Reykjavik/Munich/Zurich – Marie Perrin has made it to the ten finalists of the European Patent Office’s (EPO) Young Inventors Prize 2025. She also received the prize in the World Builder category. Perrin regenerates rare earths from used fluorescent lamps.
(CONNECT) At a ceremony in the Icelandic capital Reyjkavik, the EPO awarded Marie Perrin one of the four special prizes, the World Builders Prize, for her invention. It is awarded to innovators who are committed to a sustainable future. As one of ten finalists for the Young Inventors Prize (5,000 euros) and this year's winner of the World Builders Prize (15,000 euros), the 28-year-old French-American chemist received a total prize money of 20,000 euros.
Her method is called REEcover, just like the Zurich start-up of which she is CEO and co-founder. REE stands for Rare Earth Elements. Marie Perrin recovers europium from used fluorescent lamps using a simplified separation process.
The young chemist holds a Master's degree in chemistry from the University of Paris-Saclay. After a research stay at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she moved to Switzerland, where she completed her doctorate under the supervision of Prof. Victor Mougel at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich(ETH)
“The aim of my doctoral thesis was to research the chemistry of rare earths,” she is quoted as saying in the EPO communication dedicated to her. “These elements are hardly known to the public, but they are found everywhere and are used in many high-tech applications.” Together with Prof. Mougel, Perrin won the ETH Spark Award 2024 for the most promising invention of the year. In May 2025, Perrin began her 18-month ETH Pioneer Fellowship, with which the ETH Foundation supports early-stage start-ups.
On May 14, 2025, Perrin shared her expertise on rare earth recycling at a European Chemical Society workshop in Brussels. According to an article in REEcover, she reminded the audience how important the role of scientists is in shaping political decisions for a more sustainable future. She also won the gold medal at the European Chemical Society's Young Chemist's Award in 2024. ce/mm
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