June 11, 2015, the European Patent Office announced that Meijo University Professors Sumio Iijima and Masako Yudasaka were to be awarded the 2015 European Inventor Award in the category "Non-European countries."

The European Inventor Award set up in 2006 is annually given to outstanding inventors who have made an exceptional contribution to social development, technological progress and economic growth. The European Inventor Award in the category Non-European countries is given to the inventors from regions outside of Europe.

The patent for which they have received the award is EP1464618, a method of manufacturing a carbon nano-tube, heating a carbon bar in plasma flame generated in a hydrogen-added inert gas atmosphere to evaporate carbon from the carbon bar and stacking. The reasons why Professor IIjima has been awarded include the discovery of a carbon nano-tube in 1991 and the subsequent research achievements.