The third edition of the European Stanisław Lem Prize has been launched. 100 thousand PLN will be awarded to a young scientist whose research is likely to have a positive impact on the future of our civilisation. Entries can be sent in by September 30.

A visionary and futurist combining technology with the development of civilisation, Stanisław Lem is such an exceptional figure that his work also has an impact on those responsible for creating new technologies. The prize named after him is therefore aimed at young researchers whose discoveries could change the world in the future.

The prize was established in 2021 to commemorate the 100th birthday of the outstanding Polish science-fiction novelist, who received an honorary doctorate from Wrocław University of Science and Technology in 1981.

The first winner of the prize was Prof. Randall J. Platt, a genetic engineering expert at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich (ETH Zürich – Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich), where he built a research team to develop and refine applications of sentinel cell technology. The scientists working there aim to create radically new biomedical engineering methods.

In 2022, the prize was awarded to Prof. Samuel Stranks of Cambridge University, a specialist in optoelectronics. Together with his team, he is working on new materials for the next generation of affordable electronic devices that will drive the energy transition. The researchers’ interests include the development of solar cells that generate green energy, fuels, as well as high-performance lighting technologies. They are also concerned with X-ray detectors for medical imaging.

The Stanisław Lem European Research Prize is aimed at supporting young scientists (up to 40 years old) studying or conducting research in the European Union and associated countries that participate in the Horizon Europe Programme. It is awarded annually for a recent discovery or significant achievement in the broadly defined fields of science and engineering, with a strong emphasis on technology, interdisciplinarity, creativity, and vision.

Entries, including a description of the discovery or achievement as well as a list of publications with letters of recommendation, should be sent by September 30 to lemprize@pwr.edu.pl.

The winner is selected by the prize committee chaired by Prof. Reimund Neugebauer (President of the Fraunhofer Society) and composed of eminent scientists from foreign institutes and Wrocław University of Science and Technology, as well as Tomasz Lem, the writer's son. The name of the Lem Prize 2023 winner will be announced on November 15, on the Celebration Day of Wrocław University of Science and Technology.