Michela Magas Named European Women Innovator of the Year

Michela Magas

Michela Magas has been named the EU Women Innovator of the Year.

At an award ceremony in Brussels on International Women’s Day, Commissioner Carlos Moedas and Vice-President of the European Parliament Mairead McGuinness announced the four winners of the 2017 Horizon 2020-funded EU Prize for Women Innovators.

Magas, who is the founder of UK Design Innovation Lab Stromatolite, was named EU Women Innovator of the Year and collected the firdt prize of €100,000.

The dual Croatian-British citizen co-founded Stromatolite Design Innovation Lab in 2000, developing futures concepts for international clients including Apple, Nike and Nokia.

Her practice-based PhD research investigated music interpretation systems and led to her co-authoring Sonaris, an innovative music search technology, as well as launching the Open Product Licenses, enabling design by attribution.

Michela directed MIReS.cc, investigating the future of music technology with seven top European research centres. She founded the global Music Tech Fest – musictechfest.org, which brings music industry, SMEs, innovators and researchers under one roof.

Her work has received the ‘art meets science’ NEM art award twice, several TSB and EU FP7 awards, and was selected for the exhibition showcasing the best of British innovation at the Science Museum during the London Olympics.

“The winners of this year’s EU Prizes for Women innovators are truly inspiring. Europe needs more women innovators like them, with great ideas and the courage and determination to take risks and succeed. The innovations that the four winners have brought from idea to market are remarkable not only from a business point of view but also because they will benefit and improve the lives of many people in Europe and beyond”, Carlos Moedas, Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, said.