IRI Awards
IRI Awards
Recognizing Innovation Leadership
IRI’s awards honor the outstanding papers, technological innovation, and individual creativity that have shaped industry and benefited society. Explore each award below, then expand the recipient lists for the full history.
Maurice Holland Award
Maurice Holland Award
The Maurice Holland Award is presented each year by the Innovation Research Interchange (IRI) to honor the most outstanding paper published in the previous year’s volume of RTM. Named for IRI’s founder, the Holland Award is a bronze replica of a “Jenny,” the model of airplane Maurice Holland flew during his service in World War I. The award was first presented in 1982 by Maurice Holland’s son and is presented to the winning paper’s authors at IRI’s Member Summit each fall. The recipient is determined by RTM’s Board of Editors.
View Maurice Holland Award recipients
- 2025 Tucker Marion, Chelsea Yuan, and Mohsen Moghaddam
- 2024 Heidi Bertels
- 2023 Dirk J Primus
- 2022 Kah-hin Chai, James Nebus, Annapoornima S. Subramanian
- 2021 Pam Henderson, Terry Rosenstiel, and Kent Young
- 2020 Sihem Ben Mahmoud-Jouini, Didier Boulet, and Sebastian Fixson
- 2019 Robert Cooper and Anita Friis Sommer
- 2018 Andrew Harrison
- 2017 Emily B. Kennedy and Thomas A. Marting
- 2016 Anita Friis Sommer, Christian Hedegaard, Iskra Dukovska-Popovska, and Kenn Steger-Jensen
- 2015 Abhijit Ganguly and James Euchner
- 2014 Ray O. Johnson and John D. Evans
- 2013 Peter Toft, Bill Crandall, and Paul Henderson
- 2012 Bilal Kaafarani and Jane Edison Stevenson
- 2011 William Banholzer
- 2010 Seongkeun Jang, Yongki Yoon, Inseong Lee, and Jinwoo Kim
- 2009 Paul B. Germeraad and Ronald P. Taylor
- 2008 Raymond R. Cosner, E. Jefferson Hynds, Alan R. Fusfeld, Carl V. Loweth, Charles Scouten, and Richard Albright
- 2007 Miles P. Drake, Nabil Y. Sakkab, and Ronald Jonash
- 2005 Jay Paap and Ralph Katz
- 2004 Jeffrey T. Glass, Ingrid M. Ensing, and Gerardine DeSanctis
- 2003 Robin A. Karol, Ross C. Loeser, and Richard H. Tait
- 2002 Marc H. Meyer and Paul C. Mugge
- 2001 Ian C. MacMillan and Rita Gunther McGrath
- 2000 William C. Herbein, Robert C. Morris, and Gregory R. Smith
- 1999 John Seely Brown
- 1998 Sheldon A. Buckler
- 1997 Deb Chatterji
- 1996 Mark R. Gallon and Harold M. Stillman
- 1995 Robert G. Cooper
- 1994 C. K. Prahalad
- 1993 Graham R. Mitchell
- 1992 Walter L. Robb
- 1991 Robert G. Cooper
- 1990 Albert C. Perrino, James W. Tipping
- 1989 Lester C. Krogh, Julianne H. Prager, David P. Sorensen, John D. Tomlinson
- 1988 Roland W. Schmitt
- 1987 Harry W. Coover
- 1986 Richard N. Foster, Alan M. Kantrow, Lawrence H. Linden, Roger L. Whiteley
- 1985 Robert A. Frosch
- 1984 George E. Manners, Jr., Joseph A. Steger, Thomas W. Zimmerer
- 1983 Warren R. Stumpe
- 1982 D. Bruce Merrifield
IRI Medal · Legacy Award
IRI Medal
The IRI Medal, established by the Innovation Research Interchange (IRI) in 1946, recognizes and honors leaders of technology for their outstanding accomplishments in technological innovation that contribute broadly to the development of industry and to the benefit of society. One side of the medal depicts a scientist peering into a microscope as a symbol of the never-ending quest for innovation; a pegasus running in the background as a symbol of imagination; and clouds issuing from a retort revealing the practical results of humanity’s ability to harness natural forces. The reverse side adapts the official seal of the Institute.
View previous IRI Medalists
- 2021 Demis Hassabis
- 2020 David Wineland
- 2019 Leroy Hood
- 2018 Yann LeCun
- 2017 Henry Chesbrough; Joichi Ito
- 2016 Peter H. Diamandis; Vinton G. Cerf
- 2015 Subra Suresh
- 2014 Joseph DeSimone
- 2013 Robert S. Langer; George M. Whitesides
- 2012 F. Emil Jacobs
- 2011 Uma Chowdhry
- 2010 Nicholas M. Donofrio
- 2009 Norman R. Augustine
- 2008 Ralph Snyderman
- 2007 Nabil Y. Sakkab
- 2006 David O. Swain
- 2005 Paul M. Horn
- 2004 John W. Miley
- 2003 Lewis S. Edelheit
- 2002 Charles W. Deneka
- 2001 Phillip Needleman
- 2000 Gordon F. Brunner
- 1999 John Seely Brown
- 1998 Arno A. Penzias
- 1997 Donald E. Elson
- 1996 Robert A. Frosch
- 1995 John J. Wise
- 1994 Walter L. Robb
- 1993 George H. Heilmeier
- 1992 John S. Mayo
- 1991 Mary L. Good
- 1990 Edward M. Scolnick
- 1989 Roland W. Schmitt
- 1988 Abraham B. Cohen
- 1987 Ian M. Ross
- 1986 George E. Pake
- 1985 Ralph E. Gomory
- 1984 Harry W. Coover
- 1983 Edward E. David Jr.
- 1982 N. Bruce Hannay
- 1981 Lewis H. Sarett; Wm. Houston Armistead
- 1979 Arthur M. Bueche
- 1978 Malcolm E. Pruitt
- 1977 John J. Burns
- 1976 Hendrik B.G. Casimir
- 1975 James Hillier
- 1974 Robert William Cairns
- 1973 William Earl Shoupp
- 1972 Peter Carl Goldmark
- 1971 Henri Busignies
- 1970 William Oliver Baker
- 1969 Patrick Eugene Haggerty
- 1968 John Hans Dessauer
- 1967 Emanual Ruben Piore
- 1966 Paul Lawrence Salzberg
- 1965 Edwin Herbert Land
- 1964 Ray Harold Boundy
- 1963 James Brown Fisk
- 1962 Chauncey Guy Suits
- 1961 Max Tishler
- 1960 Augustus Braun Kinzel
- 1959 Frank Koch Schoenfeld
- 1958 Elmer William Engstrom
- 1957 Clifford Fred Rassweiler
- 1956 Victor Conquest
- 1955 Ernest Henry Volwiler
- 1954 Mervin Joe Kelly
- 1953 Eger Vaughan Murphree
- 1952 Roy Chester Newton
- 1951 Randolph Thomas Major
- 1950 Frank Baldwin Jewett
- 1949 Vannevar Bush
- 1948 Garnes Slayter
- 1947 Charles Allen Thomas
- 1946 Willis Rodney Whitney
IRI Achievement Award · Legacy Award
IRI Achievement Award
The IRI Achievement Award, established by the Innovation Research Interchange (IRI) in 1973, honors outstanding accomplishment in individual creativity and innovation that contributes broadly to the development of industry and to the benefit of society. The recipient is first nominated by an IRI member organization for an invention, innovation, or process improvement, and then voted on by a nine-member Awards Committee led by the immediate past-chairman of IRI’s Board of Directors.
The bronze sculpture known as the IRI Achievement Award represents the flight of innovation and was designed by the artist John Blair.
View IRI Achievement Award past recipients
- 2018 Tan Le
- 2015 Charles “Chuck” Hull
- 2012 John J. Curro
- 2011 Richard Hayes
- 2010 Linden Blue
- 2009 Ashok J. Joshi
- 2008 Dean L. Kamen
- 2007 Rakesh Agrawal
- 2006 Paul D. Trokhan
- 2005 Dennis M. Richie
- 2004 Edith M. Flanigan
- 2003 Madan M. Bhasin
- 2002 George H. Beall
- 2001 C. Don Bateman
- 2000 Harry W. Coover
- 1999 James E. West
- 1998 Simon F. Campbell
- 1997 Stephanie L. Kwolek
- 1996 Andrzej M. Pawlak
- 1995 Marinus Los
- 1994 Marvin M. Johnson
- 1993 Richard H. Frenkiel
- 1992 Victor Mills
- 1991 Leonard S. Cutler
- 1990 Robert H. Dennard
- 1989 Alfred Yi Cho
- 1988 Howard G. Rogers
- 1987 Robert D. Maurer
- 1986 John E. Franz
- 1985 Allan S. Hay
- 1984 John W. Backus
- 1983 Herbert W. Boyer
- 1982 Robert N. Noyce
- 1981 Andrew H. Bobeck
- 1980 Stanley D. Stookey
- 1979 Frank B. Colton
- 1978 Robert H. Wentoff, Jr.
- 1977 LeGrand Van Uitert
- 1976 Maurice R. Hilleman
- 1975 William G. Pfann
- 1974 William F. Gresham
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The IRI Excellence Awards
Beyond our legacy honors, the IRI Excellence Awards recognize the organizations and individuals shaping the future of innovation today. Discover the program, this year’s recipients, and how winners are selected.
IRI Excellence Awards
The program celebrating outstanding achievement in innovation and R&D management.
Learn more →Award Recipients
Browse the latest winners and finalists across every Excellence Award category.
See recipients →Judging Criteria
Understand how nominations are evaluated and what the judges look for.
View criteria →