European Inventor Award 2026 winners announced: Honouring the innovators shaping tomorrow
PR Newswire
MUNICH, July 2, 2026
The European Patent Office (EPO) celebrates inventors whose work is helping address global challenges in healthcare, energy, food systems and digital technologiesThe awards were presented during the European Inventor Award 2026 ceremony in Berlin todayThe winners include inventors from China, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Sweden and the United KingdomGerman engineer Rainer Marquardt received the Lifetime Achievement distinction for developing the Modular Multilevel Converter, a breakthrough that transformed modern electricity transmissionWinners in the four categories are: Angeliki Triantafyllou (Industry); Sir Adrian Hill (Research); Franck Zal (SMEs); Xie Yinghao and Yu Haijun (Non-EPO Countries)The Popular Prize, determined by a public vote, was won by the Chinese inventors Xie Yinghao and Yu HaijunMUNICH, July 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- 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.
