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Zoran Popović from Profundus Wins the Grand Prize for Engineering 2026 in the Innovation Category!
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We at GU Ventures are proud and delighted to announce that Zoran Popović, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of GU Ventures' company Profundus AB, has been awarded the Grand Prize for Engineering 2026 in the Innovation category! The award recognises his outstanding work in developing groundbreaking camera technology that could enable ophthalmologists to detect and monitor sight-threatening diseases at an earlier stage than is possible with current methods.
"I am deeply honoured to be the recipient of the Grand Prize for Engineering 2026 in the Innovation category. My sincere thanks to the jury for this recognition. To have our work acknowledged by such a distinguished panel is both humbling and inspiring. Innovation is never the achievement of one person alone, and I share this honor with my co-founders Jörgen Thaung, Mette Owner-Petersen, Per Knutsson, and Bengt Svensson, as well as past and present colleagues at Profundus AB! I am especially grateful to our investors who believe in our vision and contribute to making it a reality." says Zoran Popović, co-founder of Profundus AB.
The award was presented yesterday, 21 October, during Engineering Day 2026 at SPACE in Stockholm, where outstanding engineers were recognised for their contributions to innovation, sustainability, leadership and societal development.
Profundus is developing an advanced camera system capable of capturing highly detailed images of the retina's smallest structures, providing significantly greater detail than conventional methods. The technology uses adaptive optics, an approach originally developed for astronomical telescopes, and has the potential to improve both early diagnosis and the monitoring of eye diseases.
From university research to medical innovation
Profundus has its origins in research conducted at the University of Gothenburg and Lund University. Zoran Popović and co-founder Jörgen Thaung developed the concept through their work in ophthalmic research at the Sahlgrenska Academy, in collaboration with researchers specialising in astronomy and optics at Lund University.
GU Ventures has been involved in Profundus' development and company building for several years, supporting the transformation of research-based technology into market-ready innovations that can benefit patients and healthcare providers.
The award represents significant recognition of Zoran Popović's achievements and demonstrates how interdisciplinary research and advanced engineering can contribute to the future of medical diagnostics.
"It is wonderful to see Zoran recognised with this prestigious award! His work demonstrates how engineers who focus on customer needs – in this case, providing better opportunities to analyse patients' retinas – can combine this understanding with groundbreaking research and advanced technology to develop innovations of great significance to healthcare. At GU Ventures, we are delighted to have played an important role in Profundus' development journey from the very beginning, and we look forward to following the company's continued progress," says Elisabeth Gustafsson, Business Developer at GU Ventures.
We at GU Ventures extend our warmest congratulations to Zoran Popović and the entire Profundus team!
About the Grand Prize for Engineering
The Grand Prize for Engineering (Stora Ingenjörspriset) has recognised engineers and teams since 2021 whose contributions to innovation, technological development and leadership create societal value and help shape future solutions. The award is presented in five categories: Innovation, Sustainability, Leadership, Role Model of the Year and Rising Star. The awards are presented during Engineering Day (Ingenjörsdagen), an initiative by Ny Teknik that highlights the importance of engineering in driving societal development.
Read more: www.ingenjorsdagen.se
About Profundus
Profundus is a medtech company specialising in the development of a groundbreaking camera for advanced retinal imaging using adaptive optics. Its primary mission is to facilitate the early detection, prevention and treatment of various diseases by enabling the identification of changes in retinal microstructures.
For more information, please visit: https://www.profundus.com/
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About GU Ventures AB
GU Ventures builds companies from groundbreaking ideas that can shape a better tomorrow. It is ranked among the world's top 20 university-linked incubators by the UBI Global Index. We finance and develop new innovative business ideas connected to the University of Gothenburg, one of Northern Europe's largest universities. Our mission is to commercialize these innovations, ensuring that research and expertise are utilized to drive business renewal, create jobs, and foster sustainable growth. Our passionate team of company builders, financial experts, IP specialists, and legal professionals is dedicated to supporting our companies and ensuring their success.
Since its inception in 1995, GU Ventures has developed more than 200 new companies, 15 of which have been listed. Our portfolio consists of around 100 holdings and a number of projects.
In the latest survey, 87% of the companies align with the UN's global sustainability goals. GU Ventures is fully owned by the Swedish state and managed by the University of Gothenburg. Learn more at: www.guventures.com.
