Technology Academy Finland has named two leading innovators – Linus Torvalds and Dr Shinya Yamanaka – as laureates of the 2012 Millennium Technology Prize whose prize money exceeds EUR 1 million. The winner of the Grand Prize will be announced at a ceremony in Helsinki on Wednesday 13 June.
Linus Torvalds (Finland/USA) was nominated in recognition of his creation of an open source operating system for computers leading to the widely used Linux kernel. Today millions of people use computers, smart phones and digital video recorders which run on Linux. Linus Torvalds’ achievements have had a great impact on shared software development, networking and the openness of the web, making it accessible to countless people worldwide.
Dr Shinya Yamanaka (Japan) was selected in recognition of his discovery of a new method to develop induced pluripotent stem cells for medical research that do not rely on the use of embryonic stem cells. Using his method to create stem cells, scientists are making great strides in research in medical drug testing and biotechnology which should one day lead to the successful growth of implant tissues for clinical surgery and combatting diseases such as cancer, diabetes and Alzheimers’s. Dr Yamanaka is specifically cited for his prominent work in ethically sustainable methodology.
More information may be found at www.technologyacademy.fi
