Dr. Giron nominated for the 2015 European Inventors Award

Giron, who has been with Saint-Gobain since January 1995, joined the SageGlass team four years ago, in April 2011.Although he is the inventor or co-inventor of 495 patents worldwide, quite an impressive number, Giron was humbly unsuspecting that such prestigious recognition was heading his way. The European Inventors Award celebrates the spirit of innovation, thus accordingly it is the most important prize for innovation in Europe. In the words of the European Patent Office (EPO), the award pays tribute to the creativity of inventors worldwide who use their technical and scientific skills to “make a real contribution to technological progress and economic growth and so improve people’s daily lives.” The award consists of five categories: Industry, small and medium-sized enterprises, research, non-European countries and lifetime achievement.

The nomination process begins with an online entry form; anybody can submit a name of somebody they believe deserves to be recognized by the European Patent Office, as long as the candidate meets the eligibility requirements. Jean-Christophe was nominated due to his pioneering contributions with electronically tintable glass both at Saint-Gobain and SageGlass.

Out of 450 initial proposals, a prestigious international jury narrowed the selection down to 15 finalists, Giron among them. For his contributions in the field of electrochromics, he was placed in the Industry category with two other leading innovators.. For Giron, the nomination itself is an acknowledgment and reward of hard work not only for himself but for the teams at Saint-Gobain and SAGE. In regards to being referred to as a SageGlass inventor, Giron says: “I consider myself more a contributor than an inventor.”

The awards ceremony was held on June 11, 2015 at the Palais Brongniart, an iconic location in Paris, France. Jean-Christophe, who attended the event with his parents, compared the event’s grandeur to that of a Hollywood movie awards ceremony. His favorite part of the night was being able to be with other people who have contributed significant inventions, especially in the medical field. With this thought, he was referring to the winners of the popular vote, Ian Frazier and Jian Zhou, who invented a vaccine against human papillomavirus. Being able to share the night with his parents was also special, as was being able to see some acquaintences from his days at ESPCI ParisTech; the winner in the research category, Ludwik Leibler, is a professor there. Four Saint-Gobain employees also attended the ceremony to support Jean-Christophe.

Even though he was not the ultimate winner in his category, Giron still had quite an amazing experience.

“I have tried to enjoy this unique experience as much as possible. There was also personal satisfaction for my family to be able to see this. Further, it has been great to see all of the positive PR for SageGlass as a result of the nomination.”

Congratulations from SageGlass, Dr. Giron. We are very proud of you.

Jean-Christophe Giron, VP of R&D & Product Development at SAGE Electrochromics, was pleasantly surprised when he received the news that he was a finalist for the European Inventors Award. Giron, who has been with Saint-Gobain since January 1995, joined the SageGlass team four years ago, in April 2011. Although he is the inventor or co-inventor of 495 patents worldwide, quite an impressive number, Giron was humbly unsuspecting that such prestigious recognition was heading his way. The European Inventors Award celebrates the spirit of innovation, thus accordingly it is the most important prize for innovation in Europe. In the words of the European Patent Office (EPO), the award pays tribute to the creativity of inventors worldwide who use their technical and scientific skills to “make a real contribution to technological progress and economic growth and so improve people’s daily lives.” The award consists of five categories: Industry, small and medium-sized enterprises, research, non-European countries and lifetime achievement.

The nomination process begins with an online entry form; anybody can submit a name of somebody they believe deserves to be recognized by the European Patent Office, as long as the candidate meets the eligibility requirements. Jean-Christophe was nominated due to his pioneering contributions with electronically tintable glass both at Saint-Gobain and SageGlass.

Out of 450 initial proposals, a prestigious international jury narrowed the selection down to 15 finalists, Giron among them. For his contributions in the field of electrochromics, he was placed in the Industry category with two other leading innovators.. For Giron, the nomination itself is an acknowledgment and reward of hard work not only for himself but for the teams at Saint-Gobain and SAGE. In regards to being referred to as a SageGlass inventor, Giron says: “I consider myself more a contributor than an inventor.”

The awards ceremony was held on June 11, 2015 at the Palais Brongniart, an iconic location in Paris, France. Jean-Christophe, who attended the event with his parents, compared the event’s grandeur to that of a Hollywood movie awards ceremony. His favorite part of the night was being able to be with other people who have contributed significant inventions, especially in the medical field. With this thought, he was referring to the winners of the popular vote, Ian Frazier and Jian Zhou, who invented a vaccine against human papillomavirus. Being able to share the night with his parents was also special, as was being able to see some acquaintences from his days at ESPCI ParisTech; the winner in the research category, Ludwik Leibler, is a professor there. Four Saint-Gobain employees also attended the ceremony to support Jean-Christophe.

Even though he was not the ultimate winner in his category, Giron still had quite an amazing experience.

“I have tried to enjoy this unique experience as much as possible. There was also personal satisfaction for my family to be able to see this. Further, it has been great to see all of the positive PR for SageGlass as a result of the nomination.”

Congratulations from SageGlass, Dr. Giron. We are very proud of you.