Every year the European Inventor Award, the event launched by the European Patent Office in 2006, brings together some of the world's brightest innovators, as well as leading figures from business, politics, media and the sciences. The next Award ceremony will take place on June 17, in Berlin, Germany.

One of the 15 finalists is the Italian cement manufacturer Italcementi S.p.A., presenting its self-cleaning concrete, an innovative cement mixture that, as the name suggests, doesn't need cleaning and also purifies the surrounding air.

The chemist Luigi Cassar and his team achieved this breakthrough by enriching cement with TX Active®, an active principle made of titanium oxide minerals, which oxidize with sunlight to break down pollutants before they can bind with the surface and cause discoloration.

Moreover, walls covered in the self-cleaning cement can cut levels of NOx in the surrounding air by as much as 80%;they also reduce other known toxic substances, including lead, carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide.

This innovative product was first experimented in 2003 for the construction of Richard Meier's Dives in Misericordia church in Rome, and then further developed.

For further information please visit the official website.