A total of 222 people, 53 of whom are women (25 per cent), are standing this year to be one of the six winners of the Rei Jaume I Prizes, dedicated to promoting research, science and entrepreneurship. The winners will be decided next June by a jury of more than 80 people, including 21 Nobel Laureates.

The category that has received the most nominations this year is Biomedical Research, with a total of 55 nominees, including 15 women hoping to win this coveted award. This is followed by the Entrepreneur Prize, with 47 candidates – 9 of whom are women – vying for the €100,000 prize, and next comes Basic Research, with 38 nominations, 7 of whom are women. New Technologies has 38 candidates this year, 8 of whom are women; Environmental Protection has 28, including 10 women; and the Economy category brings up the rear with 16 nominees, 4 of whom are women.

By region, the Comunitat Valenciana has put forward the most candidates, with 61 people, followed by the Community of Madrid with 51 and Catalonia with 50. It so happens that this year nominations have been received from all Spanish autonomous communities, with the exception of the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla.