European Inventor of the Year
The achievements of inventors in six different categories will be honoured by Günter Verheugen, Vice-President of the European Commission and patron of the gala, and EPO President Alain Pompidou. An international jury, chaired by former Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok, will choose the prizewinners in each category, on the basis of outstanding technical inventions for which the EPO granted a patent between 1991 and 2000.
The gala will be the highlight of a two-day international conference, beginning on 3 May, on the patent systems of Europe and China. The emphasis of the first day will be on the challenges and the economic potential of patenting in Europe. On the second day, the focus will shift to the patent system in China and the opportunities which it presents. Participants will include inventors, industrialists, representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), financial experts and lawyers, and a judge from the Supreme People's Court in Beijing, in addition to representatives of the Commission and the EPO.For further information, please visit:
http://www.european-inventor.org(opens in new window)