Applications for the 7th edition of the Jesús Serra Research Awards, promoted by Fundación Occident, are now being accepted. These awards aim to recognise excellence in research in the fields of nutrition, food, and health.They are targeted at young researchers working in centres, universities, and hospitals in Spain who have made significant contributions to the fields of nutrition, food and health, drawing from a wide range of disciplines such as clinical nutrition and metabolism, genetics and molecular biology, epidemiology, oncology, cardiology, food science and technology, and more.
Every year, the awards recognise the careers and research projects of two scientists who have contributed to advancing our understanding of the impact of diet and nutrient metabolism in the prevention and treatment of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular and neurological conditions. The Jesús Serra Research Awards are divided into two categories — basic research and clinical research — with a prize of €50,000 each.
Candidates must have been working in Spain for at least three years and must not have reached the age of 46 by the application deadline. However, in keeping with Fundación Occident’s commitment to gender equity, this age limit may be extended for those who have interrupted their careers due to the birth or adoption of children and their care during the early months of life.
The call for applications for the Jesús Serra Research Awards closes on 20 June 2025 at 14:00 CET. Applications may be submitted in Spanish or English through the website: https://www.fundacionoccident.org/premios-investigacion.
New Federico Halpern Science Outreach Honourable Mention
For the first time, this edition includes the new Federico Halpern Honourable Mentions for Science Outreach — two awards that recognise the work of journalists, communicators, researchers, and content creators who have contributed to rigorous and impactful communication on advances in food, nutrition, and health. With this new recognition, Fundación Occident pays tribute to Federico Halpern, the driving force behind the Jesús Serra Research Awards and president of the Foundation until his passing in the summer of 2024. It also strengthens one of the Foundation’s key aims: to bring research closer to society, transforming the narratives around food, nutrition, and health in the media, in medical settings, and in public discourse, so that its impact can benefit more people.
The Honourable Mentions, worth a total of €5,000, are presented in two categories:
- Traditional media: aimed at journalists, sections, or communication channels in newspapers (print or digital), magazines, radio or television.
- New media: intended for content creators or communication channels in blogs, social media, podcasts and other digitally native formats.
Unlike the Jesús Serra Research Awards, communicators wishing to be considered for this Honourable Mention cannot apply directly; instead, they must be nominated by third parties. Specifically, nominations may be submitted by researchers from research centres and universities in Spain, journalists employed by a Spanish media outlet, and, thanks to the support of the Spanish Association of Science Communication (AEC2) and the National Association of Health Journalists (ANIS), by the members of these organisations.
For Laura Halpern, Chairwoman of Fundación Occident: “the Jesús Serra Research Awards were created to promote excellence in research and support young talent in the emerging field that is food, nutrition, and health. Now, with the Federico Halpern Honourable Mention for Science Outreach, we want to take a step further and also recognise those who bring these advances closer to society: professionals who communicate science with rigour and ensure that knowledge reaches patients, clinicians, policymakers, and many other beneficiaries, thus boosting its real-world impact.”
Candidates for the Honourable Mention can also be nominated until 20 June 2025 at 14:00 CET using the form available on the website https://www.fundacionoccident.org/premios-investigacion.
There is more information in the rules and dossier for the Awards, and further details on i a les rules and FAQs for the Honourable Mention can be found on the website.
A panel of experts for both awards
The jury for the Jesús Serra Research Awards consists of internationally renowned scientists and doctors with established careers in centres of excellence. This year, the jury chair is Lina Badimon, scientific director of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation for Health Promotion and Innovation (FICSI). The rest of the jury includes Pedro Mata, president of the Spanish Familial Hypercholesterolemia Foundation; Mercedes Rincón, director of the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at the University of Colorado; and Guadalupe Sabio, principal investigator at the CNIO. This year, Arkaitz Carracedo, Ikerbasque Research Professor at the Cooperative Research Centre in Biosciences (CIC bioGune), and Borja Ibáñez, science director at the National Centre for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC), join the jury. And, as every year, the winners from the previous edition are also part of the jury: Andreea Ciudin, principal investigator at the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), and María Mittelbrunn, senior scientist at the CSIC and head of the laboratory at the Severo Ochoa Centre for Molecular Biology (CBM-CSIC-UAM).
The jury for the Federico Halpern Scientific Communication Honorable Mention is made up of five experts with extensive experience in the fields of research and scientific communication: Teresa Arnandis, PhD in Biomedicine and Biochemistry, scientific communicator, and social media popularizer (@Ladyscienceofficial); Patricia Matey, a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Health Informers (ANIS) and a journalist specializing in health, medicine, and biomedicine; Marcos Pérez, President of the Spanish Association of Scientific Communication (AEC2) and Director of the Scientific Museums of Coruña; Pablo Pérez, Scientific Director at the Maimonides Institute for Biomedical Research in Córdoba (IMIBIC) and winner of the first Jesús Serra Research Awards; and Laura Halpern, president of the Occident Foundation.
You can find more information on the jury of both awards on the website https://www.fundacionoccident.org/premios-investigacion.