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DPMA President Eva Schewior congratulates

All award winners on stage

You can find all the 2024 award winners on the Website of the European Patent Office.

AI researcher and engineer from Germany awarded the European Inventor Award 2024

Pioneering achievements in artificial intelligence and a highly innovative manufacturing process for electric vehicles: The President of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office, Eva Schewior, congratulates the winners of the European Inventor Award 2024.

Research: Cordelia Schmid for her work in computer science, which enables machine learning applications that extend into the field of everyday technologies

Woman in front of robotic arm that captures vegetables

AI researcher Cordelia Schmid

The winner in the "Research" category is German AI researcher Cordelia Schmid. She was honoured for her groundbreaking work in computer vision. DPMA President Eva Schewior: "I warmly congratulate Cordelia Schmid on being honoured with the European Inventor Award. Cordelia Schmid is an outstanding scientist and inventor. With self-improving machine learning models, she has decisively advanced the processing speed of AI applications in computer vision - and thus pushed the boundaries of what technology can do for our lives. Economically and socially highly relevant areas of application, such as autonomous driving and interactive robotics, have only become possible as a result."

Cordelia Schmid is Research Director at the French National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology (INRIA). She is one of the world's leading researchers in computer vision and co-author of numerous scientific papers and patent applications.

Industry: Fiorenzo Dioni and Richard Oberle for their high-precision aluminium die casting process that is revolutionising the automotive industry

Richard Oberle and Fiorenzo Dioni

In the "Industry" category, the German Richard Oberle was honoured together with the Italian Fiorenzo Dioni. Together, they developed the world's largest die-casting machine, the "Giga Press", for the Italian IDRA Group. The machine is used to produce parts for electric vehicles. Thanks to its innovative technology, it enables the cost-effective and efficient production of large vehicle components. Compared to conventional processes, the "Giga Press" significantly reduces waste, energy consumption and transport costs.

DPMA President Eva Schewior emphasises: "Congratulations to Richard Oberle and Fiorenzo Dioni! With the new technology, they are enabling an innovative approach to make automotive manufacturing even more efficient."

Other award winners

  • Non-EPO countries: Masato Sagawa, who has made a name for himself by developing the strongest permanent magnets, which play an essential role in several high-tech applications.
  • SME: Olga Malinkiewicz and team for their low-cost and environmentally friendly perovskite solar cells, which have taken solar energy technology a significant step forward.
  • Lifetime Achievement: Dame Carol Vivien Robinson, whose achievements have enabled significant advances in mass spectrometry, biomedical research and medical diagnostics.
  • Young Inventors Prize: 
    • Rochelle Niemeijer, a 29-year-old scientist from the Netherlands, secured first place with her AI-powered portable test kit for the rapid diagnosis of bacterial infections, such as urinary tract infections. The invention enables faster and more accurate treatment decisions.
    • Valentyn Frechka, a 23-year-old inventor from Ukraine, won second place with his production process for sustainable paper made from autumn leaves, which significantly reduces the amount of deforestation required for paper production.
    • Khaoula Ben Ahmed, Ghofrane Ayari, Souleima Ben Temime and Sirine Ayari from Tunisia were awarded third place for their innovative, intelligent wheelchair control system, which promotes the mobility and self-determination of people with disabilities.
  • Audience Award: The winner of this prize, which is awarded by the public, is Olga Malinkiewicz, who also received an award in the "SME" category for her pioneering invention of printable solar cells.

The award ceremony took place on July 9 and was streamed online. The European Inventor Award is presented once a year by the European Patent Office. Further information can be found on externer Link the website of the European Patent Office. 

Pictures: European Patent Office

Last updated: 10 July 2024