April 29 2016: India-born Stanford  University ( US)  Emeritus Professor Arogyaswami Paulraj, is among  15 finalists for the European Inventor Award 2016, announced   by the European Patent Office. He is  one of three  finalists in the category which covers non-European countries.

Prof.Paulraj  is widely recognised as the 'father of WiMAX' and the  lead inventor  of the  transmission technology known as MIMO --Multiple In, Multiple Out --  that underpins all forms of wireless communication today.  Said EPO President Benoit Battistelli: "The technology developed by Paulraj and his team has contributed significantly to faster wireless data transmission, one of the cornerstones of the digital era. In doing so they have helped us all connect faster."

Dr Paulraj  is already the recipient of the Marconi Prize and the IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal and was honoured by  the country of his birth with the Padma Bhushan. In June he will also be formally inducted into the Chinese Academy of Engineering.  Prior to moving to the US, Paulraj served  for 20 years as an officer in the Indian Navy and headed the group that developed India's first indigenous antisubmarine SONAR system

The EPO  awards are given  to those who " have advanced technology, and helped generate economic value and employment in Europe and around the world.". The EPO honours scientists, researchers and engineers in five categories whose inventions have been patented by the EPO and have contributed to technological progress, social development and economic growth.

The 11th edition of the award will be held in Lisbon, Portugal on  June 9, when the winners will be announced at a ceremony attended by prominent representatives of the worlds of politics, business, research and industry. One winner will be announced in each category, and once again, the public will select the winner of the Popular Prize, which will be decided by online voting in the run-up to the ceremony.

The 15 finalists were selected by an independent international jury out of nearly 400 individuals and teams of inventors proposed for this year's award. The 2016 finalists hail from 13 countries: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Lithuania, Sweden, the UK and the US.