Swiss Science Prize Marcel Benoist 2018: Submit nominations now

Each year the Marcel Benoist Foundation awards the Swiss Science Prize for excellent, original and innovative research of relevance to human life. As of this year the SNSF is responsible for selecting the prize winner. The nominations can be submitted by the broader research community.

The Swiss Science Prize Marcel Benoist has been awarded since 1920. Switzerland was one of the first countries to apply relevance to human life as the main criterion for its most important scientific award. Almost 100 years on the same principle still applies for nominations and their evaluation.

The prize is awarded to well-established researchers with the potential to produce further outstanding research. Ten prize winners went on to receive the Nobel Prize. The last to do so was the biophysicist Kurt Wüthrich and the chemist Richard R. Ernst. In 2017 the prize was awarded to the climate researcher Thomas Stocker. The board of trustees is chaired by Federal Councillor Johann N. Schneider-Ammann.

Evaluation by the SNSF

As of this year, the SNSF is responsible for evaluating all nominations and for making the final selection on behalf of the Marcel Benoist Foundation and with the support of the Confederation. To that end, the SNSF has set up an evaluation committee. Two of its members are drawn from public life, at least four are international experts with the remainder drawn from members of the National Research Council and the Marcel Benoist Foundation’s board of trustees.

To ensure that the prize reflects the diversity of research in Switzerland, from 2018 it will be awarded alternately between the fields of humanities and social sciences, and the natural sciences and biology/medicine. This year it will therefore be awarded to a scientist from the field of humanities and social sciences.

Nominations to be submitted by 11 May 2018

As of this year the nomination procedure is open to the wider research community in Switzerland. Researchers, senior staff from research institutions and representatives from other institutions under public or private law can submit nominations until 11 May 2018. In order to be eligible for the prize candidates must be resident in Switzerland and spend at least half their time working at a Swiss research institution. The relevant research must have been conducted predominantly in Switzerland. Full details regarding the nomination procedure can be found on the Marcel Benoist Foundation website.

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