In 2018, GEOMAR started issuing the annual innovation awards to honour outstanding new technical developments which serve the scientific goals of the Center in a sustainable manner. There are two categories: a) innovations by individual inventors and b) innovations by GEOMAR teams.
Dipl.-Ing. Matthias Türk was given the Innovation Award in the category "Individual Inventor" for the development of the "GEOMAR Quick-Release". His all-embracing deep-sea electrical heavy duty release replaces conventional complex gas-powered triggers which were previously used in marine research. The prize is endowed with 3,000 Euros.
In the category "Team", Ralf Schwarz and Dr. Jamileh Javid Mohammad Pour were awarded for the development of the "Flow2Vortex" system. Flow2Vortex, originally designed for keeping sensitive marine aquaculture species in a natural way, is suitable for separating plastic particles in the open ocean, a topic that GEOMAR is increasingly focusing on. The prize is endowed with 6,000 Euros.
Both innovations are protected by utility patents, patent applications have been filed.
