Ian Frazer wins Popular Prize at 2015 European Inventor Awards
TRI Ambassador Professor Ian Frazer of the University of Queensland and his late colleague Jian Zhou (China) were awarded the Popular Prize at the 2015 European Inventor Awards held in Paris overnight for their invention of Gardasil, the world's first vaccine against cervical cancer.
Decided solely by public vote, the Popular Prize is decided chosen from among 15 finalists in an online poll. Professor Frazer and his late colleague were clear winners this year, receiving more than 32% of the 47 000 votes cast online, more than double the votes received online last year.
Professor Frazer said he was “overwhelmed and delighted to accept the award,” noting that innovation can only move society forward “if translated into practice”. Xiao Yi Sun, widow of the late Jian Zhou, said that she had “mixed emotions” tearfully accepting the award. “It deeply saddens me that Jian can’t be here,” she said.
The European Inventor Award, was launched in 2006 and is one of Europe's most prestigious innovation prizes. The annual award honours individual inventors and their teams whose pioneering inventions provide answers to some of the biggest challenges of our times.
