• The researcher María Jesús Vicente Docón, winner of the Rei Jaume I Award in New Technologies
- The Mayor of València, María José Catalá, has congratulated the winner and the rest of the recognized researchers by the juries for their contribution to innovative development and societal improvement
- Close to a hundred researchers, specialists, and experts in various subjects and sciences, including 20 Nobel Prize winners in different disciplines, make up the juries.
- A total of 226 individuals, 25% women, have applied this year for these awards dedicated to promoting Research, Science, and Entrepreneurship, supported by the Valencian Foundation Rei Jaume I Awards
The jury of the 37th edition of the Rei Jaume I Awards announced on Tuesday the seven awardees in different categories of Basic Research, Economics, Biomedical Research, Clinical Research and Public Health, Environmental Protection, New Technologies, and Business Revelation. The Rei Jaume I Award in New Technologies, sponsored by the City Council of València, has been awarded this time to the multidisciplinary researcher María Jesús Vicente Docón, a native of the town of Vila-real in Castellón, «who has made pioneering and fundamental contributions at the forefront of chemistry, materials science, biology, and clinical sciences,» as highlighted by the jury. The Mayor of València, María José Catalá, congratulated the winner and the other recognized researchers by the juries «for their contribution to innovative development and societal improvement.»
The new Rei Jaume I Award winner in New Technologies has created personalized and innovative nanotherapeutic platforms that make it possible to effectively administer drugs with the potential to treat cancer and neurodegenerative diseases affecting millions of people worldwide. María Jesús Vicente Docón has designed therapeutic polymers to deliver drug combinations and innovative methodologies to synthesize stable, controlled, versatile, and high-quality nanostructures. As emphasized by the jury spokesman, «her scientific and technological achievements have been reflected in the granting of several patents and in the creation of a successful spin-off company.» «Dr. Vicente’s leadership helps address challenging medical issues by bridging different disciplines to develop cutting-edge technologies that have engaged in business activities with positive social impact,» was noted at the ceremony.
The jury for the Rei Jaume I Award in New Technologies included Nobel Prize winners Barry C. Barish, Avram Hershko, Morten Meldal, Richard Roberts, Jean-Luc Brédas, as well as researchers Sonia Contera, Elvira Fortunato, Rosario González Pérez, Susana Marcos Celestino, Rodrigo Martins, Nuria Oliver Ramírez, Alfredo Quijano Rubio, Petra Rudolf, Javier Santaolalla, and Perla Wahnón Benarroch.
The announcement of the winners’ names took place on Tuesday at the Saló de Corts of the Palau de la Generalitat, following the jury meetings held yesterday and today. The CEO, Javier Quesada, and the President of the Valencian Foundation Rei Jaume I Awards, Vicente Boluda, were in charge of conveying the updates of this edition at an event presided over by the President of the Consell, Carlos Marzón, and attended by the Mayor of València, María José Catalá.
Close to a hundred researchers, specialists, and experts in various subjects and sciences, including 20 Nobel Prize winners in different disciplines, make up the juries. Four of them are participating for the first time as juries in these prestigious awards, the most important in Spain in the field of science and research: Guido Imbens, Nobel Prize in Economics 2021 (Netherlands-USA); Duncan Haldane, Nobel Prize in Physics 2016 (USA); Douglas Diamond, Nobel Prize in Economics 2022 (USA); and Charles Rice, Nobel Prize in Medicine 2020 (USA). This jury meeting is the only one in Europe that brings together such a considerable number of Nobel Prize winners. Additionally, as every year, the juries have been accompanied by prominent entrepreneurs from the country.
A total of 226 individuals, 25% women, have applied this year to be one of the seven recipients of the Rei Jaume I Awards dedicated to promoting Research, Science, and Entrepreneurship. According to sources from the Foundation, female candidates have increased by 25% and now represent more than a third of the 226 applicants, while over half of the jury is also made up of women.
