USPTO Seeks Nominations for National Medal of Technology and Innovation

The USPTO seeks nominations for the 2022 National Medal of Technology and Innovation (NMTI). The NMTI is the nation’s highest honor for technological achievement and is presented to recipients by the President of the United States.

The medal is awarded to individuals, teams (up to four members), and companies or company divisions for their outstanding contributions to the nation’s economic, environmental, and social well-being. Recipients are honored for their work on the development and commercialization of technological products, processes, and concepts; technological innovation; and efforts to strengthen the nation’s technological workforce. Past laureates (medal recipients) include Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak for the invention of the personal computer (1985), Grace Murray Hopper for her pioneering accomplishments in the development of computer programming languages that simplified computer technology (1991), Jim West for co-inventing the electret microphone (2006), and Frances Arnold for groundbreaking research on biofuels and chemicals that could lead to the replacement of pollution-generating materials (2011), among many others.

Anyone can submit a nomination for the NMTI by completing the online nomination form and including letters of support. The USPTO must receive all nominations by 11:59 p.m. ET, May 20, 2022. Nominations of candidates from traditionally underrepresented groups are encouraged.

Detailed information about the nomination guidelines, a preview of the nomination questions, and a link to the nomination form are available on the NMTI webpage. For more information about the award and the nomination process, please contact nmti@uspto.gov.

NMTI staff will hold a webinar to answer questions about the award and the process on March 9 at 2 p.m. ET. To attend, please visit the event page on the USPTO website.