Champalimaud Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Champalimaud Foundation is a private Portuguese
biomedical research foundation, which aims to support the biomedical sciences, focused in particular, on the fields of neuroscience
and cancer
. In addition, the foundation's António Champalimaud Vision Award carries one of the highest monetary prizes (1 million Euros) of any science prize and is, financially, the World's largest in the field of vision. The Champalimaud Foundation is headquartered in Lisbon
.
The Champalimaud Foundation's high-tech research center, which opened in 2010 at the mouth of the River Tagus in Lisbon
, features diagnostic and treatment units for cancer patients on the lower floors and research labs above, aimed at research on cancer
and neuroscience
.
, was created at the bequest of the late Portuguese industrialist and entrepreneur, António de Sommer Champalimaud
. At the end of 2004 it was officially incorporated as the Anna de Sommer Champalimaud and Dr. Carlos Montez Champalimaud Foundation, in honour of the benefactor’s parents.
The Champalimaud Foundation's translational research is defined as scientific study that begins in the laboratory before progressing to the clinical arena, or patient’s “bedside”. The Champalimaud Foundation gives priority to research that may contribute to the improvement of the health and well-being of people worldwide, in particular those in developing countries.
is a graduate of the University of Lisbon Law School, where she has also worked as an Assistant Professor. During a distinguished professional career she has held a number of high-profile public offices. Among other positions, she was Secretary of State of the Presidency of the Cabinet (1982–83), Secretary of State for Social Security (1983–85), and Minister of Health (1985–1990) in the Portuguese Government. She has been elected as a Member of Parliament on several occasions and on two occasions she has served as Vice-President of the Parliament (1991–94, 2002–05). In addition to her prominent role in public affairs Dr Beleza has also played an active role in the private sector.
Leonor Beleza is currently the Chairman of the Portuguese League for People with Physical Disabilities, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the D. Pedro IV Foundation, and a member of the General Councils of the CEBI Foundation and of the Gil Foundation. She is also a vigorous campaigner for women’s rights, a cause she has supported for many years. In 2004, Leonor Beleza was appointed President of the Champalimaud Foundation by the will of Mr António Champalimaud. She is joined on the Champalimaud Foundation Executive Committee by João Silveira Botelho and António Horta-Osório.
The Champalimaud Foundation recognises outstanding contributions to research in vision and associated areas through an annual award of € 1.0 million. The Vision Award has a strong bias towards work that has provided major breakthroughs in the understanding of vision or in the alleviation of visual impairment and blindness.
The award is given alternatively between contributions to overall vision research and contributions to the alleviation of visual problems, primarily in developing countries. The recipients of the award are productive research groups rather than single individuals and this may involve groups from more than one institution or discipline.
The winner of the award is chosen by a jury panel consisting of both high profile public figures and esteemed scientists. The members of the jury are:
Today, the Aravind Eye Care System encompasses five hospitals, a manufacturing centre for ophthalmic products, an international research foundation and a resource and training centre that is revolutionising hundreds of eye care programs across the developing world.
, had won the 2008 prize for their outstanding contributions to vision research.
, and William Newsome, Stanford University
, were the recipient of the 2010 award –- the two men are credited with having begun solving the mystery of visual perception, for their "remarkable work on the role of the brain in reconstructing images and the way we act and understand the world".
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
biomedical research foundation, which aims to support the biomedical sciences, focused in particular, on the fields of neuroscience
Neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
and cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. In addition, the foundation's António Champalimaud Vision Award carries one of the highest monetary prizes (1 million Euros) of any science prize and is, financially, the World's largest in the field of vision. The Champalimaud Foundation is headquartered in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
.
The Champalimaud Foundation's high-tech research center, which opened in 2010 at the mouth of the River Tagus in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, features diagnostic and treatment units for cancer patients on the lower floors and research labs above, aimed at research on cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
and neuroscience
Neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
.
Creation
The Champalimaud Foundation, based in Lisbon, PortugalPortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, was created at the bequest of the late Portuguese industrialist and entrepreneur, António de Sommer Champalimaud
António de Sommer Champalimaud
António de Sommer Champalimaud was a Portuguese banker and industrialist who in 2004 was the wealthiest man in Portugal. He earned his fortune with insurance, banking and cement industries which were nationalized after the Carnation Revolution of 1974...
. At the end of 2004 it was officially incorporated as the Anna de Sommer Champalimaud and Dr. Carlos Montez Champalimaud Foundation, in honour of the benefactor’s parents.
Objectives
The Champalimaud Foundation's focus is on the fields of neuroscience and oncology. In 2007, the Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme was created to support researchers working in this area. On October 5th 2010 the Foundation inaugurated a clinical and research centre in Lisbon - the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown - which will support work in both of the aforementioned fields.The Champalimaud Foundation's translational research is defined as scientific study that begins in the laboratory before progressing to the clinical arena, or patient’s “bedside”. The Champalimaud Foundation gives priority to research that may contribute to the improvement of the health and well-being of people worldwide, in particular those in developing countries.
Executive
Acting President — Maria Leonor BelezaLeonor Beleza
Maria Leonor Couceiro Pizarro Beleza , is a Portuguese politician.-Career:She is daughter of José Júlio Pizarro Beleza and Maria dos Prazeres Lançarote Couceiro da Costa. Her brother is Luís Miguel Beleza....
is a graduate of the University of Lisbon Law School, where she has also worked as an Assistant Professor. During a distinguished professional career she has held a number of high-profile public offices. Among other positions, she was Secretary of State of the Presidency of the Cabinet (1982–83), Secretary of State for Social Security (1983–85), and Minister of Health (1985–1990) in the Portuguese Government. She has been elected as a Member of Parliament on several occasions and on two occasions she has served as Vice-President of the Parliament (1991–94, 2002–05). In addition to her prominent role in public affairs Dr Beleza has also played an active role in the private sector.
Leonor Beleza is currently the Chairman of the Portuguese League for People with Physical Disabilities, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the D. Pedro IV Foundation, and a member of the General Councils of the CEBI Foundation and of the Gil Foundation. She is also a vigorous campaigner for women’s rights, a cause she has supported for many years. In 2004, Leonor Beleza was appointed President of the Champalimaud Foundation by the will of Mr António Champalimaud. She is joined on the Champalimaud Foundation Executive Committee by João Silveira Botelho and António Horta-Osório.
General Council
- Fernando Henrique CardosoFernando Henrique CardosoFernando Henrique Cardoso – also known by his initials FHC – was the 34th President of the Federative Republic of Brazil for two terms from January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2002. He is an accomplished sociologist, professor and politician...
- Simone VeilSimone VeilSimone Veil, DBE is a French lawyer and politician who served as Minister of Health under Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, President of the European Parliament and member of the Constitutional Council of France....
- Aníbal Cavaco SilvaAníbal Cavaco SilvaAníbal António Cavaco Silva, GCC , is the President of Portugal. He won the Portuguese presidential election on 22 January 2006 and was re-elected on 23 January 2011, for a second five-year term. Cavaco Silva was sworn in on 9 March 2006....
(Emeritus) - António Almeida Santos
- António Coutinho
- António DamásioAntonio DamasioAntonio Damasio is David Dornsife Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Southern California, where he heads USC's Brain and Creativity Institute and Adjunct Professor at the Salk Institute. Prior to taking up his posts at USC, in 2005, Damasio was M.W...
- António Travassos
- Daniel Proença de Carvalho
- Carlos Eugénio Corrêa da Silva
- João Raposo Magalhães
- Pedro D’Abreu Loureiro
- António Borges
António Champalimaud Vision Award
| Year | Laureate | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Aravind Eye Care System | India | |
| 2008 |  |
Jeremy Nathans Jeremy Nathans Jeremy Nathans is a professor molecular biology and genetics at Johns Hopkins University, in addition to a member of the National Academy of Sciences and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.... |
United States of America |
|
King-Wai Yau | China, naturalised American | |
| 2009 | |
Helen Keller International Helen Keller International Helen Keller International combats the causes and consequences of blindness and malnutrition by establishing programs based on evidence and research in vision, health and nutrition. Founded in 1915 by Helen Keller and George Kessler, the organization’s mission is to save the sight and lives of the... |
United States of America |
| 2010 | |
Anthony Movshon | United States of America |
|
William Newsome | United States of America | |
| 2011 | |
African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) | |
The Champalimaud Foundation recognises outstanding contributions to research in vision and associated areas through an annual award of € 1.0 million. The Vision Award has a strong bias towards work that has provided major breakthroughs in the understanding of vision or in the alleviation of visual impairment and blindness.
The award is given alternatively between contributions to overall vision research and contributions to the alleviation of visual problems, primarily in developing countries. The recipients of the award are productive research groups rather than single individuals and this may involve groups from more than one institution or discipline.
The winner of the award is chosen by a jury panel consisting of both high profile public figures and esteemed scientists. The members of the jury are:
- Mark Bear
- Susumu TonegawaSusumu TonegawaSusumu Tonegawa is a Japanese scientist who won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1987 for his discovery of the genetic mechanism that produces antibody diversity. Although he won the Nobel Prize for his work in immunology, Tonegawa is a molecular biologist by training...
- Alfred Sommer
- Carla Shatz
- Joshua Sanes
- Paul Sieving
- Gullapalli N. Rao
- Amartya SenAmartya SenAmartya Sen, CH is an Indian economist who was awarded the 1998 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to welfare economics and social choice theory, and for his interest in the problems of society's poorest members...
- Jacques DelorsJacques DelorsJacques Lucien Jean Delors is a French economist and politician, the eighth President of the European Commission and the first person to serve three terms in that office .-French Politics:...
- José Cunha-Vaz
- António GuterresAntónio GuterresAntónio Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, GCC is a Portuguese politician, a former prime minister and President of the Socialist International. Currently he is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.-Early life:...
2007
On the 30th June 2007 it was announced http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6UeS8r6uuqQ that the António Champalimaud Vision Award http://www.fchampalimaud.org/cf/content/category/Award_Recipients/ had been won by the Aravind Eye Care System. Established in 1976 with the mission of eliminating needless blindness, Aravind is the largest and most productive eye care facility in the world and is based in Madurai, India. From April 2006 to March 2007, including the work done in the Managed Eye Hospitals, over 2.3 million out patients were treated and over 270,444 surgeries were performed.Today, the Aravind Eye Care System encompasses five hospitals, a manufacturing centre for ophthalmic products, an international research foundation and a resource and training centre that is revolutionising hundreds of eye care programs across the developing world.
2008
On 9 September 2008, it was announced that Jeremy Nathans and King-Wai Yau from Johns Hopkins UniversityJohns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
, had won the 2008 prize for their outstanding contributions to vision research.
2010
On 11 June 2010, it was announced that Anthony Movshon, New York UniversityNew York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, and William Newsome, Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, were the recipient of the 2010 award –- the two men are credited with having begun solving the mystery of visual perception, for their "remarkable work on the role of the brain in reconstructing images and the way we act and understand the world".