The Finalists 2026

The official presentation of the finalists of the Innovation Award Laser Technology 2026 took place on April 22, 2026 in the Coronation Hall of the City Hall in Aachen during AKL'26 – International Laser Technology Congress. 

The Innovation Award Laser Technology is a European research and technology prize provided with 10.000 Euro prize money and awarded at 2-yearly intervals jointly by the associations Arbeitskreis Lasertechnik e.V. in recognition of outstandingly innovative work in the field of laser technology.

We are glad to announce you the following finalist teams for the Innovation Award Laser Technology 2026:

1^st PRIZE: LEAF Laser Riblets – Shark Skin for Greener Aviation

TEAM REPRESENTATIVE: Dr. Tobias Dyck, 4JET microtech GmbH, Alsdorf, Germany

2^nd PRIZE: Beyond Free-Space Beams: Pure Stability and Robust Fiber Delivery to Open New Frontiers for Ultrafast Lasers

TEAM REPRESENTATIVE: Gwenn Pallier, Cailabs, Rennes, France

3^rd PRIZE: Laser Mass Transfer of MicroLEDs – A breakthrough to Commercialization Using a Holistic System Approach

TEAM REPRESENTATIVE: Dr. Oliver Haupt, Coherent LaserSystems GmbH & CO. KG, Göttingen, Germany