European innovators honoured

Erik De Clercq: lifetime achievement award for contributions to antiviral treatment.

Erik De Clercq of the University of Leuven in Belgium picked up a lifetime achievement award for his contributions to antiviral treatment, which includes the development of the drug cocktail for AIDS which has been widely adopted around the world.

Engineers at German car maker Audi won the industry award for revolutionising automotive manufacturing by making car frames lighter and safer through the use of aluminium. They are Norbert Enning, Ulrich Klages, Heinrich Timm, Gundolf Kreis, Alois Feldschmid, Christian Dornberg and Karl Reiter.

Douglas Anderson, Robert Henderson and Roger Lucas of Scotland’s SME Optos won the SME award for developing a new laser scanning technology for the eye which allows powerful but pain-free examination of the retina.

Finally, US firm SRI International’s Philip S. Green picked up the non-European inventor ward for developing a robotic surgical system that has helped to improve surgery in Europe by allowing surgeons to perform complex procedures with pinpoint accuracy.

The winners picked up their prizes – a piece of paper and a handshake – at a ceremony in Ljubljana, Slovenia

“The groundbreaking inventions honoured today underline the importance of an effective legal framework for the protection of intellectual property rights to support the creative potential of the European economy,” said Slovenian minister for economic affairs, Andrej Vizjak.

Slovenia currently holds the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union. It has invested much time in trying to forge a breakthrough in political discussions concerning patents. Slovenian officials hope to be able to announce concrete steps forward before they hand over the presidency to France at the end of June.