“Lombardy is Research” International Prize 2025: Deadline Extended to August 31st

There is still time for researchers and innovators to apply for the 2025 “Lombardy is Research” International Prize: a prestigious €1 million award that, since 2017, has been granted by the Lombardy Region to particularly significant contributions in the scientific field.

This year, the focus is on outstanding innovations in the areas of “Early Diagnosis and Preventive Medicine.”

Researchers – either individually or in teams – of any nationality are eligible to apply for the 2025 Prize, provided they have an h-index of at least 50 in the Scopus database and have made innovative contributions in the specified research areas.

Some examples include:

In the field of Early Diagnosis, eligible innovations may involve:

• technologies for the timely detection of diseases
• advanced imaging techniques or AI algorithms that enable more accurate
• diagnoses and less invasive treatments;
• genomic and proteomic approaches to diagnostics, aimed at the early;
• identification of molecular anomalies and new disease biomarkers.

In the area of Preventive Medicine, eligible submissions may include:

• innovations in screening programs and personalized preventive interventions;
• the development of innovative vaccines and targeted immunization initiatives;
• genetic and molecular prevention approaches, including advanced sequencing technologies, studies, or analytical tools;
• structured prevention programs.

New Deadline

The deadline for submitting applications to the Prize, originally set for July 8th, has been extended to Thursday, August 31, 2025.

This decision was made by the General Directorate for University, Research and Innovation of the Lombardy Region, through decree no. 9521, to allow broader participation and in light of the new features introduced in the 2025 edition.

This year, in addition to allowing self-nominations, the Prize also invites applicants to submit a translational research project proposal related to the 2025 theme, to be carried out in collaboration with research centers based in Lombardy.

To apply, candidates must fill out an online form available on the dedicated Prize page on the platform.

Want to learn more and understand how to apply?

Read the 2025 Prize Regulations and find out more about the “Lombardy is Research” International Prize 2025.

Innovations from Past Winners

The 2024 Prize was awarded to Professor Alberto Mantovani, President of the Humanitas Foundation for Research and Professor at the William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, for his recognition of the ecological component of cancer and the role of the tumor microenvironment, grounded in strong biological and molecular foundations.

In 2023, the Prize went to Professors Steven Rosenberg and Carl June for developing immunotherapy based on natural and genetically reprogrammed cells – a groundbreaking approach in treating tumors previously resistant to traditional therapies.

In 2022, the Lombardy Region awarded Professor Rosalind Picard, Director of the Affective Computing Research Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who was the first to leverage AI on sensor-transmitted data to identify indicators of well-being, emotions, and stress.