The SAOT Innovation Award is a competition amongst all doctoral researchers. Applicants are encouraged to submit short proposals on feasibility studies regarding any innovative blue sky research idea they might have in the field of optical technologies. The most innovative proposal is awarded the SAOT Innovation Award which is endowed with 2.000 €. Additionally, financial support of 20.000 € is provided for the activities described in the project proposal.
| Year | Awardee | Project |
| 2025 | Phillipp Bräuer and Benjamin Klevansky | Time-gated Raman Spectroscopy for Sustainable Fuel Characterization and Process Monitoring |
| 2024 | Albert These | Development of Recyclable Perovskite Solar Cells on Bio-Based Substrates |
| 2022 | Alexandra Popp | Arbitrary pulse shaper based on localized light-sound interactions |
| 2021 | Florian Bauer and Philipp Bräuer | 2D tomography for absorption spectroscopy measurements using an imaging spectrograph to determine the optical band gap of soot |
| 2020 | Martin Hohmann | Towards nano-LIBS spectroscopy of cell organelles |
| 2018 | Peter Fendt | Development of an echelle spectrograph linked to a digital micromirror device for multispecies and multiparameter high-resolution and high-speed absorption spectroscopy |
| 2016 | Maximilian Rumler | Nano-Direct Laser Writing: Bridging the Gap between micro- and nanofabrication |
| 2015 | Gerhard Schunk | Whispering-Gallery Type Wavemeter |
| 2014 | Thomas Werblinski | High Speed Broadband Cavity Enhanced Spectroscopy Based on Supercontinuum Radiation and a Ultra-Fast Line Camera |
| 2013 | Felix Tenner | Optical Tremor Analysis for Rehabilitation and Performance Measures |