An international prize in engineering fields “Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering” was announced on February 2. The prize is to be awarded to Dr. Isamu Akasaki, University Professor and Distinguished Professor of Meijo University (92), who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2014 for the invention of blue LEDs, and shared by five persons in total.

Dr. Akihiro Ohara, President of Meijo University praised his achievement, saying, “The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering is a prize awarded to engineers, who achieved revolutionary technological innovation providing global benefits to humanity. I think how great benefit high-efficiency blue LEDs invented by Dr. Akasaki provided to humans was commemorated again following his winning of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2014.”

President Ohara is very delighted at the international award winning by this university’s teacher following the winning of the European Inventor Award in 2019 and Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2019 by Dr. Akira Yoshino, Distinguished Professor of Meijo University.

This prize has honored individuals and groups contributing to technological innovation every two years since 2013. The awarding this time is the fifth awarding. In the past, five researchers contributing to the development and spreading of the Internet, authorities in bioengineering fields in the U.S., et al. have been selected for this prize. In 2017, four persons including Mr. Nobukazu Teranishi won the prize as they were engaged in the development of image sensors converting light into electric signals to contribute to the improvement of digital image quality.

Honoring this privilege, Meijo University displayed a celebration banner on the outer wall of the administrative building on the Tempaku Campus on February 8.