VYZOV Prize Awards Ceremony Took Place on December 19 at Moscow Manege

On December 19, the Manege Central Exhibition Hall in Moscow hosted the second Awards Ceremony for the VYZOV National Prize for Future Technologies. This ceremony was a scientific Oscar, a unique immersive performance at the intersection of science and art featuring Konstantin Khabensky, Alexandra Ursulyak, Pavel Tabakov, Sofia Ernst, Leonid Agutin, and Anton Belyaev. The ceremony was directed by Konstantin Bogomolov and anchored by Igor Vernik.

Dmitry Chernyshenko, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Vyzov Foundation, delivered the address of the Russian President Vladimir Putin and noted the significance of the VYZOV Prize: "I would like to thank the President for the fact that in 2022, he took the initiative to establish the Decade of Science and Technology. Undoubtedly, the international VYZOV Prize is a jewel among other very important events that promote our science and technologies".

The VYZOV Prize in "Future" category was awarded to Leonid Fershtat for advanced research in the field of creation of multipurpose organic functional materials based on high-nitrogen molecular architectures. He received the award from Mikhail Shvydkoy, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cultural Cooperation.

Dmitry Chernyshenko, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, together with Veronika Skvortsova, Head of the Federal Medical-Biological Agency, presented the award to Sergey Taskaev, laureate in the "Engineering Solution" category for the development of a compact accelerator neutron source suitable for a wide range of research applications, including neutron capture therapy.

"Our laureate of the VYZOV Prize comes from Novosibirsk, a city renowned for its scientists and discoveries. It is home to the Siberian Circular Photon Source (SKIF), the Megascience-class installation, has just recently launched the first beam of charged particles from its injector. This is a 4+ generation synchrotron with a brightness unmatched by other similar projects in the world. The award in the "Engineering Solution" category is an example of how a non-accidental concurrence of circumstances can determine the fate and implementation of a project that is so important for our people. Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is a technology that will enable us to start saving people's lives and curing them from cancer, this terrible disease of the 21^st century, already in 2025 at the Blokhin Cancer Research Center and simultaneously at the Burnazyan Center," said Dmitry Chernyshenko.

Leonid Shlyakhover, President of the Vyzov Foundation for the Development of Scientific and Cultural Relations, spoke about the accomplishments of the award during its existence: "It has been exactly one year since we first gathered in this hall to honor the laureates of the VYZOV Prize. We have managed to achieve a lot this year. The VYZOV Prize laureates are the real stars in the world of science, and we are doing everything so these stars shine bright. Reports are made about them, plays are staged, and their faces and names are placed on huge billboards all over Moscow. We are proud of our laureates and want the whole world as well as the entire country to take pride in them."

Valery Falkov, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, awarded the prize in "Breakthrough" category to Evgeny Antipov for his work in the creation of fundamental and practical basis for the development and production of electrode materials for new generation metal-ion batteries. Co-Laureate of the Prize is Artem Abakumov.

"During the Decade of Science and Technology, we are looking to achieve several key objectives. One of them is attracting more young people to the field of research and development. Another goal is to bring together our research institutions, universities, and research teams with businesses and organizations that work in the real sector of the economy. Certainly, this award helps us attain these crucial national goals," the minister said.

Alexey Likhachev, Director General of the State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM, presented the VYZOV Prize in the international "Discovery" category to Nikos Logothetis, a scientist from China, for his fundamental contribution to the development of functional magnetic resonance imaging and its implementation in everyday scientific and clinical practice for studying human brain activity.

Mr. Likhachev noted that the VYZOV Prize enhances the standings of scientists in society and draws the attention of young researchers to major research-intensive projects. "The nuclear industry tackles unprecedented scientific challenges, which means that we need celebrity scientists and engineers with exceptional intelligence, talent, and courage. Rosatom supports the VYZOV Prize as we want to contribute to shaping the modern image of scientists and raising the profile of researchers," he said.

Dmitry Zauers, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of Gazprombank, awarded the VYZOV Prize in the "Scientist of the Year" category to Valery Tuchin for outstanding contributions to the field of life sciences, as well as to the new interdisciplinary field of knowledge and technology – biophotonics.

Mr. Zauers emphasized why businesses need to support science: "We at Gazprombank are implementing a large-scale program to foster science and innovations, and collaborate with leading universities. Supporting science is in our DNA. We believe in people who create knowledge, technologies, entire industries, and the future of our country, just like the VYZOV Prize winners."

Ruslan Yunusov, Co-Founder of the Russian Quantum Center, Advisor to the CEO of Rosatom State Corporation, Chairman of the Board of the Vyzov Foundation, spoke on the high prestige of the VYZOV Prize: "All winners of the VYZOV Prize share the love for science. As a child, I also had a dream of becoming a scientist and winning the Nobel Prize. I am glad that now our country has an award such as the VYZOV Prize, and winning this award is a great dream."

Konstantin Mayor, General Director of MAER Media Holding, explored the role of modern media technologies in promoting scientific knowledge: "We see a great number of world-class scientific celebrities around us. We need to promote them, so that people in every corner of Russia learn about them and take pride in them. They are the role models for the younger generation."

Konstantin Bogomolov, Director of the VYZOV Prize Awards Ceremony, Art Director of the Bronnaya Theater and Melnikov Stage Theatre, explained the concept of the event: "We decided to use the labyrinth metaphor as a starting point. The labyrinth represents a quest and a journey towards light, fame, and recognition. The quest of a scientist always involves overcoming obstacles in order to make discoveries that will transform the world."

Laureates of the 2024 VYZOV Prize shared their emotions after receiving the awards:

"I am very proud to become the laureate of the VYZOV Prize. I can hardly describe the emotions I am experiencing right now. First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the Vyzov Foundation and the Scientific Committee of the Prize for evaluating my application at the highest level among hundreds of others," said Leonid Fershtat, winner in the "Future" category.

"This award is important to me and my team. We want to see this journey through to the end and to make sure that our devices help people, heal them. We have even more new ideas in the pipeline. I hope that receiving this award will help implement them," commented Sergey Taskaev, winner in the "Engineering Solution" category.

"I am very grateful to the Vyzov Foundation and the Scientific Committee for such high assessment of our joint work and achievements," said Evgeny Antipov, winner in the "Breakthrough" category.

"We capitalized on our knowledge and experience in creating new materials with important, necessary, functional properties," said Artem Abakumov, Co-Laureate in the "Breakthrough" category.

"I am very happy with having the VYZOV Prize, but even more happy that I am receiving this Prize in Russia," shared Nikos Logothetis, laureate in "Discovery" category.

"We have an absolutely wonderful, brilliant ceremony today. I feel like a star. In my opinion, scientists draw strength from their teachers, students, and, of course, family. I feel blessed because I have great teachers," said Valery Tuchin, winner in the "Scientist of the Year" category.