UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences
Life sciences hold the key to a better future, as they contribute to poverty eradication, improved health, food and water security. The core objectives of the Prize is to encourage research, enhance collaboration amongst researchers and reinforce networks of centers of excellence in the life sciences towards these goals.
The Prize, funded by the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, is given annually to a maximum of three laureates. They receive a monetary award of USD 350,000 divided equally among laureates, to help further their research, together with a certificate and the “Integracion Tribal” statuette by Equatorial Guinean artist Leandro Mbomio.
The Prize was established by UNESCO’s Executive Board, to support the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as well as UNESCO’s global priorities.
Prize-giving ceremony
23 April 2024
Mohamed Ali Farag (Egypt), Jie Qiao (China) and Triantafyllos Stylianopoulos (Greece) will receive the UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences, during a ceremony in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on the margins of the tenth Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development.
News
Application process
Who can apply?
Individual(s) or Institutions endorsed by:
- Either Member States in consultation with their National Commissions; or
- Non-governmental organizations in official partnership with UNESCO active in a field covered by the Prize.
Each can endorse up to 5 candidates no later than the deadline set each year. Self-nominations will not be considered.
How to apply
Candidates must register online.
After registration, candidates will receive a temporary password to access and complete an online form in English or French.
Application form includes:
- Background information ;
- Outline of the candidate’s contribution to the Prize’s objectives;
- Summary of the work/research;
- List of publications.
All supporting material (e.g. publications, photos, videos) must be transmitted electronically through the online system.
Once complete, applications may be submitted in two ways:
- Candidates invited to apply by a NGO can upload proof of their endorsement and submit to the UNESCO Secretariat.
- Candidates can submit their application to a National Commission through the online process.
The UNESCO Secretariat receives only applications that have been officially endorsed. The candidate should make all efforts to ensure endorsement with the relevant National Commission.
Nominations received after the deadline or by individuals without endorsement will be excluded.
Deadline for applications: 31 October 2023 (midnight, UTC+1).
Assessment
The Secretariat reviews all applications and transmits the eligible to the International Jury.
The Jury provides the Director-General with a recommendation after careful assessment of all candidates.
6th edition (2022)
Director of the International Institute for Nanotechnology and Professor of Medicine at Northwestern University (USA).
The prize rewards Dr Chad Mirkin for his discovery and development of spherical nucleic acids and nanostructures that have led to revolutionary advances in the detection of diseases and the identification of new genetic markers. Dr Chad has also developed novel routes in precision medicine based on digital drug design and rational vaccinology. His seminal discoveries and inventions have found global applications in health sciences and technology.
Professor Lanjuan Li
Director of the State Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases Diagnosis and Treatment at Zhejiang University (China), Director of the National Clinical Research Centre for Infectious Diseases and Director of the Collaborative Innovation Centre for Infectious Diseases Diagnosis and Treatment
Prof. Lanjuan Li is rewarded for her innovative approach to dealing with infectious diseases that include COVID-19, influenza and severe viral hepatitis, for developing the theory of microecology and highlighting the significance of the microbiome, which has had a considerable impact on the management of infectious diseases. She has also created a unique artificial liver that has improved the quality of life of patients suffering from severe liver disease and liver failure.
Professor Christofer Toumazou
Regius Professor of Engineering, Chair in Biomedical Circuit Design, Director of the Centre for Bio-Inspired Technology, and Founder and Chief Scientist for the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at Imperial College London
Prof. Christofer Toumazou is recognized for his seminal research in bringing silicon technology to the field of medical devices for early diagnosis. Prof. Toumazou’s breakthrough silicon chip for DNA detection has transformed how clinicians detect and treat conditions ranging from cancer to bacterial and viral diseases, including COVID-19. His technology delivers a fast, accurate and low-cost diagnosis of antimicrobial resistance, enabling early intervention that is crucial in preventing death from serious blood infections leading to sepsis.
2019 Laureates
Prof. Youyou Tu
Prof. Youyou Tu (China) of the Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, laureate of the 2015 Nobel Prize for Medicine, is recognized for her research into parasitic diseases. She discovered an entirely new anti-malarial treatment, artemisinin, which made possible the treatment of thousands of patients in China in the 1980s. Since the turn of the century, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been recommending artemisinin-based combination therapies as the first-line treatment for malaria.
Prof. Kevin McGuigan
Prof. Kevin McGuigan (Ireland) of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland-(RCSI) is rewarded for his cutting-edge research on the development and implementation of solar water disinfection technology (SODIS) to combat waterborne diseases among people without access to safe drinking water in Africa and Asia. His approach to this research is unique and pioneering, not only in the laboratory, but especially in the field, among the communities most exposed to waterborne diseases in developing countries.
Prof. Laurencin
Prof. Laurencin (USA), a teacher, biomedical engineer and orthopaedic surgeon, is the Chief Executive Officer of the Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering and the Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. His outstanding contributions to the advancement of science have been recognized worldwide.
- 2019 Press release
English | Français - Photos of the ceremony
The ceremony took place on 10 February 2019 in Addis Ababa
2017 Laureates
Agricultural Research Organization (Volcani Center, Israel)
The institute has successfully developed cutting-edge innovations and methodologies in agricultural research with practical applications as well as capacity building programmes to promote food security in arid, semi-arid and desert environments, advancing human well-being.
Rui Luis Gonçalves dos Reis (University of Minho, Portugal)
For his outstanding innovative contributions to the development and engineering of natural-based biomaterials and their biomedical applications including tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, stem cells and drug delivery, which have a significant potential to improve human health.
Ivan Antonio Izquierdo (Biomedical Research Institute, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil)
For his seminal discoveries in elucidating the mechanisms of memory processes including consolidation and retrieval and their clinical applications in aging, psychological disturbances and neurodegenerative diseases leading to the promotion of the quality of human life.
Contact
Secretariat of the UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences
Natural Sciences Sector
UNESCO
7, place de Fontenoy,
75352 Paris 07 SP
France
E-mail: lifesciencesprize@unesco.org