MUNICH - The European Patent Office (EPO) has launched a nomination drive for the 2026 European Inventor Award, and invites all interested parties to propose candidates by September 30, 2025, according to the official website of EPO. 

As we prepare for next year’s Award, we invite you to help spotlight the inventors whose work is making a real difference, whether in healthcare, clean energy, digital technologies, or beyond. 

Nomination criteria at a glance 

We are looking for inventors or teams of inventors: 

• With a granted European patent 
• From any country (for Non-EPO Countries category) 
• In any field of technology 
• Working in industry, academia, research institutions, SMEs, or independently 

We welcome multiple nominations, and submissions are open to IP professionals and members of the public alike. Linked below are the EPO’s user-friendly online nomination platform and eligibility criteria. Our technology platforms, which run using Espacenet, make it easier to find inventions in particular fields like oncology, clean energy or space technology; and our Deep Tech Finder makes it easy to find over 10,000 investment-ready startups with European patent applications or granted patents.