Barcelona Hypatia European Science Prize awarded to Italian virologist Dr. Ilaria Capua#
The Academia Europaea Barcelona Knowledge Hub is pleased to announce that Italian virologist Dr. Ilaria Capua, current Director of the “One Health” Center of Excellence at the Univeristy of Florida, and a member of the Biochemistry and molecular biology section of the Academy, has been selected as winner of the second edition of the Barcelona Hypatia European Science Prize, for her research career conducted at the highest international level, for her leadership in the promotion of open access to genetic information on emerging viruses, and for the social impact that she has made through her contributions to the multidisciplinary concept of “one health,” encompassing human, animal and environmental health.
Background#
Candidates for the second edition (Life and Health Sciences) of the Barcelona Hypatia European Hypatia Prize, awarded by the Barcelona City Council in collaboration with the Academia Europaea Barcelona Knowledge Hub, were nominated by Members of Academia Europaea (AE). They were then evaluated by the five members of the International Selection Jury: Dr. Eva Kondorosi MAE (president), Dr. Paola Bonfante MAE, Dr. Lluís Ferrer, Dr. Cristina Pujades and Dr. Ricard Guerrero MAE (secretary). The jury held a virtual meeting on September 8th to analyse the information provided by nominators, in line with the prize terms and conditions previously published.
After extensive deliberations, the jury decided unanimously selected Italian virologist Dr. Ilaria Capua as prize winner, for her research career conducted at the highest international level, for her leadership in the promotion of open access to genetic information on emerging viruses, and for the social impact that she has made through her contributions to the multidisciplinary concept of “one health,” encompassing human, animal and environmental health.
Part of the Barcelona Science Plan, which seeks to boost the city of Barcelona as a European capital of science, the prize, in the amount of 30,000 euros, recognises an outstanding researcher who has conducted her/his career primarily in Europe and at the highest international level, with a strong influence on various fields of knowledge and a positive impact on society. The winner of the first edition of the prize (2018), devoted to Science and Technology, was Prof. László Lovász MAE, mathematician and President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, for his outstanding career in the field of mathematics and for his contribution to social progress.
As with the previous edition, an award ceremony presided by the Office of the Mayor of Barcelona and attended by members of the academic and scientific community, including AE officials, is under preparation and will feature a distinguished lecture by Dr. Capua. Given the rapidly changing circumstances surrounding the current COVID-19 pandemic, the details of this event will be confirmed at a later date, in agreement with recommendations by the public health authorities.
We invite you to check this page for updated information regarding the prize ceremony for this second edition, and for news of the upcoming third edition, devoted to Humanities and Social Sciences.
Academia Europaea Barcelona Knowledge Hub
