The 2000 jury, which met in Altea and comprised four Nobel Laureates from that year, unanimously awarded him the prize “for his contribution to the development of innovative catalytic technologies”

The European Patent Office (EPO) announced this morning that it is awarding the 2023 European Inventor Award for Lifetime Achievement to Avelino Corma, winner of the Rei Jaume I New Technologies Prize in 2000, the first award in this category, a researcher at the Institute of Chemical Technology (ITQ), a joint centre of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), for his extraordinary career in the field of chemistry, which has now spanned more than three decades. Corma has dedicated his life to developing more sustainable chemical processes and catalysts. The OEP will pay tribute to him during the Awards Ceremony, which will be broadcast live and is due to take place on 4 July.

Born in Moncofa (Castellón) in 1951, Avelino Corma is a distinguished researcher at the UPV and founder of the Institute of Chemical Technology (ITQ, CSIC – Polytechnic University of Valencia).  The 2000 jury, which met in Altea that year, unanimously decided to award him this prize “for his contribution to the development of innovative catalytic technologies aimed at achieving more efficient and less polluting chemical processes, with significant industrial applications worldwide”, stated the jury, comprising four Nobel Laureates out of the 17 who came to the Valencian Community that year to serve as judges for these awards

He is an internationally recognised expert in acidic and bifunctional solid catalysts applied to petroleum refining, petrochemicals and chemical processes, particularly in the synthesis and application of zeolites. He has published just over 1,200 articles in international journals and has written three books. Furthermore, he is the author of 200 patents, of which just over twenty are in use and are currently applied in industrial processes that help to fund the ITQ’s activities.

The European Inventor Award is one of Europe’s most prestigious innovation prizes. Launched in 2006, the award honours individuals and teams who have provided solutions to some of the greatest challenges of our time. The finalists and winners are selected by an independent jury comprising former finalists of the award. Together, they assess the entries for their contribution to technical progress, social and sustainable development, and economic prosperity.

 With 6,300 employees, the European Patent Office (EPO) is one of Europe’s largest public service institutions. It is headquartered in Munich and has offices in Berlin, Brussels, The Hague and Vienna.