Indian-American chemist, Sumita Mitra won the European Patent Office’s (EPO) European Inventor Award 2021 under the Non-EPO countries category for her work and invention in nanotechnology in the dental field. The 2021 European Inventor Award ceremony was held digitally.
Sumita Mitra’s Invention:
i.She was the 1st one to have successfully integrated nanotechnology into dental materials, and has invented stronger, durable & aesthetically pleasing dental fillings.
ii.The filling is developed by Mitra along with her team using a technique for creating linked clusters of nanoparticles or ‘nanoclusters’.
iii.Her invention is remaining successful for around 20 years, after the commercialisation of the dental filling, it has been used in more than 1 billion tooth restorations.
iv.She was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2021 for her invention in the dental field and was also inducted in the US National Inventor Hall of Fame.
About European Innovator Award:
i.It is the Europe’s most prestigious award, was launched by EPO in 2006 and presented annually by it to honour individual and team inventors from Europe and beyond, who have made an exceptional contribution to society, technological progress and economic growth through their pioneering inventions.
ii.Winners of the award are presented with a trophy in the shape of a sail. As one of the world’s oldest inventions, the sail is a reminder of the ingenuity of humankind.
iii.Other categories’ award winners:
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Industry | Per GISLE djupesland (Norway) |
| Research | Robert N Grass and Wendelin Stark (Austria/Switzerland) |
| Small and Medium-sized Enterprises(SMEs) | Henrik Lindström and Giovanni Fili (Sweden) |
| Lifetime Achievement | Karl Leo (Germany) |
- The popular prize, awarded to one of the 15 finalists through an online public vote, won by Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, Serbian-American biomedical engineer.
Recent Related News:
Y Nuklu Phom, a church worker from Nagaland, won the Whitley Award 2021 for his efforts toward creating “Biodiversity Peace Corridor”, a network of community-owned forests in Nagaland and protecting the Amur Falcon. He is the only Indian to win the prestigious award.The Whitley Award is also known as the ‘Green Oscar’.
About European Patent Office (EPO):
It is the world’s leading authority in patent information and patent searching.
Headquarters – Munich, Germany
President – António Campinos
