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. 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 blood clot can restrict the blood flow in a blood vessel to such an extent that the medications intended to dissolve it can barely reach their target. Microbots driven by magnetic fields could now provide an unusual solution to this problem. ETH news on microrobots
A sharper eye for PET scanners
Saul Alonso Monsalve, Till Dieminger, Davide Sgalaberna (D-PHYS)
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanners detect diseases such as cancer, heart damage or brain disorders. The scanners are, however, expensive and difficult to scale up. Moreover, they have not reached the resolution limit yet. A new particle detector may lead to a break-through in the field. ETH Industry news on the new PET scanner
Soft drones for tough missions
Luca Girardi, Stefano Mintchev (D-USYS)
ETH Zurich researchers have developed FlexiQuad, a soft drone whose frame deforms in a controlled manner when it collides with obstacles. The structural design is special. Despite its soft frame, the drone can fly fast and manoeuvre nimbly. ETH news on FlexiQuad
Fourier pixel
Yannik Glauser, David Norris, Sander Vonk (D-MAVT)
Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed pixels that can not only create images, but also analyse them. In the future, this could lead to the development of devices that function as camera and display at the same time. ETH news on the new pixel
Upcycling plastic waste into super glue
Athina Anastasaki, Tae-Lim Choi, Hongsik Kim, Hyun Suk Wang (D-MATL)
A team of researchers at ETH Zurich is upcycling waste made from polyethylene and polypropylene – two of the world’s most used plastics – into an extremely strong adhesive – and much more besides. ETH news on upcycling plastic
Contact
ETH transfer / Melanie Johnson