---

---

---

---

Science Current Events and Science News RSS Feeds

---

---

Email a Friend Printer Friendly

Scientific excellence through European collaboration: EUR 1 million EU Descartes Prize rewards two projects in the field of medicine and astrophysics

December 05, 2002

The EU Descartes Prize was awarded today to two research projects in the fields of medicine and astrophysics. One project greatly advanced our understanding of Multiple Sclerosis and is offering leads for new drugs. The other project has discovered the origins of Gamma Ray Bursts and is providing insights into star and planet formation. The EUR1 million prize rewards outstanding scientific research through transnational collaboration.

The two prize-winners were selected from a short-list of ten collaborative projects from a wide range of fields of scientific research. Total entries this year reached 108 - double that of last year. The winners were selected by the Descartes Grand Jury, presided by Yves Michot, former President of Aerospatiale Matra, and including eminent figures from academia and the private and public sectors. The jury once again had the difficult task of selecting "the best of the best".

"The high standard of submissions clearly demonstrates both the excellence of European science today and the value of European collaboration in the scientific field," said European Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin. "I welcome the growing interest in the Descartes Prize, which stresses the importance of transnational co-operation in creating a truly European Research Area (ERA). One of the most important features of the ERA is the greater impact that researchers can make when they work together beyond national borders. Sharing resources and joining forces is key in achieving excellence at EU and international level. This will in turn improve EU's competitiveness and quality of life."

Tackling MS - a disease affecting at least 350.000 people in Europe

An award of EUR500,000 went to a project, which has carried out groundbreaking work on Multiple Sclerosis (MS), the chronic inflammatory degenerative disease of the nervous system. The project, led by Professor Lars Fugger of Aarhus University Hospital, Copenhagen (Denmark), in co-operation with other research teams from Denmark, Sweden, the UK and the USA, has significantly advanced our understanding of the immunological basis of the disease, providing an important platform for the development of new drugs. Through their experiments, the team successfully defined the principal players in the autoimmune attack and explained how the virus starts a disease.

Explaining our origins with the aid of satellite BeppoSAX

An equal award of EUR500,000 was presented to a project investigating the point of origin of Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs). Led by Dr. Edward Van den Heuvel of the University of Amsterdam, in collaboration with research teams from the Netherlands, Italy, Denmark, Spain, UK and Germany, this project has made significant progress in advancing our understanding of these giant stellar explosions. This will help astronomers in tracing the history of star formations in the universe. Thanks to the Italian/Dutch satellite BeppoSAX and
its unique multi-faceted capabilities, the team of European scientists solved what has been one of the greatest mysteries of astrophysics for 30 years: the places of origin of GRBs. Finally, the astrophysics project provides, for the first time, confirmation that gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most powerful explosions in the universe, second only to the Big Bang.

Prizes presented at the European Patent Office, Munich

The ceremony was held in the presence of Mr. Rainer Gerold, Director of the Science and Society Directorate of the European Commission on behalf of Commissioner Philippe Busquin, Mr. Otto Wiesheu, Bavarian Minister for Economy, Transport and Technology, Mr. Pantelis Kyriakides, Vice-President of EPO and Mr. Yves Michot, President of the Descartes Grand Jury.

Intellectual property as main issue

This year's theme at the award ceremony has been intellectual property. Keynote speakers from "Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property, Competition and Tax Law", "Ventratec-Spin-off of Fraunhofer Patent Centre" and the "OECD" highlighted the importance of intellectual property for European researchers. "Indeed, patents are the only way for researchers to protect their findings and exploit them commercially to the benefit of society", explained Mr. Kyriakides, Vice-President of the European Patent Office, Munich. European researchers increasingly understand the importance of patenting. Only in 2001, the European Patent office received 158,200 applications for European patents, which is an increase of 9% over the previous year.

Next call for proposals 2003 planned on 17 December 2002

Now entering its third year, the prize represents an important opportunity for European scientists to gain the public acclaim they deserve. Information concerning project presentation and entries can be found on the web-site under www.cordis.lu/descartes.

European Commission, Research Directorate