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Heidelberg, September 22, 2004

Identifying and promoting Europe’s very best young independent scientists is the main goal of the EMBO Young Investigator Programme. As well as supporting successful applicants in the early stages of their independent careers, the programme does a great deal to raise the profile of the young researchers. Six EMBO young investigators recently stepped further into the spotlight when they were presented with prestigious scientific awards.

Five EMBO young investigators were among 25 brilliant young scientists to take home the European Young Investigator Award (EURYIA) presented at the EuroScience Open Forum in Stockholm August '04. Reuven Agami, Oscar Marin Parra, Maria Mota, Francesc Posas and Bas van Steensel each received awards of between Euro 1 to 1.25 million to further their research and independent careers in Europe.

The EURYIA scheme was developed by the European Heads of Research Councils (EUROHORCs) together with the European Science Foundation (ESF) to attract and retain outstanding young international researchers from all research fields and help them create their own research teams at European research centres. The five EMBO young investigators represented over half of the awards going to bioscientists.
The awards were presented by EUROHORCs president, Professor Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker, CEO of ESF, Bertil Andersson and Nobel Laureate, Paul Crutzen. Bertil Anderson commented, “Scientists are often in the early stages of their career when they formulate new ideas which later lead to paradigm shifts or a Nobel Prize. Therefore, if we want to support creativity and progress in science we should focus on the next generation of scientists and give them independence to pursue their own ideas.”

Another EMBO young investigator, Uri Alon from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, was recently honoured with the ISCB (International Society for Computational Biology) 2004 Overton Prize. Chair of the ISCB Awards Committee, Larry Hunter, said of Uri, "Uri Alon epitomizes the spirit of the Overton Prize. Despite being in a relatively early stage of his career, he has made significant contributions to computational biology, particularly in the areas of network motifs and the design principles of biological networks."