Technology Transfer Award 2022

The 2022 euRobotics Technology Transfer Award

The 2022 European Robotics Forum ERF will take place in Rotterdam from 28 to 30 June 2022.
The European Robotics Forum is a gathering of representatives of all European robotics stakeholders from industry, research, academia, as well as public and private investors. It aims at facilitating networking between these groups through plenaries, sessions, and workshops.
The euRobotics Technology Transfer Award, now in its 18th edition, is seen as one of the event's most prominent activities.
Successful technology transfer describes the process of converting scientific findings from research laboratories into innovative products, processes, and services by the commercial sector.
Outstanding examples of technology transfer in robot technology and automation that result from cooperative efforts between research and industry are eligible for the prize. The three most outstanding examples of technology transfer will receive signed certificates. The event will be highly visible.

Call 2022

Who can participate?

Applications are invited from individuals or teams from:

Industry, if technology transfer has taken place in Europe.
Universities, research organizations, or laboratories located in Europe.

A team may be represented by up to three members (individuals) in the application.

Applications may address, but are not limited to the following areas of robot automation:

Robot application: Solutions of robot automation, which have contributed to cutting costs, raising quality, enhancing productivity, saving of valuable resources, or have led to a reduction of physical labor at the workplace.
Robot development: Research results which have contributed to an innovative and competitive robot system (in any robotics application field).
Development of robot components: Results leading to new or improved methods or components, which contribute to robot safety, flexibility, intelligence, operation, acceptance, or servicing of robot systems.

The project must be completed by the application date or no more than 24 months prior to the application date. Should submitted applications do not come up to the required standards of excellence the prize will not be awarded.

The written application should include a summary of the project and its technology transfer not exceeding six pages, setting out:

Project title
Participants and brief information about their organization
Motivation and goals of research and development efforts
State of the art
Project approach
Results of research and development
Achieved innovation and commercial impact
Handling of intellectual property rights and commercialization
Cooperation between research and industry with benefit for the partners

Furthermore, an annex (e.g. project reports, publications, video, dissertation, etc.) may be provided to additionally evidence the project’s soundness and impact.

Deadline - new deadline 30 April

The complete application should be sent to Werner.Kraus@ipa.fraunhofer.de by 30 April 2022.

Selection procedure

Submitted applications will be evaluated by a jury consisting of members from industry and academia/research. The finalists will be informed at least two weeks prior to the award ceremony.

Award ceremony

The presentations and the ceremony for the euRobotics Technology Transfer Award 2022 will take place at ERF2022 in Rotterdam. In the “Technology Transfer Session”,currently scheduled on June 28th, each finalist will have 15 min. plus discussion to present their project. Based on both the written application and the presentation, the jury will determine the winners who will be announced during the Award Ceremony.

Download the 2022 TechTransfer Awards call as pdf

Award Winners

2021

First prize: VEMO The first AI-powered, robotic therapy in Intensive Care - THE TEAM: Alexander König (Reactive Robotics) Sami Haddadin (Munich School of Robotics and Machine Intelligence) Friedemann Müller (Schön Klinik Bad Aibling)
Second prize: The Myosuit: Textile-Powered Mobility - THE TEAM: Jaime E. Duarte (MyoSwiss) Kai Schmidt (MyoSwiss) Michele Xiloyannis (ETH Zurich) Luca Renato Traini (University Hospital of Zurich) Robert Riener (ETH Zurich)
Third prize: Wearable Robotics - THE TEAM: Antonio Frisoli (Wearable Robotics / Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna) Lucia Lencioni (Wearable Robotics) Massimo Bergamasco (Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna)

2020

First prize: Odense University Hospital, Blue Ocean Robotics & UVD Robots - UV Disinfection Robot - Saving Lives Every Day - THE TEAM: Claus Risager (CEO - Blue Ocean Robotics), Per Juul Nielsen (CEO - UVD Robots), Hans Jørn Kolmos (MD, DMSc - Odense University Hospital)
Second Prize: Voliro AG - Voliro - Hands in the Sky - THE TEAM: Mina Kamel, Timo Mueller, Anurag Vempati
Third Prize: Vrije Universiteit Brussel & Axiles Bionics - From AMP-Foot to Axiles Bionics - THE TEAM: Prof. Dirk Lefeber (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Lennert Vierendeels (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Dr. Pierre Cherelle (Axiles Bionics), Jacques Langhendries (Axiles Bionics)