A project for a European Innovation and New Technologies competition was initiated in 1991. The first edition of the EUROPEAN GRAND PRIX FOR INNOVATION AWARDS took place in 1994. The Grand Prix promotes the European industry and applied research. The selection, which is operated on a pan-European basis, identifies the leading European research, hence giving visibility to independent researchers, university researchers and companies from all over Europe. Each year has its own subject. Nowadays, the EUROPEAN GRAND PRIX FOR INNOVATION AWARDS has become a reference in the European field of research and development, some considering it as a Nobel Prize for applied research. This year’s 14th edition is dedicated to "Transportation". The Prize-giving ceremony will be held in Monaco on December 8th, 2007 in the presence of numerous personalities from the European Innovation and Research domain.

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Monaco December 9, 2006

Press release

Monaco -  The Final Jury of the 13th edition of the EUROPEAN GRAND PRIX FOR INNOVATION AWARDS, has identified the 2006 Laureates in the field of Civil Engineering and Construction : 

The PAN-EUROPEAN GRAND PRIX, which rewards the Pan-European implementation of an innovation, has been awarded to FREYSSINET STUC, France, for the Cohestrand^® which is a new seven-wire strand protected by polyethylene sheath fully bonded to the steel wires. It enables to make cables with continuous anticorrosion barriers through the hanger collars on suspension bridges or deviation saddles on cable-stayed bridges (suspended bridges also). This corrosion protection is capable resisting both transversal clamping and longitudinal forces. The collars and deviation saddles developed are suitable for this cable technology and allow to avoid any weak point in the corrosion protection of the cables and to obtain an outstanding durability. 

The JURY’S GRAND PRIX, which rewards the originality of a research, has been awarded to Dr. Mauro Pedretti, Airlight Ltd, Switzerland for Tensairity® which is a synergetic combination of a pneumatic structure with traditional structural elements. The result is a modified air beam with the same load bearing capacity as a steel beam, but with a substantial weight reduction. This leads to ultra light structures with a wide range of applications as for wide span structures and for fast deployable applications such as temporary bridges, large shelters and hangars and opens up many new technical opportunities for pressure induced stability also for floating structure and aerospace applications. 

The EUROPEAN GRAND PRIX, which rewards the technology leap of an innovation has been awarded to Prof. Dr. Hartmut Hillmer and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Schmid, University of Kassel,  Germany,  for the Micro mirror Arrays, system including millions of micro mirrors which can guide and control light very precisely, dynamically, without extensive electric power consumption and with ultra long mechanical span of life. The patented concept provides new ways to enhance inside illumination and save energy. It addresses four main applications: (1) enhance daylight in buildings: Micro mirror arrays in “active windows” can guide daylight into office buildings and homes, (2) provide a dynamic air conditioning support: the micro mirrors can be controlled continuously between “totally open” and “totally closed”, allowing a variable tint of the window pane. The amount, direction and degree of guided light scattering is tailored to winter, summer and variable daytime requirements, - (3) Artificial light guidance: micro mirror arrays can guide the artificial light, as an “active lamp shade”, (4) dynamic focusing : micro mirrors can focus sunlight onto solar panels attached to building facades.

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