“Lombardy is Research” Award on Life Science, nominations open through 15/7

The Council of Regione Lombardia, by mandate of the Councillor for Universities, Research and Innovation, has approved the 2024 Regulations for the “Lombardy is Research” International Award dedicated to the Sciences of Life, which this year celebrates its seventh edition.

The Award will be assigned to scientists operating in any country and can be awarded to one or more persons, up to a maximum of three for the same discovery.

“The 1 million euro Award that Lombardy Region assigns on 8 November each year celebrating Research Day in memory of Umberto Veronesi," explains the councillor, "is dedicated to Life Sciences and will be awarded to a discovery of high scientific and technological value, along with significant steps forward and results in Medicine, Engineering and Science environments, capable of improving the quality of life and well-being of individuals worldwide. Life Sciences are a complex interdisciplinary field and a vast range of topics and discoveries can compete to win the Award: in fact, an independent panel of 15 highly qualified scientists in different fields has been selected to act as the jury.”

How to submit a nomination

Like every year, no self-candidacies are admissible for the “Lombardy is Research” International Award: each scientist with a proven production of an h-index equal to at least 10 can submit a nomination for the discovery deemed most worthy of winning the Award, indicating the author or authors (maximum 3).

Nominations for the “Lombardy is Research” International Award can now be submitted through 15 July 2024.

They can only be submitted online, in the dedicated section on this platform.

“Lombardy is research. A fact – continues the Councillor for Universities, Research and Innovation – made even more tangible in our region by the annual assignment of the “Lombardy is Research” International Award, established to publicly acknowledge the dedication and talent of individuals who, thanks to their research, discoveries, and inventions, have managed to make a significant contribution to the progress of scientific and technological knowledge.

Areas of interest

The Award will be assigned to scientific accomplishments that are able to redefine the boundaries of knowledge and technology within the following areas of interest:

• new frontiers in Medicine, such as customised Medicine, and the development of innovative care, treatment and prevention models;
• research in Scientific fields which pushes beyond the traditional boundaries, leading to the achievement of exceptional progress in different areas of Biology, Chemistry and Physics;
• technological progress in different areas of Engineering and Science such as, for instance, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, New Materials and Nanotechnology;
• Environmental and Social Sustainability, with reference to research on Renewable Energies, Climatic Change, Pollution and Global Health.

70% of the Award to projects on the territory

"This is one of the most important and significant parts of the work carried out by my department, - the Councillor continued, - for which Lombardy Region awards 1 million euro, 30% of which is allocated to the scientist(s) responsible for the winning discovery and 70% of which is allocated to supporting research projects related to the winning discovery - carried out by research and knowledge dissemination organisations, both public and private, located in Lombardy. This funding may also be allocated to supporting young researchers with doctoral scholarships or research grants relevant to the winning discovery, to be assigned in collaboration with the universities in the Lombardy Region."

The Award will give priority to discoveries, research or inventions with a high translational impact that have the potential to be introduced as new products, services or policies to the benefit of the population.