King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain travelled to Alicante to hand out the National Research Awards, which have introduced a new element for this edition.
On Wednesday, 1 March, Their Majesties arrived at Casa Mediterráneo, where the ceremony was held, accompanied by authorities, including the Minister for Science and Innovation, Diana Morant.
Once inside, the ceremony began with the playing of a video that detailed the history of the awards scheme and the current organisation behind it. This was followed by a few words from Minister Morant.
The King and Queen then got on stage to hand out the awards to the recipients, which this year also included a group of young people.
The traditional categories are:
- Biology
- Engineering and Architecture
- Humanities
- Medicine and Health Science
- Science and Technology of Natural Resources
- Physical, Material and Earth Sciences
- Chemical Science and Technology
- Technology Transfer
- Mathematics and Information and Communication Technology
- Rights and Economic and Social Sciences
These categories have been replicated in mirroring prizes reserved for young people, a first in the scheme’s four decades of history.
Following the awards ceremony, participants listened to a roundtable discussion about technology and innovation in the healthcare field held by some of the most prominent voices in the country.
It was then time for a speech from King Felipe, who highlighted how many of his recent activities brought them face-to-face with some of the best that Spain has to offer: “Recently, the Queen and I had the opportunity to be in Zaragoza for the National Award for Culture, and in Áviles for the Innovation and Design Awards. On this occasion, we are called here by excellence in scientific research. These last few weeks have been useful, without a doubt, to showcase -and demonstrate- in our country and outside of it the amazing potential and great talent of excellent professionals in so many different domains and, at the same time, so crucial for our society. […] It is a matter of pride to know that we can count on you at the forefront of our society.”
Before returning to Madrid, King Felipe and Queen Letizia held an informal meeting with people attending the ceremony, including the award recipients.
The National Research Awards were created in 1982 with the aim of highlighting the work of scientists that achieve excellence in their respective fields, both at home and abroad. Each category is assigned €30.000, which is to be divided in case of multiple recipients.
