2023 Neuron Awards laureates

The Neuron Foundation for the Support of Science awarded the Neuron Awards 2023 to the best Czech scientists. Seven promising scientific talents received the prestigious award during the gala evening, with four female scientists taking home the honors—the highest number of women awarded in the entire time of the awards ceremony. The Neuron Award for connecting science and business was won by the transfer of a patent for detecting pancreatic cancer. The highest award, the Neuron Award 2023, was received by a scientist who enriched world research in chemistry with his lifelong work. An important discovery related to cancer research scored twice this year.

Neuron Award 2023

The highest award, the Neuron Award 2023 for lifelong contribution to science, was won by a Czech chemist of international renown - Professor František Švec. His breakthrough invention transformed chemical analysis worldwide.

Neuron Award 2023 for connecting science and business

The spin-off company Lipidica, a.s. was awarded for the transfer of a fundamental scientific discovery into business. Led by Professor Michal Holčapek and his idea of how to detect pancreatic cancer from a single drop of blood. Ondřej Peterka and Zdeněk Jirsa received the award with him.

Neuron Award 2023 for promising scientists

Seven new laureates from seven fields received the Neuron Award for promising scientists from the hands of the scientific guarantors and patrons of the Neuron Foundation—the highest number of women in the history of the entire presentation received this year's Neuron Awards.

And here are this year's laureates:

MEDICINE

Kateřina Rohlenová for research into tumor cell communication

CHEMISTRY

Tomáš Slanina for research results in the field of chemical processes controlled by light

COMPUTER SCIENCE

Zuzana Kúkelová for research in the field of computer vision

BIOLOGY

Martin Schwarzer for research on the influence of bacteria on the growth of young mammals

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Sylvie Graf for the study of social interactions

PHYSICS

Martin Kozák for the results achieved in the research of electrons and optical phenomena

MATHEMATICS

Lenka Slavíková for studying mathematical functions

Thanks to the donations of the Neuron Foundation's patrons, the prizes are associated with a financial bonus of 500,000 CZK for the Neuron Prize for promising scientists and 1,500,000 CZK for the Neuron 2023 Prize. Thus, the Neuron Foundation supported Czech scientists with 5 million crowns in one evening.