01/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - The European Patents Office (EPO) and the European Commission are organising, in Brussels on 3 and 4 April, a conference on the patent systems in Europe and China. On this occasion, Günter Verheugen, European Commission in charge of trade and industry, Alain Pompidou, EPO President, and Wim Kok, former Dutch prime minister and president of the high level group on review of the Lisbon Strategy, will award trophies to European Inventors of the Year. These awards will go to the best technology inventions that have been the subject of a patent from the EPO between 1991 and 2000. They are divided into six categories: industry, small and medium-sized enterprises, universities and research institutes, the new Member States, third countries, and the personalities that have had a full and distinguished career. (Information: http: //http://www.european-inventor.org ).