Researchers Xuan Xu, Sašo Šturm and Kristina Žužek (Rožman) from the Jožef Stefan Institute, Department for Nanostructured Materials, received the national World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Award for Inventors, presented on 9 October in Ljubljana during the 19th International Technology Transfer Conference.
The award recognizes their innovative patented technologies for recycling Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets, enabling the recovery and reuse of critical rare-earth elements. They developed electrochemical methods to recover magnetic grains and selectively extract rare-earth elements from magnet waste.
These technologies contribute to the circular economy, efficient resource use, and sustainable development. Research continues through the GREENE and RecovREE projects, in collaboration with Slovenian and European companies, with a focus on developing resource-efficient, high-performance permanent magnets.
The WIPO award highlights research excellence and the importance of transferring knowledge from JSI to industry.
Foto: Marjan Verč
About the Prize
The goal is to award inventive and innovative activity of Slovenian public researchers and to recognize their contribution to national wealth and development.
Researchers from Slovenian public research organisations can apply via this link latest by 4 September 2026.
Info about the eligibility criteria and rating is available here.
Recipients of the WIPO awards from previous years can not apply again.
Evaluation commission members:
Alojz Barlič, Slovenian Intellectual Property Office (SIPO)
Nina Urbanič, Slovene Enterprise Fund
M. Sc Annika Bastian, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
More info about the WIPO Award Program