Laureates named for the 2010 Millennium Technology Prize

Three scientists have been shortlisted for the 2010 Millennium Technology Prize, the world’s largest award for technological innovation. The winner will be announced at a ceremony in Helsinki, Finland on 9 June 2010.

The laureates announced in Helsinki today by Technology Academy Finland are:

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

Professor Friend’s work in plastic electronics has revolutionized 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 LEDs (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 (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) 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 (Acorn RISC Machine, later Advanced RISC Machine) 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 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.

International selection committee has broad technological experience

The international panel of experts which recommends the Laureates and ultimate winner of the Millennium Technology Prize to the Technology Academy Finland is chaired by Professor Risto Nieminen, Professor of Physics at Helsinki University of Technology and director of COMP, a National Center for Excellence in Computational Nanoscience.

Other members of the selection committee are Professor Eva-Mari Aro, Professor in Physiological Botany at University of Turku, Finland; Professor Mikko Hupa, Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Technology at the Åbo Akademi University in Turku, Finland; Dr Bengt Kasemo, Professor of Physics at Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden; Professor Martti Mäntylä, Professor of Information Technology at the Helsinki University of Technology, Finland; Dr Konrad Osterwalder, Rector of the United Nations University and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations; Professor VS Ramamurthy, the renowned Indian nuclear scientist with several research contributions in the areas of nuclear fission and heavy ion reaction mechanisms; and Professor Henry T Yang, Chancellor of the University of California, Santa Barbara.

More information:

Dr. Tech. Ainomaija Haarla, President and CEO, Technology Academy Finland

Tel. +358 40 716 0703, email: ainomaija.haarla (at) technologyacademy.fi

Professor Risto Nieminen, Chairman of the International Selection Committee of the Millennium Technology Prize 2010

Tel. +358 9 451 3105, email: risto.nieminen (at) hut.fi

Read more about the laureates and their innovations: www.millenniumprize.fi

Millennium Technology Prize is Finland’s tribute to life-enhancing technological innovation. The prize is awarded every second year for a technological innovation that significantly improves the quality of human life, today and in the future. It is the world’s biggest technology prize and is awarded by the Technology Academy Finland, an independent foundation established by Finnish industry, in partnership with the Finnish state. The laureates were selected by the Board of the Foundation on the basis of recommendations made by the Selection Committee. The prize pool for the 2010 Millennium Technology Prize is € 1.1 million. The Winner of the Millennium Technology Prize will be awarded € 800 000, and the other Laureates will each be awarded € 150 000. www.millenniumprize.fi.

Technology Academy Finland promotes technology by supporting scientific research that develops innovations and new technologies and contributes to the improvement of people's living conditions while building on humane values. Technology Academy Finland awards the international Millennium Technology Prize, the world's most respected technology prize, every two years. The organisation of Technology Academy Finland includes the Finnish Academy of Technology www.ttatv.fi, the Swedish Academy of Engineering in Finland www.stvif.fi and the Industry Council www.elinkeinoneuvosto.fi, whose members represent leading Finnish industrial companies. www.technologyacademy.fi