Technology :: Call for applications for the Innovation Award Laser Technology 2012

The call for proposals is open for the Innovation Award Laser Technology, a European research prize provided with 10,000 Euro prize money and awarded at 2-yearly intervals jointly by the associations Arbeitskreis Lasertechnik e.V. and the European Laser Institute (ELI) in recognition of outstanding innovative work in the field of laser technology.

Closing date for applications is January 20, 2012. Download application forms. The official presentation of the award will take place in Aachen´s town hall on May 9, 2012 at the International Laser Technology Congress AKL'12 .

Objectives:
The award can be conferred on an individual researcher or on an entire project group. The scientific and technological projects in question must center on the use of laser light in materials processing and the methods of producing such light, and must demonstrate commercial value to industry.

Eligible applicants:
Applications are accepted from individuals working in industry or at universities or independent research centers who have successfully conceived and implemented an innovative idea relating to laser technology, following the project through from early-stage laboratory research to ultimate industrial application. The range of possible fields extends from the development of new laser beam sources and systems for use in laser materials processing to the qualification of innovative laser manufacturing processes for use in an industrial production environment.

Prize money and fellowship title:
The best three applicants will be awarded. The prize winner will also receive the sum of 10,000 euros and be awarded the title of "AKL fellow" and "ELI fellow".

Official presentation:
The official presentation of the award will take place at the International Laser Technology Congress Aachen AKL'12.

Jury and selection procedure:
A shortlist of the best candidates will be compiled by an international jury consisting of 10 members recruited from industry and the research community. The prize-winner as well as the second and third places are selected on the basis of merit. Any and all legal recourse is explicitly barred.

Conditions for entry:
The innovation must have been implemented no more than three years prior to application for the award. Applicants must work for universities, R&D centers or companies established in Europe.

Closing date for applications:
No later than January 20, 2012 (time of receipt)

For application documents and further information: www.innovation-award-laser.org

Contact persons:
Axel Bauer, General Secretary of Arbeitskreis Lasertechnik e.V., Ph: +49/241/8906-194, email: axel.bauer@akl-ev.de

Dr. Stefan Kaierle, President of the European Laser Institute, Ph: +49/241/8906-212, Fax: +49/241/8906-121, email: kaierle@europeanlaserinstitute.org