Highlights of 2014

Honouring outstanding inventors
European Inventor Award 2014

Every year the EPO honours outstanding inventors for their contribution to social, economic and technological progress through the European Inventor Award. The 2014 awards were presented in Berlin on 17 June to inventors from Belgium, Denmark, France, Japan, the UK and the US.

The EPO presented the European Inventor Award 2014 in Berlin on 17 June 2014 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 around 500 guests from the fields of business, science, culture and politics, including German Federal Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection Heiko Maas.

The awards were presented in five categories, in addition to the Popular Prize:

• Lifetime achievement: Artur Fischer (Germany), one of the most prolific inventors of all time. His invention and namesake, the expansion plug (or "Fischer wall plug"), revolutionised the construction industry in 1958 and has been used billions of times around the world ever since.
• Industry: Koen Andries (Belgium), Jérôme Guillemont (France) and team, for their efforts in developing the first new effective tuberculosis (TB) drug in 40 years.

• Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): Peter Holme Jensen, Claus Hélix-Nielsen and Danielle Keller (Denmark), for their invention of a water-purifying membrane coated with aquaporins, which purifies water without consuming large amounts of energy.
• Research: Christofer Toumazou (United Kingdom), for his invention of a quick DNA test which can decipher the genetic makeup of individuals within minutes, without the need for lab work - a milestone along the path to innovative medical healthcare with a preventive focus.
• Non-European countries: Charles W. Hull (United States), 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.
• Popular Prize: Masahiro Hara, Takayuki Nagaya and team (Japan) for the invention of the QR (Quick Response).

Receiving a standing ovation, Artur Fischer, winner of the lifetime achievement category, said the award was "one of the greatest presents" he had received "in a long life". He encouraged parents to let their children play, saying "we have to keep the child within us if we want to be rich in invention."

The 10^th edition of the awards will be presented in Paris on 11 June 2015.