- María José Catalá has raised her voice «in favor of knowledge» at the awards ceremony for the Rei Jaume I Awards, held today at La Lonja and presided over by King Felipe VI
- The delivery of these awards, which promote research, scientific development, and entrepreneurship in Spain, has been delayed and overshadowed by the dana
- Luis Serrano Pubul has received the Rei Jaume I Award for New Technologies, sponsored by the City Council of València
Spanish researcher Luis Serrano Pubul has been awarded the Rei Jaume I Award for New Technologies today, sponsored by the City Council of València. His name, like that of the other awardees of the 36th edition of these awards that promote research, scientific development, and entrepreneurship in Spain, has been added to the list of professionals «who have excelled in their work and are key to the progress of our society.»
With these words, the Mayor of València, María José Catalá, has spoken out «in support of science» at the awards ceremony, which was postponed due to the dana that hit the province of València on October 29 and is now being held at La Lonja, presided over by King Felipe VI.
Mayor of València, María José Catalá, took the opportunity to express the gratitude of the people of València to King Felipe VI «for his support and commitment to these distinctions that symbolize the Crown’s commitment to the future of our country, and especially important and significant on this occasion, for his closeness, empathy, and warmth in a particularly difficult time of recovery after the dana.»
María José Catalá also addressed the business community «who, like the volunteers, did not hesitate to lend a hand from the very beginning of this tragedy,» and to the Valencian Foundation Rei Jaume I Awards, «for their commitment to La Albufera, one of our most cherished treasures that also suffered the blow of the dana.»
La Albufera, with the support of science, a symbol of recovery and reconstruction
«The support of the Nobel Prize winners and the jury of the Rei Jaume I Awards for the declaration of La Albufera as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve is a milestone of enormous significance,» the mayor recalled, stating that now, with the support of the scientific community and the efforts of all, La Albufera will become a symbol of recovery and reconstruction.
«The time has come for La Albufera, now more than ever and forever,» emphasized Catalá, who argued that «reconstruction is in the hands of knowledge.»
«The world faces many challenges. Climate change is a fact, and we must anticipate, prepare, and protect our neighbors, and science is the solution,» she declared, acknowledging the awardees at the event, «because illuminating hope and creating opportunities is the most precious purpose of science, knowledge, and research, and a country’s wealth should not only be measured in economic terms but also in its ability to generate talent and with it a positive impact on people’s lives. And that is what is being recognized today.»
Finally, the mayor remembered «our young people and those across the country who did not hesitate to get their hands dirty, enter homes, and embrace those in need, helping them. They have shown us that the knowledge and science of today are in the hands of those who will defend our country tomorrow.» «They are ready,» she affirmed.
At the awards ceremony, established in 1989, Vicente Boluda, President of the Valencian Foundation Rei Jaume I Awards, also spoke, emphasizing that «science, research, and technology are the pillars to ensure that what happened in València does not happen again,» and thanking «the commitment of the awardees,» whom he also urged «to contribute with their knowledge.»
King Felipe VI, on the other hand, spoke of the «firm and constant commitment to education» and his belief that «initiatives like the Rei Jaume I Awards are steps in the right direction.» «Our society’s great challenge lies in education, in how to harness the talent of our young people and introduce them to science and responsible use of technology and to demanding and necessary professional paths like those pursued by our seven awardees.»
Also present at the event were the President of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón; the Minister of Economy, Trade, and Business, Carlos Cuerpo; the Chief General of the High Availability Land Headquarters; and the Secretary of the Rei Jaume Foundation, Javier Quesada.
Rei Jaume I Award for New Technologies
Regarding the Rei Jaume I Award for New Technologies, the Jury unanimously praised the «work of Serrano Pubul in the technological development of systems biology and the use of artificial intelligence to create protein structures.»
Serrano Pubul is a researcher born in Madrid in 1959. He studied Biological Sciences at the Complutense University of Madrid, completing his studies with a Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the Autonomous University of Madrid. He has developed software for the computational design of proteins for obtaining new biological functions. He is responsible for the Systems Biology Program at the Center for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona and was recently awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Miguel Hernández University of Elche.
