Researchers Xuan Xu, Sašo Šturm and Kristina Žužek (Rožman) from the Jožef Stefan Institute, Department for Nanostructured Materials, received the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Inventor Award
Researchers Xuan Xu, Sašo Šturm and Kristina Žužek (Rožman) from the Jožef Stefan Institute, Department for Nanostructured Materials, received the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Inventor Award, 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.
