Spark Award
ETH Zurich gives the Spark Award for the most promising invention that resulted in a patent application in the past year. The criteria for the evaluation are originality, patent strength and market potential.
Spark Award 2026
The winner of the Spark Award 2026 will be announced at the ETH Zurich @ Open-i 2026, which is the innovation event for industry. More information on the award ceremony and the finalists will follow on this site. Reserve the date:
Thursday, 26 November 2026, at the Zurich Convention Center
Proudly announcing the Top 5 finalists
Magnetic microrobots for clearing clogged blood vessels
Nikola Cesarovic, Joshua Mesfin, Simone Schürle, Yimo Yan (D-HEST)
A sharper eye for PET scanners
Till Dieminger, Saul Monsalve, Davide Sgalaberna (D-PHYS)
Soft drones for tough missions
Luca Girardi, Stefano Mintchev (D-USYS)
Fourier pixel
Yannik Glauser, David Norris, Sander Vonk (D-MAVT)
Upcycling plastic waste into super glue
Athina Anastasaki, Tae-Lim Choi, Hongsik Kim, Hyun Suk Wang (D-MATL)
Contact
ETH transfer / Melanie Johnson