Innovation leadership recognised in Dublin

The inaugural Innovation Luminary Awards have taken place at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland during the ‘Open Innovation 2.0’ conference and attended by Pan European Networks.

The Innovation Luminary Academy and Awards were established by the Open Innovation Strategy and Policy Group (OISPG) to celebrate and recognise outstanding innovation role models and through this to inspire the next generation of innovators. The Academy was initiated with the support and sponsorship of Intel Labs Europe, DG Connect, the European Commission and Dublin City Council.

Introducing the awards by recorded video, President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso said: “I am very excited to see the quality of the nominees this year and am sure that the Innovation Luminary Awards will fast become a hallmark for celebrating and encouraging innovation achievement.”

Inaugural luminaries included Cambridge academic Professor Stephen Hawking, Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner and Chair of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, Professor Alex von Gabain. Also collecting awards were Dr Alexander Osterwalder, McLaren Electronic Systems and Rovio Entertainment, the company behind ‘Angry Birds’.

OISPG chairman and Intel vice president Professor Dr Martin Curley said: “The Irish EU Presidency can leave a legacy of, and a trajectory for, a new generation of Innovation leadership. These awards and the academy into which these individuals enter will prove to be part of that legacy and an inspiration for all who are improving an ever-changing world by being creative and innovative.”

The awards were established in association with the Innovation Value Institute and the International Society for Professional Innovation Management. Those receiving the Awards last night became the first members of the Innovation Luminary Academy.