R&D Council Announces 2016 Edison Patent Award Winners and Special Individual Honorees

On Oct 18, 2016

The Research & Development Council of New Jersey, located in Chatham, is proud to announce the 12 winners of the 2016 Edison Patent Awards. These winners will be honored at the 37th Edison Patent Awards Ceremony & Reception on November 3, 2016.

AdvanSix (Honeywell), ExxonMobil, Immunomedics, Lockheed Martin, Merck, NJIT, Nokia Bell Labs, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Rutgers University (recipient of two awards, one co-owned with Matinas BioPharma), Siemens and TE Connectivity will be awarded for innovative patent work spanning 11 R&D categories, including: agriculture, biotechnology, defense, drug delivery technology, enabling technology, energy, industrial process, industrial product, medical device, medical technology and telecommunications.

For nearly four decades, the Council has placed a call for nominations for its Edison Patent Award.  The Council then assembles a committee of top state researchers who review the nominations and judge them based on the significance of the problem researched, novelty and utility of the patent, and the patent’s commercial impact.  Those with the highest scores are declared winners and join the ranks of the amazing researchers who are Edison Patent Award alumni.  Recognizing that New Jersey is home to some of the most cutting edge patent work dating back to the 1800s, the Council developed this award to memorialize its most prolific inventor, Thomas Alva Edison, and to highlight the Garden State’s continuous pipeline of exceptional research and development work.

“The annual conferring of the Edison Patent Award has become a time honored tradition for New Jersey’s research community,” said Troy Sarich, Ph.D., Research & Development Council of New Jersey Chairman and Vice President of Real World Evidence at Janssen. “This state is home to some of the finest researchers in the world and an honor like this allows the hard work of both the organization and the researcher to shine beyond the four walls of the laboratory.  The Council is proud to be leading this recognition effort.”

The R&D Council will also honor Nokia Bell Labs’ President and Nokia Corporate Chief Technology Officer Dr. Marcus Weldon, former New Jersey Economic Development Authority CEO Caren Franzini and Stevens Institute of Technology President Dr. Nariman Farvardin for their unique contributions to research and development, business and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education.

Dr. Marcus Weldon will receive the R&D Council’s highest award, the Science & Technology Medal. This medal is awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of science and technology, while successfully bringing innovation from the laboratory to the marketplace. Dr. Weldon receives this award for his vision for Bell Labs and directing the organization’s innovation in the pivotal areas of foundational networking technologies and systems for the ‘cloud networking’ era, via 10x game-changing research and ‘Future X’ projects.

Caren Franzini will receive the Chairman’s Award for her role as former CEO of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority in which she developed countless public and private sector partnerships, policies and economic growth incentives that supported the advancement of New Jersey’s STEM economy.  Caren has worked for several governors and has for more than two decades been universally respected by public officials across our state.

Stevens Institute of Technology President Nariman Farvardin will be honored as Educator of the Year.  During President Farvardin’s tenure, Stevens, the Innovation University™, has won the title at the national Solar Decathlon, has consistently been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation’s top institutions, and has held the #3 rank for its return on investment under the PayScale reporting.

“This year’s individual and patent award winners showcase the breadth and depth of STEM leadership and innovation in New Jersey,” said Council President Anthony Cicatiello. “New Jersey is STEM strong.  Dating back to the beginning with Edison, then Bell Labs and our state’s robust pharmaceutical industry, jumping to present day inventions and discoveries like those we are honoring in this year’s Edison Awards class, New Jersey continues to be an innovation powerhouse.”

The 37th Edison Patent Award Ceremony & Reception will take place on the evening of November 3, 2016, at the Liberty Science Center. The Liberty Science Center is home to the nation’s largest IMAX Theater, where a short original film will pay tribute to each of the winners.

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