Midlands-based Inventor Steve Lindsey - the Only UK Finalist - is Vying for the European Inventor Award 2017

MUNICH, May 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

- Members of the public are invited to vote online and select the winner of the Popular Prize from among the 15 finalists 

- Online voting for inventors is open until 11 June at http://www.epo.org/vote and http://www.facebook.com/europeanpatentoffice

- Winners of the 2017 European Inventor Award will be announced on 15 June 

Voting is open for the European Inventor Award 2017 Popular Prize. Members of the public are invited to cast their vote for their favourite inventor from among the 15 finalists. The winner will be announced when the European Patent Office (EPO) presents this year's Award ceremony in Venice on 15th June. The ceremony will be broadcast live on Innovation TV and the EPO's Facebook page.

The European Inventor Award is presented annually by the EPO. While the winners of the Award's five categories, 'Industry', 'Research', 'Non-EPO countries', 'Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)', and 'Lifetime achievement', are selected by an international jury, the public alone decides who takes home the Popular Prize.

Voting is easy: An online vote open to everyone runs until 11 June at http://www.epo.org/vote and http://www.facebook.com/europeanpatentoffice. All 15 finalists and their inventions are presented on the EPO website, so the public can pick their favourite. Voters will be entered into a draw, giving them the chance to win a prize - a small, innovative tech product. One vote can be cast every 24 hours until the closing date.

This year's finalists come from twelve countries: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Morocco, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the US.

15 outstanding inventors in the running for the Popular Prize  

In the Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) category, the three finalists in the running are: UK inventor Steve Lindsey for a novel rotary air compressor that can cut energy consumption by up to 20%; Dutch chemist Gert-Jan Gruter, for plant-based plastic bottles; and German chemist Günter Hufschmid, for a 'super sponge' made of micronised wax to clean up chemical and oil spills.

Contact UK:
Jonathan Weinberg
Shepard Fox Communications
Tel. +44-2033-184491
Mobile: +44-7947-141014
jonathan.weinberg@shepard-fox.com

SOURCE The European Patent Office (EPO)