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The European Patent Office (EPO) unveils the top 10 innovators of the first standalone edition of the Young Inventors Prize 2025 in Reykjavik

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The Young Inventors Prize recognises innovators under 30 who are tackling Global Challenges through groundbreaking science and technologyTen exceptional innovators, chosen by an independent jury from over 450 talented candidates, are redefining sustainability, healthcare, and industry with their contributionsReykjavik hosts the unveiling of three special prize winners and the People’s Choice winner on June 18, as the world comes together to honour the next generation of changemakers

MUNICH, May 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The European Patent Office (EPO) has announced the top 10 global innovators for the first standalone edition of the Young Inventors Prize 2025. These innovators, known as Tomorrow Shapers, are under 30 and have been recognised for their groundbreaking contributions to sustainability, healthcare, and industry, aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Selected from over 450 candidates by an independent jury, their work showcases the transformative power of technology in addressing global challenges.

Celebrating innovation in Reykjavik

The ceremony, set to take place in Reykjavik on 18 June, will be livestreamed globally. During the event, three special prizes will be awarded: the World Builders prize for initiatives driving sustainability and circular economies, the Community Healers prize for projects ensuring equal access to essential resources, and the Nature Guardians prize for efforts protecting ecosystems. Additionally, a People’s Choice winner will be selected through an online public vote, further highlighting the impact of these young innovators.

Shaping a sustainable future

EPO President António Campinos emphasised the significance of the Young Inventors Prize, stating: “Young inventors are the architects of a brighter tomorrow, bringing fresh perspectives and bold solutions to the world’s most daunting challenges. By celebrating their achievements, we not only honour their ingenuity but also underline the transformative power of technologies and science in shaping a sustainable future and inspiring generations to come.”

The ten Tomorrow Shapers taking on global issues

Extending the shelf life of fresh produce: Ugandan entrepreneurs Sandra Namboozo and Samuel Muyita created a biodegradable sachet that slows fruit ripening, reducing food waste and supporting smallholder farmers.

E-waste tackling solutions through paper-based electronic device parts: Austrian industrial designer Franziska Kerber developed dissolvable components for devices such as routers, enabling easier recovery of valuable metals. 

Sustainable aviation sealants: Filipino aeronautical engineer Mark Kennedy Bantugon developed an aircraft sealant made from discarded Pili Tree resin, offering a more sustainable and less toxic alternative to many current sealants.

Revolutionising rare earth recycling: French-American chemist Marie Perrin pioneered a process to extract europium from discarded fluorescent lamps, making its recycling simpler and less toxic.

Capturing pollutants and improving air quality: Colombian entrepreneur Mariana Pérez designed a Direct Air Capture system that removes CO₂, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide from the air, enabling captured pollutants to be converted into biodegradable materials.

AI-designed enzymes for industry and healthcare: Lithuanian researchers Laurynas Karpus, Vykintas Jauniškis and Irmantas Rokaitis co-developed an AI-powered platform for designing new enzymes tailored for biomanufacturing and pharmaceutical, among other applications.

Smart labels to reduce food waste and food poisoning: Spanish inventors Pilar Granado, Pablo Sosa Domínguez and Luis Chimeno created biodegradable smart labels that monitor food freshness in real-time, helping reduce unnecessary food waste.

Carbon capture for shipping: Engineers Alisha Fredriksson (Sweden/UK) and Roujia Wen (China) built a modular carbon capture system that binds CO₂ into solid limestone pellets, cutting emissions for existing ships.

Turning waste CO₂ into essential fibres: US scientists and twin sisters Neeka and Leila Mashouf developed a process to convert industrial CO₂ into cellulose pulp for sustainable, biodegradable materials, among other applications.

Smarter semiconductor manufacturing: Slovenian researcher Teja Potočnik developed an automated platform to facilitate the manufacture of nanomaterial-based semiconductor devices, paving the way to next-generation microchips and electronics.

Meet the ten Tomorrow Shapers and their inventions’ impact and stories.

Media contacts European Patent Office

Luis Berenguer Giménez
Principal Director Communication / EPO spokesperson

EPO press desk
press@epo.org 

About the Young Inventors Prize

Aimed at individuals 30 and under, the Young Inventors Prize showcases the transformative power of youth-driven solutions and recognises the remarkable young people paving the way to a more sustainable future. Established in 2022, trophies were first handed out during the European Inventor Award ceremony. From 2025 onwards, the Prize will move up a gear with its own dedicated event, held separately from the Award. Among the 10 Tomorrow Shapers selected for each edition, three will be awarded a special prize: World Builders, Community Healers, and Nature Guardians. In addition, a People’s Choice winner, voted by the public online, will be revealed. Each Tomorrow Shaper will receive EUR 5 000, the three special prize winners will each receive an extra EUR 15 000. The People’s Choice winner will be awarded an additional EUR 5 000. Read more on the Young Inventors Prize eligibility and selection criteria.

About the EPO

With 6,300 staff members, the European Patent Office (EPO) is one of the largest public service institutions in Europe. Headquartered in Munich with offices in Berlin, Brussels, The Hague and Vienna, the EPO was founded with the aim of strengthening co-operation on patents in Europe. Through the EPO’s centralised patent granting procedure, inventors are able to obtain high-quality patent protection in up to 46 countries, covering a market of some 700 million people. The EPO is also the world’s leading authority in patent information and patent searching.

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SOURCE European Patent Office (EPO)

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The 2nd China (Guangxi)–ASEAN College Students Invitational Competition On Digital Economy and AI Application Innovation was grandly inaugurated in Kuala Lumpur.

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—China and Malaysia Jointly Designated Data Annotation and Corpus Training Base, Setting a New Benchmark for Industry-Education Integration

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, April 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On April 23, 2026, with the support of the Malaysian government agency and leveraging the favorable opportunity presented by the Secretariat of the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit to deepen regional economic, trade, and digital industry collaboration, the opening ceremony of the 2nd China (Guangxi)—ASEAN College Students Invitational Competition On Digital Economy and AI Application Innovation was successfully held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Under the theme of “Digital Intelligence Empowerment • Creating a Connected Future,” this competition closely aligns with the trends of China-ASEAN digital economy cooperation under the RCEP framework and actively responds to the Belt and Road Initiative. It recruits participating teams from universities across China and ASEAN countries, aiming to establish an international benchmark platform for industry-education integration and youth exchange in the China-ASEAN digital economy. The event is hosted by the China-Malaysia Institute of Modern Craftsmanship of Digital Economy and jointly organized by institutions such as Guangxi Vocational College of Finance and Guangxi Tus innovation Cross-border E-Commerce Co., Ltd receiving extensive support and active participation from government, enterprises, and academic sectors in both China and Malaysia.

At the opening ceremony, representatives from Chinese and Malaysian government, enterprises, and educational institutions—including LI Gaoyan, Secretary of the Party Committee of Guangxi Financial Vocational College and Prof. Dato’ Indera Ir. Dr. Lee Sze Wei, president of Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology; and Zhuge Ronghe, Deputy General Manager of Guangxi Tus innovation Cross-border E-Commerce Co., Ltd. and Executive Director of the AI Cross-border Digital Economy Committee of the Guangxi International Chamber of Commerce—delivered speeches. All parties highly recognized the cross-border industry-education integration platform established by the event and expressed their expectation to leverage it as a bridge to deepen and solidify practical cooperation in the China-ASEAN digital economy.

In addition, a plaque presentation ceremony was held simultaneously at the opening ceremony, officially awarding the “China-Malaysia Institute of Modern Craftsmanship of Digital Economy Data Annotation and Corpus Training Base” to WEHIVE GLOBAL MARTECH SDN BHD, a leading local digital marketing technology company in Malaysia. This marks a substantive step forward by both China and Malaysia in the field of foundational artificial intelligence data services. The establishment of this base not only provides industry-level corpus resources and authentic training scenarios for cultivating digital economy talents in the region but also offers robust support for the technical implementation and commercialization of projects participating in this competition. It establishes a comprehensive, deeply integrated chain of “competition + training + industry,” fostering synergistic alignment between the education system, talent pipeline, industrial chain, and innovation ecosystem.

Compared to previous editions, this year’s competition has undergone a comprehensive upgrade, precisely focusing on the core objectives of cultivating digital economy talent and facilitating the commercialization of research outcomes, with three key highlights: First, an innovative scoring system. The competition incorporates practical AI tool proficiency into its core evaluation criteria, requiring participating teams to create project promotional posters using mainstream AI tools, addressing the common issue of “emphasizing concepts over practical application” in similar events and truly achieving learning and application through competition. Second, a multicultural team formation model. The competition encourages students from China and ASEAN countries to form cross-border teams, fostering cross-cultural exchange, technical complementarity, and conceptual synergy. Third, an enhanced technology commercialization mechanism. The competition offers winning teams dual support— “cash prizes plus full-cycle incubation at the Nanning Comprehensive Pilot Zone Overseas Talent Offshore Innovation and Entrepreneurship Base” —bridging the “last mile” from competition to market implementation, establishing a complete transformation cycle of “competition—cultivation—incubation—implementation” to significantly improve the industrial viability and market competitiveness of participating projects.

This competition draws on the innovative education model of the China-Malaysia Institute of Modern Craftsmanship of Digital Economy, with a core focus on empowering youth innovation and entrepreneurship through AI technology. It aims to identify and cultivate young digital economy talents possessing international vision, practical skills, and innovative thinking, while promoting the application of AI technologies in emerging sectors such as cross-border e-commerce and digital finance. Moving forward, the competition will continue to serve as a bridge, injecting youthful momentum into the high-quality, coordinated development of the China-ASEAN digital economy, and supporting the sustained deepening and steady advancement of industry-education integration between China and Malaysia under the Belt and Road framework.

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ALLSPRING GLOBAL INVESTMENTS LAUNCHES GLOBAL EQUITY FUND, EXPANDING ITS SYSTEMATIC CORE EQUITY SUITE

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LONDON, April 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Allspring Global Investments™, a global asset management company with US$624 billion* in assets under advisement, today announced the launch of the Allspring (Lux) Worldwide Fund – Global Equity Fund, a UCITS sub-fund offering a systematic core global equity investment strategy designed to deliver consistent, repeatable alpha whilst maintaining disciplined risk management across market cycles.

“With the growing success of our Global Equity Enhanced Income Fund and our Climate Transition Global Equity Fund in our UCITS range, we are proud to now launch the Allspring Global Equity Fund in response to client demand for a core global equity solution. This new fund reflects our continued investment in systematic capabilities that combine rigorous quantitative research with fundamental insight”, said Andy Sowerby, head of Allspring’s International Client Group. “As clients look for dependable sources of potential outperformance in an increasingly complex global market, this strategy extends our global equity franchise with a risk-controlled core solution designed for compelling performance across market cycles”.

The Global Equity Fund broadens Allspring’s systematic global equity offering, complementing its existing Global Equity Enhanced Income and Climate Transition Global Equity Funds. These two funds were launched in July 2020 and July 2021, respectively, and both have delivered top-quartile performance within their peer groups since.

The new fund seeks long-term capital appreciation by using proprietary quantitative models integrated with fundamental validation to identify attractively valued, high-quality companies with supportive momentum characteristics. The fund aims to achieve positive excess returns relative to the MSCI All Country World Index. The portfolio is broadly diversified and constructed through a disciplined process that combines active stock selection with holistic risk management.

“Our Global Equity Fund is designed to serve as a true core allocation for global equity portfolios”, said John Campbell, CFA, senior portfolio manager of the Global Equity Fund and head of Allspring’s Systematic Core Equity team. “By targeting bottom-up alpha whilst actively managing macro and fundamental risks, the strategy aims to deliver a smoother excess return profile across different market environments”.

The strategy is managed by Allspring’s Systematic Core Equity team, which oversees approximately US$10.8 billion in assets and has decades of experience managing enhanced index, high-conviction equity solutions.

The fund is available to investors in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom in our UCITS vehicle. It will also be available to investors in Switzerland and select Asian countries in the coming months.

ABOUT ALLSPRING
Allspring Global Investments™ is an independent asset management company with more than US$624 billion in assets under advisement*, 18 offices globally and investment teams supported by 365+ investment professionals. Allspring is committed to thoughtful investing, purposeful planning and inspiring a new era of investing that pursues both financial returns and positive outcomes. For more information, please visit www.allspringglobal.com.

*As of 31 March 2026. Figures include discretionary and non-discretionary assets.

This material is provided for informational purposes only and is intended for professional/institutional investor and qualified client use only. Not for retail public use. This content and the information within do not constitute an offer or solicitation in any jurisdiction where or to any person to whom it would be unauthorized or unlawful to do so. It should not be considered investment advice, an investment recommendation, or investment research in any jurisdiction.

INVESTMENT RISKS: All investments contain risk. Your capital may be at risk. The value, price, or income of investments or financial instruments can fall as well as rise and is not guaranteed. You may not get back the amount originally invested. Past performance is not a guarantee or reliable indicator of future results. Returns may increase or decrease as a result of currency fluctuations.

Allspring Global Investments™ (Allspring) is the trade name for the asset management firms of Allspring Global Investments Holdings, LLC, a holding company indirectly owned by certain private funds of GTCR LLC and Reverence Capital Partners, L.P. These firms include but are not limited to Allspring Global Investments Luxembourg, S.A.; Allspring Funds Management, LLC; Allspring Global Investments, LLC; Allspring Global Investments (UK) Ltd.; Allspring Global Investments (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.; Allspring Global Investments (Hong Kong) Ltd.; Allspring Global Investments (Japan) Ltd.; and Galliard Capital Management, LLC. Unless otherwise stated, Allspring is the source of all data (which is current or as of the date stated). Content is provided for informational purposes only. Views, opinions, assumptions, or estimates are not necessarily those of Allspring or its affiliates, and there is no representation regarding their adequacy, accuracy, or completeness. They should not be relied upon and may be subject to change without notice.

© 2026 Allspring Global Investments Holdings, LLC. All rights reserved. ALL-04142026-qxuja9fc

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Elbit Systems to Report First Quarter 2026 Financial Results on May 26, 2026

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The Company will host a Conference Call to discuss its financial results on May 26, 2026 at 9:00am ET

HAIFA, Israel, April 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ: ESLT) (TASE: ESLT) (“Elbit Systems” or the “Company”) announced today that it will publish its first quarter 2026 financial results on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.

Results Conference Call

The Company will host a conference call on May 26, 2026, at 9:00am Eastern Time. On the call, management will review and discuss the results and will be available to answer questions. To participate, please call one of the dial-in numbers below: 

US Dial-in Number: 1-866-744-5399
Canada Dial-in Number: 1-866-485-2399
Israel Dial-in Number: +972-3-918-0644
International Dial-in Number:  +972-3-918-0644

at 9:00am Eastern Time; 6:00am Pacific Time; 4:00pm Israel Time

This call will also be broadcast live on Elbit Systems’ website at http://www.elbitsystems.com. An online replay will be available from 24 hours after the call ends.

Alternatively, for two days following the call, investors will be able to dial a replay number to listen to the call. The dial-in numbers are: 1-888-782-4291 (U.S. and Canada) or +972-3-925-5900 (Israel and International).

About Elbit Systems

Elbit Systems is a leading global defense technology company, delivering advanced solutions for a secure and safer world. Elbit Systems develops, manufactures, integrates and sustains a range of next-generation solutions across multiple domains.

Driven by its agile, collaborative culture, and leveraging Israel’s technology ecosystem, Elbit Systems enables customers to address rapidly evolving battlefield challenges and overcome threats.

Elbit Systems employs over 20,000 people in dozens of countries across five continents. The Company reported $7,938.6 million in revenues for the year ended December 31, 2025 and an order backlog of $28.1 billion as of such date.

For additional information, visit: www.elbitsystems.com, follow us on X or visit our official Facebook, Youtube and LinkedIn Channels.

Company Contact:
Dr. Yaacov (Kobi) Kagan, Executive VP – CFO
Tel:  +972-77-2946663
kobi.kagan@elbitsystems.com 

Daniella Finn, VP, Investor Relations
Tel: +972-77-2948984
daniella.finn@elbitsystems.com 

Dalia Bodinger, VP, Communications & Brand
Tel: +972-77-2947602
dalia.bodinger@elbitsystems.com

This press release may contain forward–looking statements (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Israeli Securities Law, 1968) regarding Elbit Systems Ltd. and/or its subsidiaries (collectively the Company), to the extent such statements do not relate to historical or current facts. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions about future events. Forward–looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions about the Company, which are difficult to predict, including projections of the Company’s future financial results, its anticipated growth strategies and anticipated trends in its business. Therefore, actual future results, performance and trends may differ materially from these forward–looking statements due to a variety of factors, including, without limitation: scope and length of customer contracts; governmental regulations and approvals; changes in governmental budgeting priorities; general market, political and economic conditions in the countries in which the Company operates or sells, including Israel and the United States among others, including the duration and scope of the war in Israel, and the potential impact on our operations; changes in global health and macro-economic conditions; differences in anticipated and actual program performance, including the ability to perform under long-term fixed-price contracts; changes in the competitive environment; and the outcome of legal and/or regulatory proceedings. The factors listed above are not all-inclusive, and further information is contained in Elbit Systems Ltd.’s latest annual report on Form 20-F, which is on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward–looking statements speak only as of the date of this release. Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable, it cannot guarantee future results, level of activity, performance or achievements. Moreover, neither the Company nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any of these forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update its forward-looking statements.

Elbit Systems Ltd., its logo, brand, product, service and process names appearing in this release are the trademarks or service marks of Elbit Systems Ltd. or its affiliated companies. All other brand, product, service and process names appearing are the trademarks of their respective holders. Reference to or use of a product, service or process other than those of Elbit Systems Ltd. does not imply recommendation, approval, affiliation or sponsorship of that product, service or process by Elbit Systems Ltd. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as conferring by implication, estoppel or otherwise any license or right under any patent, copyright, trademark or other intellectual property right of Elbit Systems Ltd. or any third party, except as expressly granted herein.

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SOURCE Elbit Systems Ltd.

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