The purpose of this award is to highlight and honor the achievements of the inventors with value creating ideas and entrepreneurs who propel those ideas into world-class products. This is a key element to the continuing success of robotics and automation today. Active infusion of innovation and entrepreneurship into technological advancement is regarded critical at this juncture to strengthen a healthy balance between research and practice as well as a healthy growth of industrial and commercial sectors in robotics and automation.
In a joint event the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society and the International Federation of Robotics will therefore recognize and honor outstanding personal achievements of entrepreneurs in the commercialization of innovative robotic and automation technology.
These achievements will be recognized in a specially organized IEEE/IFR Joint Forum on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Robotics and Automation on June 4, 2026 which is being held in conjunction with the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) from June 1 to 5, 2026 in Vienna, Austria.
The selected finalists will have the opportunity to present their story of the genesis of a successful innovative product in robotics and automation from its very inception to the final state of commercialization in a series of plenary lectures. The ultimate winner will be chosen by an evaluation board consisting of distinguished individuals from industry and academia.
Applications should describe the original work that already has been translated into a commercial success (which can be bought or ordered).
The application must include statements regarding:
- description of the innovation/product/application novelty/uniqueness of the product sustained competitive advantage
- stages of the product genesis
- market analysis, economic viability and pathway for commercialization (ideally including business plan and KPI’s)
- current and future impact on and relevance to industry
- name of the recipient of the price (this is a personal award)
Applications should not exceed a maximum length of 5 pages. Product descriptions and public relation material will not be accepted as an application. References and links to online material are permitted.
SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS: Please send as PDF document (< 10 MB) no later than February 15, 2026 either to [email protected] or to [email protected].
