HELSINKI, FINLAND–( EMWNews – April 8, 2008) – The finalists for the 2008 Millennium

Technology Prize have been announced by the Technology Academy Finland.

Those competing for the world’s largest technology prize are:

               Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys

Professor, Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, UK

"For his invention of DNA fingerprinting used in identification of criminal

suspects and in paternity and immigration disputes. No other development

in modern genetics has had such a profound impact worldwide on the lives

of many millions of people."

                        ______



                  Professor Robert Langer

Institute Professor, MIT, Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and

Technology, USA

"For his inventions and development of innovative biomaterials for

controlled drug release and tissue regeneration that have saved and

improved the lives of millions of people."

                        ______



                    Dr. Andrew J. Viterbi

President, Viterbi Group LLC, Professor Emeritus, University of Southern

California, USA

"For the invention of the Viterbi algorithm, the key building element in

modern wireless and digital communications systems, touching lives of

people everywhere."

                        ______



                Professor Emmanuel Desurvire

Director, Physics Research Group, Thales Corporate Research &

Technology, France

                     Dr. Randy Giles

Director, Optical Networks, Bell Laboratories, Alcatel-Lucent,

New Jersey, USA

                  Professor David N. Payne

Director, Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton, UK

"For their outstanding contributions to telecommunications through the

invention of the erbium-doped fibre amplifier (EDFA) which made possible

the global high-capacity optical fibre network, serving as a backbone of

the global information superhighway."

                        ______

Four innovations have been shortlisted for the world’s biggest technology

award, the 2008 Millennium Technology Prize. The winner will be announced

at a ceremony in Finland on 11 June 2008.

The DNA fingerprinting technique developed by British geneticist Sir Alec

Jeffreys has revolutionized the field of forensic science, as well as

playing an important role in the resolution of paternity and immigration

disputes. Today DNA fingerprints are examined everywhere, even in portable

laboratories, and the equipment for genetic fingerprinting is being made by

dozens of companies around the world.

The innovation of Desurvire, Giles and Payne, erbium-doped fibre amplifier

(EDFA), has revolutionized the world of high-speed and long-distance

communication. Optical fibre networks constitute a global spider web, used

to transmit telephone signals and Internet communication. Amplifiers are

needed to boost the degraded light signals. EDFA is a device that amplifies

an optical signal directly, without the need to first convert it to an

electrical signal. The work from Desurvire, Giles and Payne reduced the

cost and “unleashed” the bandwidth of long distance fiber-optics networks.

Robert Langer’s contributions to medicine and biotechnology are highly

recognized. He is a pioneer of many new technologies, including transdermal

delivery systems, which allow the administration of drugs through the skin

without needles or other invasive methods. His work in drug-releasing

polymers eventually led to the creation of a novel way to treat brain

cancer. His work has also brought about significant advances in tissue

engineering, including synthetic replacement for biological tissues.

Andrew Viterbi’s fundamental contributions to communications technology and

theory have touched our everyday lives. He is best known for developing

Viterbi Algorithm, a technique that has advanced the design and

implementation of modern wireless communication systems. For instance

mobile phone networks rely on the algorithm to eliminate noise that would

otherwise make communication almost impossible. There is a detector

utilizing Viterbi algorithm in the disk drive of every computer and high

capacity MP3 player. It is also used in outer space communications, speech

recognition and DNA analysis.

More info

Read more about the laureates and their innovations and see video

presentations online at http://www.millenniumprize.fi/en/laureates

Press kits http://www.millenniumprize.fi/en/news/press-room

Millennium Technology Prize

The Millennium Technology Prize is Finland’s tribute to life-enhancing

technological innovation. The prize is awarded every second year for a

technological innovation that significantly improves the quality of human

life, today and in the future. The world’s biggest technology prize is

awarded by the Technology Academy Finland, an independent foundation

established by Finnish industry, in partnership with the Finnish state. The

finalists were selected by the Board of the Foundation on the basis of

recommendations made by the Selection Committee.

Prize amount

The prize pool for the 2008 Millennium Technology Prize is EUR 1.15

million. The Winner of the Millennium Technology Prize will be awarded EUR

800,000, and the other innovations will each be awarded EUR 115,000.

Press Release (PDF)

http://hugin.info/135797/R/1207522/248855.pdf