European Inventor Award 2026 winners announced: Honouring the innovators shaping tomorrow

• The European Patent Office (EPO) today announced the winners of the European Inventor Award 2026 during a ceremony in Berlin. The laureates were recognised for inventions that improve healthcare, support the energy transition, advance sustainable food production and promote the circular economy. The winners were selected by an independent international jury.

The award winners

This year’s winners represent a diverse range of disciplines and countries. Their inventions address challenges ranging from malaria prevention and organ transplantation to renewable energy integration, battery recycling and sustainable food production.

Industry

Greek-Swedish food scientist Angeliki Triantafyllou received the award for developing a patented enzymatic process that improved the taste, texture and stability of oat-based drinks. Her innovation increased protein solubility while preserving protein structure, helping transform oat drinks from a niche product into a widely accepted dairy alternative. Find out more here.

Research

Irish-British scientist Sir Adrian Hill received the award for developing the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine. The vaccine achieved around 75–80% protection in clinical trials, exceeding the World Health Organization’s target for malaria vaccines, and was recommended by the WHO for widespread use in 2023. Find out more here.

Non-EPO Countries

Chinese inventors Xie Yinghao and Yu Haijun received the award for developing a battery recycling process that converts spent lithium-ion batteries into high-quality cathode materials. Their technology recovers critical raw materials while significantly reducing chemical consumption and carbon emissions. Find out more here.

SMEs

French biologist and entrepreneur Franck Zal received the award for developing a universal oxygen carrier derived from the marine lugworm. His technology helps preserve organs and tissues by delivering oxygen during storage and transport, and is already used in transplantation medicine. Find out more here.

Lifetime Achievement

Professor Rainer Marquardt received the Lifetime Achievement distinction for developing the Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC), a breakthrough in power electronics that became the global standard for voltage-source-controlled high-voltage direct current transmission systems. His inventions opened the high-power range up to the gigawatt level for electronically controllable power conversion and are now used in modern electricity grids, offshore wind integration and long-distance power transmission. Find out more here.

Popular Prize

Chosen by a combination of voting by the public and the jury, this year's Popular Prize was awarded to Chinese inventors Xie Yinghao and Yu Haijun for developing a battery recycling process that converts spent lithium-ion batteries into high-quality cathode materials.

After receiving the highest number of votes cast, they were recognised for a technology that recovers critical raw materials while significantly reducing chemical consumption and carbon emissions.

This year’s award ceremony was held in Berlin and livestreamed to audiences around the world. You can stream the ceremony online here. Find more information about all the inventions’ impact, the technology and the inventors’ stories here.

About the European Inventor Award 

The European Inventor Award is one of Europe's most prestigious innovation prizes. Launched by the EPO in 2006, the award honours individuals and teams, who have come up with solutions to some of the biggest challenges of our time. The European Inventor Award jury consists of inventors who are all former finalists. To judge proposals, the independent panel draws on their wealth of technical, business, and intellectual property expertise. All inventors must have been granted a European patent for their invention. Read more here on the various categories, prizes, selection criteria and livestream ceremony held on 2 July in Berlin.    

About the EPO 

With 6,300 staff members, the European Patent Office (EPO) is one of the largest public service institutions in Europe. Headquartered in Munich with offices in Berlin, Brussels, The Hague and Vienna, the EPO was founded with the aim of strengthening co-operation on patents in Europe. Through the EPO's centralized patent granting procedure, inventors are able to obtain high-quality patent protection in up to 46 countries, covering a market of some 715 million people. The EPO is also the world's leading authority in patent information and patent searching.

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