On December 6, 2023, we held the FNP Prize award ceremony, considered the most important scientific award in Poland. The Foundation for Polish Science (FNP) awarded its Prizes for the thirty-second time.
The FNP Prize is awarded for significant advancements and scientific discoveries that shift cognitive boundaries and open new perspectives for research, provide an exceptional contribution towards the advancement of our nation’s progress and culture as well as assure Poland a significant position for undertaking the most ambitious challenges of the modern world. The winners receive statuettes, diplomas, and cash awards of PLN 200,000.
Event Opening
The FNP Prize ceremony was held this year in the Great Assembly Hall of the Royal Castle in Warsaw and was attended by excellent guests, including the laureates accompanied by family and colleagues, state and university representatives, science authorities, a broad network of Foundation supporters, its employees, and the media.
The opening speech was given by the FNP President, Professor Maciej Żylicz, who referred to the important challenges the scientific community is currently facing. Professor Żylicz emphasized the need for systemic changes aimed at promoting high-quality scientific research which will eventually result in the development of scientists’ activities and research discoveries. The FNP together with the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences (PAU) and the Batory Foundation initiated a discussion to identify main objectives and begin the change in financing and functioning of science in Poland.
At the end of his speech, the President of the FNP emphasized the importance of the 2023 FNP Prize winners’ discoveries:
“Today we celebrate the successes of our winners. (…) They accomplished great achievements pushing the boundaries of knowledge and thus now are recognized by the international scientific community. Sincere congratulations to these four amazing individuals!” said Maciej Żylicz.
During the initial part of the event, Kalina Nowaczek, a harpist and recipient of the Polish Children’s Fund scholarship, performed a concert. The artist played the Overture to Gioachino Rossini’s opera William Tell, arranged for harp by Charles Bochs and Alexander Boldachev.
Award Ceremony
The celebration began with a speech from the Chair of the FNP Council, Professor Tomasz Guzik, followed by the presentation of the 2023 FNP Prize winners, an award ceremony, and speeches by the winners.
“I want to emphasize that today’s awards do not only recognize the work of the winners but also reflect our commitment to improving the quality of science in Poland,” stated Tomasz Guzik.
The FNP Prize winners are selected by the Foundation’s Council (see the FNP Council members). The verdict is based on the opinions of eminent scientists, experts, reviewers, and specialists within the given disciplines. The Prize is awarded in four areas:
- life and earth sciences;
- chemical and materials sciences;
- mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences;
- humanities and social sciences,
In the category of life and earth sciences, the FNP Prize was presented to Professor Krzysztof Liberek of the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of the University of Gdańsk and Medical University of Gdańsk for demonstrating the role of chaperone proteins in recovering proteins from aggregates and folding them into the active form (see full description).
In the area of chemical and materials sciences, the FNP Prize was given to Professor Marcin Stępień for designing and obtaining new aromatic compounds with unique structure and properties (see full description).
In the category of mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences, the FNP Prize was presented to Professor Rafał Latała of the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Mechanics of the University of Warsaw for developing mathematical tools which led to the proof of Talagrand’s Bernoulli Conjecture (see full description).
The winner of the 2023 Prize in humanities and social sciences is Professor Maria Lewicka of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, for formulating and verifying a psychological model of place attachment and place memory (see full description).
Science Helps – Let Us Help Science
The ceremony ended with a speech from Professor Maciej Żylicz, the President of the FNP. He congratulated all winners and thanked institutional donors, among others:
- Zygmunt Zaleski Stichting (co-financing of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie and Pierre Curie Polish–French Science Award),
- PZU Foundation (support for the START programme),
- Robert Bosch Foundation (support for the FOR UKRAINE programme),
- NGSchool Association (support for the FOR UKRAINE programme).
Żylicz thanked the donors who generously contributed 1.5% of their income tax to the FNP. These funds are solely dedicated to support winners of the FNP START programme. Thanks to the scholarship, early career researchers can pursue their scientific careers and often become recipients of other distinguished awards, such as the FNP Prize.
The ceremony was conducted by Krzysztof Michalski, a journalist and a member of the Science Promotion Council of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Videos about the winners:
- A film about Professor Krzysztof Liberek, winner of the FNP 2023 Prize
- A film about Professor Marcin Stępień, winner of the FNP 2023 Prize
- A film about Professor Rafał Latała, winner of the FNP 2023 Prize
- A film about Professor Maria Lewicka, winner of the FNP 2023 Prize
The FNP Prize award ceremony was broadcast online on the FNP channel on YouTube