Celebrating the Visionaries of Innovation: The European Inventor Award 2026

The European Patent Office (EPO) held a prestigious ceremony in Berlin on July 2, 2026, unveiling the winners of the European Inventor Award 2026. This annual event aims to spotlight inventors who are making significant impacts in crucial sectors like healthcare, energy, sustainable food systems, and digital technologies. The recognition of these innovators comes at a pivotal time as global challenges continue to intensify.

Highlighting Diverse Talent

This year’s winners hail from a variety of backgrounds and countries, showcasing the scope of innovation available today. The inventions span a wide array of fields, confronting pressing issues including malaria prevention, organ preservation, renewable energy applications, battery recycling, and enhancing food production. Such pioneering work not only represents individual excellence but also reflects collaborative efforts across borders.

Category Winners

The awards were distributed across four main categories, recognizing outstanding contributions:

1. Industry: Greek-Swedish food scientist Angeliki Triantafyllou claimed the award for her groundbreaking enzymatic process that significantly improved the characteristics of oat-based drinks. Her innovation played a crucial role in transitioning oat drinks from niche offerings to mainstream dairy alternatives. This development not only enhanced the product's taste and texture but also sought to make plant-based options more appealing to a broader audience.

2. Research: Sir Adrian Hill, an Irish-British scientist, was celebrated for his contributions to vaccine development, specifically the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine. This vaccine achieved remarkable effectiveness in clinical trials, providing 75-80% protection—exceeding the World Health Organization’s goals for combating malaria. The WHO's eventual endorsement for widespread usage underscores the significance of Hill's work in public health.

3. Non-EPO Countries: The award for this category was presented to Chinese inventors Xie Yinghao and Yu Haijun, who devised a revolutionary battery recycling method. Their technology allows for the transformation of spent lithium-ion batteries into high-quality cathode materials, achieving the dual goal of material recovery and minimizing environmental damage through reduced chemical usage and carbon emissions.

4. SMEs: French biologist Franck Zal earned recognition for developing a universal oxygen carrier sourced from marine lugworms. This innovation enhances organ and tissue preservation during storage and transport, a critical advancement in transplantation medicine that could save countless lives.

Lifetime Achievement Award

In a special mention, Professor Rainer Marquardt was awarded the Lifetime Achievement distinction for creating the Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC). This milestone in power electronics revolutionized high-voltage direct current transmission. His contributions have laid the groundwork for modern electricity infrastructures, ensuring efficient energy flow in high-capacity systems, including renewable energy integrations like offshore wind farms.

Popular Prize

The Popular Prize, determined through public voting, also went to Xie Yinghao and Yu Haijun for their impactful battery recycling technology. This recognition illustrates the public's appreciation of innovations that foster sustainability and resource conservation—reflecting a growing desire for environmentally conscious solutions.

An Important Ceremony

The ceremonial event not only honored these exceptional inventors but also highlighted the role of innovation in shaping a sustainable future. The livestream allowed audiences worldwide to witness these groundbreaking achievements and understand their significance.

The European Inventor Award illustrates how individual ingenuity can address global challenges, inspire future innovations, and motivate younger generations of inventors to pursue transformative ideas. As the EPO continues to promote invention through such recognition, it reinforces the belief that today’s challenges require creative and practical solutions from inventive minds worldwide.

For more information detailing the inventions and their creators, and to share in the celebration of global innovation, visit the EPO's official site to access the live-streamed ceremony and detailed descriptions of each award-winning project.