessen, Ulrich Quaade and team (Denmark), Alim-Louis Benabid (France), Bernhard Gleich, Jürgen Weizenecker and team (Germany) and Robert Langer (US) are winners in the other four categories
• With 64% of the public’s vote,  UK scientist Helen Lee  takes home the Popular Prize, for her invention of diagnostic kits for resource-poor regions
• EPO President Benoît Battistelli: "The impact of the innovations of this year's award winners highlights the importance of the European patent system for economic and technological progress in Europe – and beyond."
Lisbon/Munich, 9 June 2016 – The European Patent Office (EPO) showcased the best and brightest in innovation today at the European Inventor Award 2016 ceremony in Lisbon. Now in its 11th year, the award is presented annually by the EPO to recognise outstanding inventors from Europe and around the world, who have made an exceptional contribution to social development, technological progress and economic growth.

"Today's award ceremony is a tribute to the spirit of innovation and the work of dedicated individuals who through their inventions advance the state of the art for all of us,” said EPO President Benoît Battistelli. “The inventions recognised with this year’s award give new hope to people suffering from disease, increase diagnostic efficiency, protect the environment and save thousands of lives on the road. The significance and impact of the work of these inventors underlines the importance of the European patent system for the benefit of economic strength and technological progress in Europe," said Mr Battistelli.

MORE