• H2020
• Policy & Research

Intel’s Professor Martin Curley, Royal DSM’s Marcel Wubbolts and QuantuMDx’s Jonathan O’Halloran were selected after being identified as being inspiring leaders who have paid special attention to sustainability and the creation of strong and broad technology collaboration communities.

The European CTO of the Year award is given by the European Industrial Research Management Association and Spinverse, a leader in Nordic innovation consulting. Dr Carlos Härtel, jury member and managing director for Europe at GE Global Research, described the award as “a unique way to recognise outstanding individuals whose vision and passion have made a big difference in keeping their companies at the forefront of innovation”. He added that the winners “have shown exemplary leadership as technology managers”.

Curley, who founded Intel Labs Europe, was chosen after helping to increase sixfold the number of Intel researchers in Europe from 800 to over 4,500, and more than doubled the number of European labs to over 45.

Speaking about Curley, Professor Richard Parker of Rolls-Royce, who is also jury member and European CTO of the Year winner 2014, said: “Helped by the inspired collaborative technical leadership Professor Curley has provided for Intel, Intel researchers in Europe have made a number of strong contributions to Intel Future Technologies.”

Meanwhile, Wubbolts has judged to have laid the foundation for the growing number of bio-based manufacturing processes and has a central role in Royal DSM, a company that has transformed itself from a petrochemical to a life and materials sciences company active in health, nutrition and materials and a leading biotech player in the last 20 years.

Gert-Jan Gruter of Avantium, jury member and European CTO of the Year 2014 in the SME category, praised Wubbolts, declaring: “The frontrunner development and commercialisation of lignocellulosic ethanol technology is only one very relevant example of many in which Dr Wubbolts is intimately involved. His enthusiasm and drive for science and sustainable innovation for society is an inspiration for many.”

The SME category winner, O’Halloran of QuantuMDx, was selected after developing a technology that is expected to change the face of healthcare globally and save millions of lives. Q-POC™ is a molecular diagnostic device that can test patients, whether in urban or rural environments or developing countries. It provides a comprehensive analysis and enables the clinician to prescribe the right drug at the right time, potentially saving millions of lives.

Léopold Demiddeleer, founder and administrator of TechBridgeOne SPRL and a jury member, added: “O’Halloran has unlocked robust and affordable solutions for medical diagnostics for massive application. Small seeds pave the way to the future and shake the giants’ certitudes.”

The international jury is comprised of industry experts chaired by former CTO of Nokia Professor Yrjö Neuvo. They were challenged with the task of evaluating candidates representing successful companies and industries in order to identify people who are the most inspiring leaders, foresighted technology managers and contributed to the development and sustainability of their industries and society.