Düsseldorf, May 7, 2019 – Asahi Kasei Honorary Fellow Dr. Akira Yoshino has been nominated by the European Patent Office (EPO) as a finalist for the European Inventor Award 2019 in the category of „Non-EPO countries“ for his invention and refinement of the lithium-ion battery.
Launched by the EPO in 2006, the European Inventor Award – one of Europe’s most prestigious innovation prizes – annually honors individual or teams of inventors for their contribution towards technical progress, social development, and economic prosperity. It is awarded in the five categories of „Industry“, „Research“, „Non-EPO Countries“, „Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises“, and „Lifetime Achievement“, along with the „Popular Prize“ which is chosen from among the finalists by online voting on the EPO website.
Several innovations and developments from Japan have been recognized with this nomination, such as blue LEDs, immunosuppressant therapy drug, power control system for hybrid automobile, the QR code, and carbon nanotubes. Dr. Yoshino“s development of the lithium-ion battery is the 6th Japanese achievement to earn nomination as a finalist for the award.
Winners are selected from among the three finalist inventors or teams nominated in each of the five categories. Announcement of the winners in each category and the winner of the Popular Prize – where the winner gets chosen by his supporters via online voting – will be made at the award ceremony on June 20, 2019, in Vienna, Austria.
The public is invited to vote for the Popular Prize here.
Developed by Dr. Yoshino in the early 1980s, the lithium-ion battery has been widely adopted in various electronic devices as a safe lightweight rechargeable battery, enhancing portability as the digital age began in the 1990s, ushering in the IT revolution and our current society of mobile connectivity. Furthermore, the lithium-ion battery is playing a growing role in measures to counter global warming, by powering electric vehicles and by enabling the effective storage and use of electricity from unstable sources of renewable energy. As such, the lithium-ion battery will thus continue to be increasingly important for the sustainability of our society.
Asahi Kasei Corporation is a globally active diversified technology company with operations in the Material, Homes, and Health Care business. The Material division encompasses fibers & textiles, petrochemicals, performance polymers, performance materials, consumables, battery separators, and electronic devices. The Homes division provides housing and construction materials to the Japanese market. The Health Care division includes pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and acute critical care devices and systems. With approximately 35,000 employees around the world, the Asahi Kasei Group serves customers in more than 100 countries and recorded net sales of 15.3 billion Euro in fiscal year 2017.
Asahi Kasei is „Creating for Tomorrow“ with all operations sharing a common mission of contributing to life and living for people around the world.
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