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 20 August 2008 21:03 BST

Millennium Technology Prize nominees announced

Wednesday, 09 Apr 2008 16:07
Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys is nominated for his invention of DNA fingerprinting used in identification of criminal suspects

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The finalists for the world's largest technology prize have been announced, with the list including two eminent UK scientists.

A total of four innovations have been selected for the 2008 Millennium Technology Prize, which awards the winner with €800,000 (£639,000) and the other innovations €115,000 (£92,000) each.

The Finnish prize is awarded every second year for a technological innovation that significantly improves the quality of human life today and in the future.

UK scientists selected are Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys and Professor David Payne.

Professor Jeffreys, who works at the University of Leicester's department of genetics, is nominated for his invention of DNA fingerprinting used in identification of criminal suspects and in paternity and immigration disputes.

The Technology Academy Finland said his innovation was chosen as "no other development in modern genetics has had such a profound impact worldwide on the lives of millions of people".

The panel selected Professor Payne, director of Southampton University's Optoelectronics Research Centre, along with Dr Randy Giles and Professor Emmanuel Desurvire, for their invention of the erbium-doped fibre amplifier (EDFA), which made possible the global high-capacity optical fibre network.

They argue that this innovation serves as a "backbone of the global information superhighway".

The third innovation selected is biomaterials for controlled drug release and tissue regeneration by Professor Robert Langer from Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.

And the final innovation is the Viterbi algorithm, the key building element in modern wireless and digital communications systems, from Dr Andrew Viterbi at the University of Southern California.

The winner of the award will be announced at a ceremony in Finland on June 11th 2008.
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