The Millennium Technology Prize is the pre-eminent one-million-euro award focused on technological innovations for a better life. The winning innovations are commercially viable and based upon ethically sound academic and scientific research. The present call for nominations is set apart from its predecessors by a change in evaluation criteria: now, the prize can be awarded to revolutionary innovations that have not yet been adopted worldwide commercially.

Transforming bold ideas into reality demands relentless effort and vision. The Millennium Technology Prize honors the innovators who overcome every challenge to redefine the future. The Prize has been awarded for world-changing innovations such as ethical stem cell research, an open-source operating system, and next-generation DNA sequencing.

The latest Millennium Technology Prize in 2024 was awarded to Professor Bantval Jayant Baliga of North Carolina State University, United States. His innovation, Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT), has enabled a dramatic reduction in worldwide electrical energy and petrol consumption, reducing global carbon dioxide emissions by over 82 gigatons (180 trillion pounds) in the past 30 years.

"True innovation thrives on collaboration. We live in a time of daunting global challenges, but at the same time, countless teams of innovators around the world are working on potential solutions to overcome them. The Millennium Technology Prize fosters vital connections among scientists, innovators, and industry leaders, enabling them to amplify the impact of groundbreaking solutions,” says Maija Liiri-Virmiala, CEO of Technology Academy Finland, the foundation awarding the Millennium Technology Prize. 

The nominations are submitted via an online portal. Organizations, companies, and individuals can make nominations. Nominators are invited to consider people and teams from diverse backgrounds when choosing a nominee.

Learn about the story of the Millennium Technology Prize