STARTUP WORLD names award winners at LASER World of Photonics 2015

STARTUP WORLD, part of the LASER World of Photonics trade fair being held June 22-25, 2015 in Munich, Germany, has named the winners of the first-ever PHOTONICS Award. The competition seeks to recognize the best product innovations from up-and-coming companies in a broad spectrum of optical technologies. The products entered by startups from all over the world address several applications, from biophotonics and medical technology to optoelectronics and additive manufacturing.

A jury of experts chaired by Falk Strascheg evaluated all of the submissions before selecting finalists in two categories: the 3D Printing Award and the Photonics Technology Award.

The winners of both categories were then announced on Wednesday, June 24th, during the LASER World of Photonics Forum. The corresponding awards ceremony began with opening speeches held by Dr. Reinhard Pfeiffer, deputy chairman of the Messe München International executive board; Thorsten Rudolph, CEO of Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen; and Dr. Andreas Nitze, CEO of Berliner Glas Group.

The prizes for the competition's outstanding product innovations were presented by Dr. Ronald Mertz, Head of the Innovation, Research, and Technology Office of the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Media, Energy, and Technology.

An innovative and promising 3D production system for glass microdevices took home the top prize in the 3D Printing Award category presented by Messe München International. This compact tabletop instrument offers 3D printing functions for manufacturing nanostructures in microsystem components using glass or other transparent materials. The technology involved uses precision lasers to assemble complex 3D microstructures, such as those needed for advanced medical equipment.

The first prize presented in the Photonics Technology Award category of the competition went to Nanolive SA, a start-up based at the EPFL Innovation Park (Switzerland). Founded in 2013, the company has developed the 3D Cell Explorer microscope, which makes it possible to examine living cells in 3D without damaging them. For the first time, scientists will now be able to observe the inner workings of cells, including their nuclei and organelles.

The second- and third-place winners of the 3D Printing Award went to Swisslitho AG for NanoFrazor and Sandmade for the LS ONE printer, while those winners of the Photonics Technology Award went to Norlase ApS for the AuroraOne laser and 8tree for dentCHECK.

The winners and finalists in the PHOTONICS Award competition will be exhibiting until June 25th at STARTUP WORLD, the new marketplace for innovations at LASER World of Photonics. Through this new trade fair platform and its corresponding innovation competition, Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen and Messe München International are giving young companies the chance to raise their profiles at global events.

For further information, please visit www.start-up.world.