Materials specialist has revealed its Awards shortlist across interventional medical procedures and microwave/millimeter wave technologies; a $25,000 prize will be awarded alongside a newly introduced category offering an initial $10,000

May 27th, 2026 - Junkosha, pioneers of sophisticated fluoropolymer application technologies across medical device and microwave interconnect sectors, has announced the shortlist of six candidates for its third Technology Innovator of the Year Award. This year’s edition received entries from 11 countries, the highest in the Award’s history. The Award also saw a 30% increase in entries highlighting the growing momentum for the company’s program. Each shortlisted candidate will present their entry to the judging panel with the winner to be announced via a live-streamed ceremony in June.

The Award, which recognizes the innovative work of an individual or team working in the delivery of products used within Microwave/mmWave technologies or interventional medical procedures, includes a new category highlighting promising early phase ideas. This addition underscores Junkosha’s commitment to driving sustainable progress through technological advancement. The new category winner will receive a total of $25,000 distributed over a four-year period: $10,000 in the first year and $15,000 awarded upon recognition of commercial viability in the fourth year. This is in addition to the $25,000 for the late phase category.

“In the wake of what has been a very successful year, the judges were faced with an exceptionally strong and competitive cohort of entries,” explained Joe Rowan, Chairperson for the Award. “The quality of entries was exceptionally high and with more than ever before, our judges had a challenging task selecting the final shortlist. Across both the Microwave/mmWave technologies and interventional medical procedure disciplines we observed a wide range of technology inventions pushing into new and important territories. Innovation is very much alive, and the work that is shortlisted did so because it moved the standard of excellence forward significantly.”

Mike Winterling, Chief Operating Officer for Junkosha USA, added: “At Junkosha we hold ‘Enabling Technology Innovators’ as a central pillar of our corporate philosophy. This Award perfectly reflects that same spirit, recognizing that by supporting the technology leaders shaping our future, we help enrich the society we all share. Congratulations to those shortlisted to present their hard work in the next phase. I look forward to discovering who emerges as the winner from such an outstanding list.”

Across the two categories, six judges reviewed entries spanning start-ups, established businesses, standout leaders and graduate spinout companies. The categories and shortlisted candidates are as follows:

Early phase interventional medical procedures

Peter (Petrus) Besselink, Memory Metal Holland BV

Memory Metal Holland BV (MMH) has introduced a technological solution for creating medical steerable guidewires. The distal end of a guidewire can be shaped mechanically with an actuation mechanism at the other end of the guidewire. This behavior has multiple advantages, including better steerability, reduction of used wires and a decrease in operation time, thus saving lives.

Specivex, North Carolina State University - Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, UNC and NC State

The Specivex technology streamlines endoscopic biopsies by preserving tissue integrity in challenging locations while reducing tool exchanges and sample loss. This innovation shortens procedure times, lessens anesthesia exposure, and lowers repeat biopsy rates - addressing key inefficiencies in interventional medical workflows and improving outcomes for patients and clinicians alike.

Late phase interventional medical procedures

Ali Tavallaei, Magellan Biomedical Inc.

Magellan Biomedical has developed a steerable catheter designed to improve device support, pushability and precision during interventional procedures. This innovation has the potential to improve procedural efficiency and expand possibilities across a range of interventional applications.

Dr. Vishal Gupta, Anchor Balloon Inc.

Anchor Balloon Inc. is developing a patented balloon catheter designed to address one of the most challenging aspects of coronary intervention; precise stent placement in difficult or hard to reach lesion sites. This platform technology enables accurate device delivery in the cardiovascular space.

Late phase Microwave/mmWave technologies

Tristan Ossama El Bouayadi, Thintronics Inc

Thintronics Inc. has developed enabling material solutions across redistribution layers, advanced packaging and PCB dielectrics, offering exceptional electrical performance into the mmWave range. These high-performance materials are engineered to be both PFAS-free and Teflon-free, with higher insulating properties and supporting data centers with faster computing speeds and lower energy costs.

William Rosas, Signal Microwave

Signal Microwave has developed a 100-ohm true differential probe with no ground pins. This innovative design enables accurate measurement of PCB s-parameters, skew and PCB component-to-component line testing to support the industry’s demand for higher data rates over differential traces.