July 25, 2008—Research & Development (R&D) magazine has chosen the winners of the 2008 R&D 100 Awards, called “The Oscars of Invention” by The Chicago Tribune. The awards, presented annually since 1969, showcase the most significant new technologies commercialized worldwide.
Indiana University’s Simon Hall was chosen as R&D‘s 2008 Laboratory of the Year. R&D says the Hall creates an environment for current and future research in a setting that maintains one of the strongest architectural heritages in academia.
The Science & Technology Facility at the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, was awarded the 2008 R&D Magazine Laboratory of the Year Special Mention Award. Built around a vision of sustainability, NREL’s environmentally sound, high-performance facility will be used to enhance the visibility of renewable technologies.
An ultra-light, highly efficient solar cell and use of ink-jet printing to manufacture thin-film photovoltaics–both developed at the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory—are named among this year’s most significant innovations. NREL has won a total of 42 of the awards through the years.
The R&D Web site promises to soon post an in-depth look at all 100 innovations. The awards show will take place in October.
