Who will be the World Economic Forum`s hottest IT start-ups for 2009? EVERY YEAR, the Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF) honours as "technology pioneers" anywhere from 30 to 50 companies offering new technologies or business models that could advance the global economy.

This year, 39 companies, mostly from Europe and the US, cracked the nod in the list that reconises pioneers in three categories: IT, biotechnology and health, and energy and environmental technologies.

Chosen by an independent panel of venture capitalists and industry experts, the selection criteria for the tech pioneers include innovation, proof of concept, and potential impact, among others.

Now, nominations for the Technology Pioneers 2009 are open.

If you know of a company with an innovation that could have a significant impact for society or business, the WEF says, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it the company name, a contact person and details, with a short description of the company`s innovation.

The class of 2009, to be announced by October, will join an august group of earlier recipients. Previous Tech Pioneers in the IT category have included Google, PayPal, Business Objects, Mozilla, Napster, Symbian, and Infosys Technologies.

Some leaders of Tech Pioneer companies also have gone on to greater things, points out BusinessWeek. Ray Ozzie, the inventor of Lotus Notes, ran Groove Networks when it was named a Tech Pioneer, now he`s the chief software architect at Microsoft. Andy Rubin`s company Danger won in 2003, now he`s leading the Android mobile-phone software project at Google.

Not every pioneer can expect such success, of course, but the innovation they represent is the seed corn of tomorrow`s tech industry, reminds BusinessWeek.

JUST SOME OF THE 2008 T TECH PIONEERS

Bringing together buyers and sellers of mobile ads, AdMob is a mobile advertising marketplace that serves about 1.6 billion targeted ads per month. Founded in 2006, it has since added a product called AdMonitor that presents live data on who is viewing mobile ads around the world, including which phones and which network operators they are using.

Clearwire offers a disruptive new wireless technology called Mobile WiMax across a service area comprising 400 US cities, as well as Ireland, Belgium and Spain. To date, it has signed up about 348 000 subscribers. A kind of WiFi on steroids, Mobile WiMax delivers data at speeds faster than conventional 3G mobile service, but promises to be cheaper to implement because it uses newer, more efficient technology, according to BusinessWeek.

Garlik sells software-as-a-service - DataPatrol Advanced - to protect consumers against identity theft. Most recently, it launched QDOS, a rating system helping users measure and manage their status in the digital world by ranking their popularity, impact, activity, and individuality. Based on the ratings, Garlik advises consumers on how they can take control of their digital image and change it. The company has already profiled 45 million Britons and says it will turn to the US next.

Imaginatik, a British software and consulting firm, has created a user-friendly package for companies from all industries looking to get the best out of their employees. Called Idea Central, the software taps into Web 2.0 collaborative technologies - mash-ups, social networking, and peer feedback - to help companies improve the way they innovate.

Kayak is a travel search engine that provides consumers with more comprehensive travel options. The site provides real-time pricing and availability from more than 400 travel sites, displaying the best deals from hundreds of airlines, 158 000 hotels, major car companies and 17 cruise lines. By linking travellers directly to suppliers to make their reservations, users can avoid paying the high service fees charged by online agencies.

MIT spin-off Meraki develops wireless mesh networking technology aimed at bringing affordable broadband access to the next billion people. Its technology allows individuals to set up internet access in their local communities using networks of $50 wireless repeaters which configure and maintain themselves. In less than a year, Meraki`s technology has spread to 70 countries.

Ever since Microsoft launched Excel, managers have been looking for better, and cheaper, ways to analyse their businesses. Swedish tech firm QlikTech has developed user-friendly BI software "that blends Excel`s number-crunching power with PowerPoint`s photo-oriented interface". Today the firm has more than 6 500 customers in 79 countries.

Even with the highest-speed internet connection it takes hours to download a full-length movie. So Israeli company SpeedBit has developed a video accelerator aimed at dramatically reducing download times - to around 20 minutes for a movie. The technology, which enhances standard internet connections by using multiple routes and optimising bandwidth, has broad potential for use in devices such as cellphones and game consoles.

The not-for profit Wikimedia Foundation, armed with its flagship project Wikipedia - one of the world`s 10 most-visited websites, has used the internet and public participation to change the way information is collected and shared. It has also undertaken to keep useful information within its projects available free of charge online, in perpetuity.