The valuation of the companies was carried out in accordance with the following criteria: innovation. The company’s technology must be truly innovative and the company should invest significantly in research & development. Action potential. The company’s technology must be potentially able to influence the economic and social development in a sustainable manner. Growth and sustainability. The company should bring the requirements for long-term market leadership to submit detailed plans for the further development and expansion.

Proof of success. The company must have a product on the market or demonstrate the effectiveness of its technology on the basis of practical applications. Companies that are still covered in the market can provide only untested ideas or models, are not taken into account. Leadership position. The company must have a visionary leadership, which significantly contributes to the realization of business goals.

Status. The company must be not a member of the World Economic Forum at the time of the nomination. This criterion applies to the parent company, wholly-owned subsidiaries of large firms are not eligible. “This year a record number of applications for the award as a”Technology Pioneer”from around the world has reached us. We are pleased that a Community emerges from this highly competitive environment, very cooperatively contributing with innovation and technology, the way, act as society and the economy, to influence sustainable. We welcome the “Technology Pioneers 2008” in the larger community of the World Economic Forum and are excited about the results that bring their cooperation is”said Peter Torreele, Managing Director, World Economic Forum. The products and services of the companies deal for example with the identity management on the Web, understanding genetic information of individuals, robotic radio surgery, anti-pollution, low-cost remote diagnosis solutions, virtual interface technologies, wiki-based projects and business intelligence solutions next generation. 23 of the technology pioneers 2008 are from the United States, each three from Israel and the United Kingdom, each two companies come from Sweden and of Switzerland as well as each company from Canada, France, Germany, India, the Netherlands and Russia. A complete list of the “Technology Pioneers 2008” as well as interviews with the CEOs of the selected companies are techpioneers/2008 available at. Notes to the Editor: supplementary material is available at the following Internet links to the download available: interview with Mans Hultman, Chairman of the Board of QlikTech, high-resolution photos and footage as a video stream high resolution photos of the Managing Director/CEO form for nomination of companies for the election to the “technology pioneer” about the World Economic Forum that World Economic Forum is an independent international organization, which has set itself the objective, to improve the State of the world and the cooperation of leading representatives from politics, To promote economy and culture in global and regional economic issues. Seat of 1971 as a Foundation World Economic founded in Forum is a Geneva. The Forum is impartial, nonprofit goals and is tied to no political or national interests. (www.weforum.org)