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DS Scientific Award

AR 2020 AstraZeneca Foundation Generet Award

Each year, the Scientific Awards of the
AstraZeneca Foundation reward research
W carried out in various fields. In 2020, four for Rare Diseases
researchers won awards.
The Generet Fund aims to give solid
Athena Demertzi, FNRS Research
backing to research into rare diseases
Associate at ULiège, and Yvan Saeys,
S.A Professor at UGent both won the and help to make our country a centre
of expertise in this field. Since 2018, the
Award for “Patient care in the artificial
Fund has allocated a scientific Award of
intelligence era”.
1 million € to fund a research programme
Joana Rocha Pereira, from KU Leuven,
received the Award for “New discoveries over 4 years.
The Generet Award 2020 was given to
in antiviral therapy”.
FNR The administration of Science Prizes and sponsorship Finally, the Award for “Health impact of KU Leuven and ULB and former FNRS
Pierre Vanderhaeghen, Professor at
environment and climate changes” went
researcher, as he spent his whole
activities is one of the main missions of the FNRS,
to Tim Nawrot, from KU Leuven and
career there until 2012. The Award is
UHasselt.
in recognition of his research work into
highlighting researchers of excellence and making additional
the development of the brain and its
funding resources available to research.
anomalies.
FNRS Quinquennial Awards
Every 5 years, the FNRS Quinquennial Awards reward Véronique Dehant, Department Head,
5 exceptional researchers from the Wallonia-Brussels responsible for the operational management
he FNRS manages, sometimes in Baillet Latour Grant for received the award (150,000 € per year Federation in the fields of Biomedical Sciences, Exact of “Reference and Planetology Systems” at
collaboration with the FWO, some for 3 years, with a possible extension of Sciences and Human and Social Sciences. The winners of the Belgian Royal Observatory, Extraordinary
Ttwenty sponsored instruments for Medical Research 2 years) for her research contributing to the FNRS Quinquennial Awards embody the excellence of Professor at UCLouvain and Titular Member
which it provides a link with the sponsor, Since 2015, the Baillet Latour Fund has a better understanding of the formation research in our community. These researchers have made it of the Class of Sciences of the Royal Academy
draws up the regulations and documents awarded a research Grant each year of metastases and their treatment as a possible to push back the boundaries of knowledge and in of Belgium, was rewarded with the Award for Exact
for the calls, disseminates information to young independent researchers to metabolic disease. doing so, they contribute towards the influence of research Fundamental Sciences (Dr A. De Leeuw-Damry-Bourlart
to the broader scientific community, conduct medical research in Belgium. in Belgium. Award). Her work on the characterisation of the Earth’s
receives applications, handles the files, rotational axis have resulted in a new reference model.
recruits experts and puts together the Like the Health Prize, the Grant for Applications are presented by a “sponsor” and supported
judging panels. Medical Research was given in 2020 for by five “seconders”. Assessed by 5 international panels of The Award for Exact Applied Sciences (Dr A.
research into metabolic illness. It was judges made up of eminent scientists, these researchers De Leeuw-Damry-Bourlart Award) went to
Sarah-Maria Fendt, from KU Leuven, who receive an Award valued at 75,000 €, funded by private Jean-Christophe Charlier, Professor at the
sponsorship. Polytechnic School of UCLouvain. He was
The Award for Fundamental Biomedical rewarded for becoming the first to predict
the structure and electronic properties of
Baillet Latour Sciences (Joseph Maisin Science Award) was nanotubes with multiple walls. He is also the first person
Health Prize presented to Jean-François Collet, Professor to describe the production of cubic microparticles of high-
at UCLouvain and co-Director of the de Duve
This personal prize of 250,000€ is Institute and Titular Member of the Class of purity diamonds by the thermal activation of graphene.
awarded each year to a researcher for Sciences of the Royal Academy of Belgium. Vassilis Saroglou, Professor at the Institute
exceptional achievements in biomedical His works cover research into the mechanisms by which of Psychology at UCLouvain, won the Award
research for the benefit of human health. The Baillet Latour Fund introduces the Baillet bacteria resist attacks from the outside in order to fend for Human and Social Sciences (Ernest-John
- FNRS.NEWS 121 - FEBRUARY 2021 diseases, neurological diseases, cancer The Baillet Latour Fund will replace its Baillet Latour “Health Prize” and Baillet valvular cardiac disease and cardiovascular imaging (stress assemble currents of disparate thoughts, thereby creating - FNRS.NEWS 121 - FEBRUARY 2021
them off better. The discoveries he has made open the way
Solvay Science Award). Specialising in the
The Health Prize is awarded, in rotation,
psychology of religions, he is distinguished
to the design of a new class of antibacterial agents.
to one of the following fields of medical
Latour Biomedical Award - 2022
for the way in which he has been able to
research: metabolic disorders, infectious
Patrizio Lancellotti, Professor at ULiège,
Director of the Cardiology Department of
a multidisciplinary subfield and, in so doing, broaching a
and cardiovascular diseases.
Liège University Hospital, received the Award
Latour “Grant for Medical Research” by a single Prize: the “Baillet Latour
series of pertinent and fundamental questions that concern
for Clinical Biomedical Sciences (Joseph Maisin
Biomedical Award”. This new prize is designed to consolidate the independence
The 2020 edition of the Prize rewarded
society in the broad sense.
Science Award). He has made major clinical
of a young researcher (max. PhD + 12 year) working in Belgium to support
research in the field of metabolic
and scientific contributions in the field of
of a research project for 1 million € over 5 years in one of the following five
diseases. It was awarded to Andrew T.
topics: infection and immunity (2022), neurosciences (2023), cancer (2024),
Hattersley, from the University of Exeter
echography), which have opened the way to new diagnostic
cardiovascular and pulmonary systems (2025) and metabolism and the
(United Kingdom), for his discoveries in
“infection and immunity” will be launched next April.
28 the genetic forms of diabetes. gastrointestinal system (2026). The first call for applications in the field of and therapeutic approaches. © Reporters – Danny Gys 29