30.5.2010

MILLENNIUM TECHNOLOGY PRIZE 2010 - FROM NOMINATIONS TO THE AWARD CEREMONY

The winner of the 2010 Millennium Technology Prize will be announced at a ceremony in Helsinki, Finland, on 9 June. The recipient will be chosen from one of three scientists recently named as Laureates for this year's prize.

The Millennium technology prize is Finland’s tribute to life-enhancing technological innovation. It is awarded every second year for a technological innovation that significantly improves the quality of human life, today and in the future. With total prize money of EUR 1,1-million, it is the world’s biggest technology prize and is awarded by Technology Academy Finland (TAF), an independent foundation established by Finnish industry, in partnership with the Finnish state.

This year, the award will be granted for the fourth time. The first Winner of the Millennium Technology Prize (2004) was Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web. In 2006, the Winner was Shuji Nakamura, who invented blue, green and white LEDS and the blue laser diode. In 2008, Robert Langer won the prize for his innovative biomaterials for controlled drug release and tissue regeneration.

The EUR 1,1 million prize pool for the 2010 Millennium Technology Prize includes a cheque of EUR 800  000 for the winner and  EUR 150 000 each for the Laureates.

Technology Academy Finland was founded in 2003 by the Foundation for Finnish Inventions, the Swedish Academy of Engineering in Finland STV, the Finnish Association of Graduate Engineers TEK, Finnish Foundation for Technology Promotion TES, Technology Industries of Finland Centennial Foundation, Confederation of Finnish Industries and Employers, Finnish Academy of Technology TTA and Walter the Ahlström Foundation.

Call for nominations and the selection process

Technology Academy Finland started looking for nominees for the 2010 award on 1 March 2009. Nominations can be made by scientific societies, universities, research institutions, companies and associations. Candidates cannot nominate themselves.

By the end of the nomination period on 1 October 2009, a total of 55 people and 39 innovations were confirmed as candidates for the 2010 prize. Different fields of technology were widely represented. The largest numbers of nominations were from the United States (6), Germany (4), the United Kingdom (4) and Australia (4).

"Interest in the Millennium Technology Prize has remained high," says Dr. Ainomaija Haarla, President and CEO of Technology Academy Finland. "Compared to previous years, we received nominations from a wider geographical area and involving all fields of technology."

Nominations were processed by the independent International Selection Committee, which includes experts in different fields of technology. The Winner and the Laureates are approved by the Board of Directors of Technology Academy Finland on the recommendation of the committee.

The International Selection Committee is chaired by Professor Risto Nieminen, Professor of Physics at Aalto University School of Science and Technology and director of COMP, a National Centre for Excellence in Computational Nanoscience. Other members of the selection committee are:

  • Professor Eva-Mari Aro, Finland, Professor in Physiological Botany at University of Turku
  • Professor Mikko Hupa, Finland, Professor and Chairman of the Åbo Akademi Process Chemistry Centre
  • Professor Bengt Kasemo, Sweden, Professor of Physics at Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg
  • Professor Martti Mäntylä, Finland, Professor of Information Technology at Aalto University School of Science and Technology
  • Professor Konrad Osterwalder, Switzerland, Rector of the United Nations University and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations
  • Professor V. S. Ramamurthy, India, a well-known Indian nuclear scientist with several research contributions in the areas of nuclear fission and heavy ion reaction mechanisms
  • Professor Henry T. Yang, United States, Chancellor of the University of California, Santa Barbara

Each innovation's significance is assessed using criteria established by Technology Academy Finland, namely: 1) identification of the innovator, 2) the innovation's impact on quality of life and sustainable development now, and 3) in the future, and 4) the significance of the resulting technological change.

"The most important criterion to be considered by the International Selection Committee is each innovation’s beneficial influence on both the largest possible number of people and sustainable development," says Dr. Haarla.

The 2010 laureates

The 2010 Millennium Technology Prize Laureates were announced in Helsinki, Finland, on Wednesday 14 April 2010. The 2010 Laureates are (in alphabetical order):

Professor Sir Richard Friend, Cavendish Professor of Physics, University of Cambridge, UK

Professor Friend’s work in plastic electronics has revolutionised the field of optoelectronics, with far-reaching consequences for energy efficient applications in display devices, lighting, sensing and solar energy harvesting. His initial innovation included producing organic light emitting diodes and his use of polymers as solution processed semiconductors has enabled products such as electronic paper, cheap organic solar cells and illuminating wall papers.

Professor Stephen Furber, Professor of Computer Engineering, the University of Manchester, UK

Professor Furber is the principal designer of the ARM 32 bit RISC microprocessor, found in most handheld electronic devices and in more than 98 % of the world’s mobile phones. The development of the fast, energy efficient 32 bit processor 25 years ago unlocked the world of consumer electronics and to date, more than 18 billion ARM-based chips have been manufactured for use in ubiquitous computing applications, such as mobile phones, digital photography and video, music players, fixed and wireless networking, automobiles and health care, benefiting hundreds of millions worldwide.

Professor Michael Grätzel, Director of the Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland

Professor Grätzel is the father of third generation dye-sensitized solar cells, known as "Grätzel cells". These relatively low cost/high performance solar cells offer much promise in the search for affordable, renewable energy technologies. Consumer applications made possible by their development include electricity-generating windows and low-cost, mobile solar panels. The concepts behind Grätzel cells can also be applied in the production of hydrogen and batteries, both important components of future energy needs.

"The three 2010 Millennium Technology Prize Laureates excellently represent both the values and the purpose of the award. Each of these outstanding innovations has great beneficial influence on the lives of millions of people," says Dr. Stig Gustavson, Chairman of Technology Academy Finland.

Watch the announcement video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97tuC8zBj8w

Millennium technology week 2010 and the award ceremony

One aim of the Prize is to bring technology closer to people and communicate the importance of technological innovation in the world-wide search for solutions to global challenges.

"In this spirit, a Millennium Technology Week is organised each Millennium year in Helsinki at which the Laureates, their research and their innovations are presented to international media and the general public," says Dr. Haarla.

The Winner will be announced at the festive Award Ceremony in the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki on Wednesday 9 June 2010 when Tarja Halonen, President of the Republic of Finland and Patron of the prize, honours all three Laureates.

The programme of the Millennium Technology Week can be found in the calendar.