8.10.2009

55 PEOPLE AS CANDIDATES FOR THE 2010 MILLENNIUM TECHNOLOGY PRIZE

A total of 55 people and 39 innovations have been named as candidates for the 2010 Millennium Technology Prize. All fields of technology are widely represented.

Every second year, the Technology Academy Foundation awards the Millennium Technology Prize of more than one million euros to a technological innovation that improves quality of life. The process of selecting the three (or possibly four) innovations from which the final selection will be made has now begun. Details of these innovations will be published in April 2010. The names of the Winner and the laureates will be announced by Tarja Halonen, President of Finland and Patron of the Millennium Technology Prize at a ceremony in June.

The nomination phase ended on 1st October 2009. Countries supplying the largest numbers of nominations were the USA (6), Germany (4), the UK (4) and Australia (4).

"Interest in the Millennium Technology Prize has remained high," said Ainomaija Haarla, the foundation's President and CEO. "Compared to previous years, we have received nominations from a wider geographical area and all fields of technology. 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."

The first Winner of the Millennium Technology Prize (2004) was 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.