Prof. David Harel, President of the Israel National Academy of Sciences, said: "Today we recognize the great achievements of the best young Israeli scientists. This recognition is especially important at the present time, when Israel is going through one of the most difficult periods it has ever known
The Blavatnik Family Foundation, the Israel National Academy of Sciences and the New York Academy of Sciences announced today the winners of the 2024 Blavatnik Prizes for Young Scientists in Israel.
And these are the bride and groom of the Blavatnik Awards for 2024:
- In life sciences: Dr. Shraga Schwartz (Weizmann Institute of Science) - We were chosen to receive the award for developing groundbreaking analytical methods for detecting and quantifying chemical changes in RNA. Dr. Schwartz's discoveries in understanding RNA changes hold potential for the treatment of genetic diseases and for expanding the contribution of RNA editing beyond the development of vaccines.
- Chemistry: Dr. Moran Shalu Ben-Ami (Weizmann Institute of Science) - was chosen to receive the award for the discovery of central sensing and signaling mechanisms in the brain that are responsible for communication between cells in the central nervous system, the body and the environment. For the study of brain activity in living organisms.
- In the physical sciences and engineering: Prof. Thomas Vidic (Weizmann Institute of Science) - Chosen to receive the award for pioneering research that examined the use of quantum principles to build more powerful computers. Prof. Vidic's work is an important milestone in our journey to understand the power and limitations of quantum computing and advance the security of digital communications.
The Blavatnik Awards recognize promising young scientists at an early stage in their professional careers both for their extraordinary achievements and for their inherent promise of future scientific discoveries. The awards are given to researchers up to the age of 42 for groundbreaking research in three fields - life sciences, chemistry and physical sciences and engineering. Blavatnik awards for young scientists in Israel are awarded alongside the international awards which are awarded annually in the United States and Great Britain.
The awards for the year 2024 in Israel will be awarded at a ceremony to be held at the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation in Tel Aviv-Jaffa in June 2024. The winners will join a select group of young men and women who won the Blavatnik Awards in Israel in 2017 as well as the international Blavatnik community of scientists, whose members will be awarded until the end of the year 2024 in prizes totaling 17.2 million dollars.
Blavatnik prize winning scientists drive economic growth by breaking new scientific ground to advance high-risk, high-reward scientific research. To date, Blavatnik award winners have founded 72 companies, many of which are currently traded on the world's largest stock exchanges, including the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq. After receiving the recognition of the Blavatnik Awards, 30% of the winners registered patents or submitted patent applications, 75% started new research and 11% established collaborations with another Blavatnik Award winner.
"Israel has always been a powerhouse of scientific discoveries and technological innovation," he noted Len Blavatnik, Founder Access Industries and head of the Blavatnik Family Foundation. "These talented scientists express the enormous imprint of Israeli innovation, creativity and discoveries on shaping the future, and are exceptional examples of Israeli spirit and resilience. We are proud to honor them and look forward to their work in the future."
Nicholas Dirks (Nicholas B. Dirks), President and CEO of the New York Academy of Sciences, He said: "We congratulate the Weizmann Institute of Science, whose faculty members received all three Blavatnik awards this year. I am sure that Prof. Chaim Weizmann, who not only founded the Weizmann Institute but was the first president of the State of Israel and a scientist himself, was very proud. We look forward to following the future transformative scientific work of this year's award winners."
Prof. David Harel, President of the Israel National Academy of Sciences, Message: "Today we recognize the great achievements of the best young Israeli scientists. This recognition is especially important at the present time, when Israel is going through one of the most difficult periods it has ever known, which was even made worse by the unprecedented obstacles placed before Israeli science. We especially thank the Blavatnik Family Foundation and the New York Academy of Sciences for continuing to partner with us in this wonderful endeavor." Prof. Harel added: "Israel's place at the forefront of world science, recognition of academic success and economic stability depend on the achievements and excellence of its scientists. We are proud to honor this year's Blavatnik Award winners and celebrate their innovative breakthroughs, and we are confident in the positive and far-reaching impact of their achievements on society as a whole."
This year, 42 candidates for the award were submitted from eight universities across the country. The members of the scientific council of the award, including the Nobel Prize winners Professors Aharon Chachanover, David Gross and Sir Richard Roberts, as well as the former chairman of the Israel Space Agency Prof. Yitzhak Ben-Israel, were also invited to propose candidates. The award winners were chosen by three judging committees composed of leading scientists representing the three disciplinary categories, headed by members of the Israel National Academy of Sciences.
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Are you implying, sure, you know, that the acceptance of the award is tainted with politics? Maybe prove instead of implying? Why does everything have to touch politics..
A little respect, they bring a good name to Israel and the Weizmann Institute, you thought maybe they are not interested in politics, they are pure research. Kudos to them, may they succeed. You can also be proud of such people, without politics and without quarrels.
I didn't ask them about it. The poison machine put it into your head that everything is politics.
It is interesting how much the political views of these scientists played a role in their choice. According to the tradition at the Weizmann Institute and according to the donor it will not be surprising if this is a significant element in the selection.