The education grant program, which EO has increased by 28% for a total of $80,000 in products, runs in Europe, the Americas, and Asia. The program intends to support research and innovation in the field of optics/ imaging at universities and non-profit research institutions. Potential grant recipients were chosen from over 750 applications received from candidates representing 53 countries.
This year, the European EO Research & Innovation Award will support projects with product donations of a value of 7,000, 5,000 and 3,000 Euros respectively. In addition, the company will invite the three European winners to the VISION 2012, a leading trade show for the imaging and vision industry held in Stuttgart, Germany.
An additional $5,000 USD will be awarded to a project that best embodies the legacy of Edmund Optics' founder Norman Edmund.
"This is a very exciting time for us. We are amazed at the breadth and scope of the applications we received from almost every corner of the globe," commented Kirsten Bjork-Jones, Director of Global Marketing Communications. "Our commitment to education and research extends far beyond the normal channels, and to see that we have successfully reached out and connected with academia from around the world is truly rewarding."
The 45 finalists, representing 22 different countries, submitted applications ranging from non-invasive optical systems for cancer detection and Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) techniques for macular degeneration to remote laser sensing of insects for malaria detection and optical probing of glacial ice for climatic analysis.
After securing more in-depth information about the programs, the EO Selection Team will select three award recipients for each region, the Americas, Asia and Europe respectively, based on three criteria: (1) Technical merit, which is the application of optics in the program, and (2) the Innovative use of optics in a lab or research setting, (3) an emphasis on the life quality improvement aspect of the presented programs.
"Our award program supports cutting-edge research while advancing the growing interest in optics at the university level. This program not only allows us to explore the diverse aspects in our own industry, but also sustain the emergence of technology and sciences that might not otherwise have had a chance to continue if it wasn't for opportunities like EO's grant program," added Bjork-Jones.
The European Research & Innovation Award recipients will be announced September 14, 2012. To meet the finalists, please visit www.edmundoptics.com/grant.