-- Dr Masato Sagawa awarded the world's most prestigious engineering accolade 
for the development of the sintered Neodymium Iron Boron permanent magnet.

The 2022 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QEPrize) is today awarded to 
Japan's Dr Masato Sagawa for his work on the discovery, development and global 
commercialisation of the sintered Neodymium Iron Boron permanent magnet - the 
world's most powerful permanent magnet - which has been transformational in its 
contribution towards enabling cleaner, energy saving technologies.

Dr Sagawa was announced as the winner of the 2022 QEPrize – awarded annually to 
celebrate the critical role that engineering plays in global society – by Lord 
Browne of Madingley, Chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering 
Foundation. 

Dr Sagawa pioneered the development of a sintered rare-earth permanent magnet, 
the sintered neodymium-iron-boron (Nd-Fe-B) magnet. His breakthrough innovation 
was the creation of a new compound formed by replacing scarce and expensive 
cobalt and samarium with more abundant and cheaper iron and neodymium, and at 
the same time introducing boron to improve the magnetic properties – the first 
step in delivering high performance to a mass market. 

Dr Sagawa then led the research and development in the 1980s and early 1990s to 
successfully overcome the issues of sudden reduction of magnetic coercivity at 
high temperature, most notably by adding dysprosium (Dy) to improve heat 
resistance. This resulted in the development of high-volume manufacturing 
techniques which successfully commercialised his innovation. For even wider 
applications, he continued to develop novel techniques for reducing the amount 
of dysprosium or even eliminating its use to help preserve natural resources. 

The result was a new magnet for the mass market that almost doubled the 
performance of the previous best and successfully turned Nd-Fe-B magnets into a 
viable industrial material with wide applications. The new magnet has a 
significant advantage in high-efficiency and high-torque density applications, 
such as motors and generators for electric vehicles and wind power generation, 
and in more general applications where small powerful magnets are required, 
including robots, automation systems and domestic appliances.

Not only is the Nd-Fe-B market predicted to be worth over $19.3 billion by 
2026, but this type of permanent magnet is also essential to the value chain of 
8.5 million electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles in use globally, 
demonstrating a prolific impact on the entire economy. 

"Receiving the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering is a special moment for 
me, as this prestigious prize encapsulates what engineering is all about. The 
purpose of engineering is to benefit humankind, and this award inspires 
engineers to keep working towards their goals. Engineering is essential to 
solving today's most pressing issues, and this includes tackling climate 
change. While neodymium magnets have a wide range of applications, one of the 
most important is its use for climate economy products, such as electric 
vehicles and wind turbines. I am therefore honoured to be part of the 
engineering profession's contribution towards the fight against climate change, 
and equally as honoured to receive this unique prize," said Dr Masato Sagawa. 

"This innovation is inside almost every electric vehicle, and its application 
ranges from the smartphone in your pocket to offshore wind turbines providing 
clean energy – a material that is supporting our way of life today and our way 
of life in the future. That's the essence of engineering; producing and 
delivering for humanity again and again. Dr Masato Sagawa's permanent magnet is 
the embodiment of that very essence". Lord Browne of Madingley, Chairman, Queen 
Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation 

"The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering is a true celebration of the 
achievements of engineering worldwide, and how they benefit the planet. It is a 
fantastic vehicle for engaging people of all ages to demonstrate how 
engineering impacts our daily life. This year's prize is awarded to Dr Sagawa 
and his innovation of sintered neodymium magnets – an innovation which has had 
such an impact both on the way we live now, and how we will live in the future, 
especially as we look towards a greener one." Professor Dame Lynn Gladden, 
Chair of the QEPrize Judging Panel

Dr Sagawa will be formally honoured at the QEPrize presentation ceremony later 
this year. He will receive £500,000 and a unique trophy, designed by the 2022 
Create the Trophy winner Anshika Agarwal, aged 17 from India.

Marking a significant milestone in the evolution of the QEPrize, Dr Sagawa 
becomes the first laureate since it was announced that the Prize will be 
awarded annually, rather than bi-annually. Reflecting the increasing pace of 
engineering innovation, this step change will offer further opportunities to 
recognise excellence across the whole field of engineering. 

To find out more about this year's winning innovation, visit 
www.qeprize.org/winners

Interview Requests

For more information or to request an interview with any of the judging panel 
please contact qe@edelman.com  or:

Lucy Harding      lucy.harding@edelman.com      +44 (0) 7581 022783 
Sophie Isles      sophie.isles@edelman.com      +44 (0) 7812 734731
Daniel Rowland    daniel.rowland@edelman.com    +44 (0) 7423 417011
 

 
SOURCE Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering