Spark Award

On 21 November 2024, ETH Zurich presented the Spark Award for the most promising invention, which resulted in a patent application in the past year.

Congratulations to the Spark Award winner of 2024

Victor Mougel and Marie Amélie Perrin with their invention
Separation of rare earth elements using thiometallates

Spark Award winners
Marie Amelie Perrin and Victor Mougel win the Spark Award 2024. Pictured here with Vanessa Wood, Vice President for Knowledge Transfer and Corporate Relations, and Stefan Lux, Head of ETH transfer. (Image: Romel Janeski / NZZ Connect) (Romel Janeski)

Procedure for recycling rare earths: These elements are an indispensable part of modern electronics. These elements have until now barely been recycled because they can only be separated with an enormous outlay of energy and chemicals. The problem lies in the chemical similarity of the elements. ETH doctoral student Marie Perrin and her supervisor Victor Mougel have developed a method that enables the elements to be separated efficiently. ETH news

Celebrating with our Top 5 finalists

Spark Award Top 5
Spark Award ceremony at the ETH Industry Day (Image: Romel Janeski / NZZ Connect)

Top 5 finalists

Pulsed electric fields in 3D histology
Adriano Aguzzi, Robert Axelrod, Leandro Buchmann, Jana Bünder, Francesca Catto, Stephan C. Fox, Alexander Mathys, Mirko Meboldt

Separation of rare earth elements using thiometallates
Victor Mougel, Marie Amélie Perrin

Enzyme responsive optical drain fluid sensor for postoperative monitoring

Alexandre H.C. Anthis, Inge Herrman, Alexander Jessernig

Stiff, damping and lightweight silicon and glass composites with micron and submicron viscoelastic interlayers and fabrication steps thereof
Walter Caseri, Andrei Gusev, Ioanna Tsimouri

Engineered bacterial strain with high cellulose production
Andrew DeMello, Nadia Enrriquez, Ankit Jain, Anton I. Kan, Julie Marine Laurent, Stavros Stavrakis, Mathias Steinacher, André Studart

contact: ETH transfer / Melanie Johnson

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