Month: January 2026

The Rei Jaume I Prizes Foundation promotes the connection between science and business as a driver of competitiveness in Madrid

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•    Madrid hosted the presentation of the prizes, highlighting that the deadline for applications is 16 March

•    The prizes, in their seven different categories, aim to promote and encourage research, science, innovation, and entrepreneurship in Spain

•     José Luis Bonet, Vicente Boluda, and Javier agreed on the importance of increasing private investment in R&D&I to prevent Spain from losing position in the international market

Madrid hosted the presentation of the Rei Jaume I Prizes. The event, organized by the Foundation in collaboration with the Valencian Business Association (AVE) and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, served to vindicate the essential contribution of science and research towards the growth of society. During the event, it was pointed out that the deadline for nominating candidates for the different categories is March 16 via the official website www.fprj.es.

The purpose of this travelling initiative, which has already visited cities such as Zaragoza, Bilbao, Barcelona, Seville, Santiago, Pamplona and Malaga, is to bring the business world closer to science and research, whose contribution is essential for the development and evolution of our society.

At the welcome ceremony, the president of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, José Luis Bonet, assured that there are opportunities for Spanish companies to improve their competitive capacity by expanding cooperation with the academic world, and he advocate for a closer relationship between academics and the productive sector, to increase the return to the community.  For Bonet, “connecting universities and businesses is the most direct way to strengthen the growth of the Spanish economy,” and initiatives such as the Rei Jaume I Prizes allow us to “move towards that goal,” recognizing the talent and dedication of researchers and entrepreneurs who, “through their efforts, contribute to the advancement and well-being of our society and promote the connection between universities and businesses.”

The president of the Foundation, Vicente Boluda, who is also the head of the Valencian Business Association (AVE), highlighted the role of these prizes as the most important in their category. Boluda emphasized that science, research, technology, and business are essential elements for the development in our country, pointing out that without these four activities, which demand enormous effort and dedication, any progress would be impossible. During his speech, Boluda also made a direct call to the business community and civil society: “We must strive to reduce excessive public dependence in these areas and take on much more responsibility from the private sector.” In fact, he pointed out that the leading regions in the world, Europe, and Spain in R&D&I are those where private enterprise is more deeply involved.

Javier Quesada, executive president of the foundation, was responsible for introducing the Rei Jaume I Prizes in Madrid, its seven award categories (Basic Research, Medical Research, New Technologies, Business Revelation), its winners, and its main objectives. The presentation aimed to convey that “the prestige of the prizes comes from institutional and business support and, on the other hand, from the level of the jury, which is made up of, among others, around twenty Nobel Prize laureates each year. It is the event in Europe that brings together the most Nobel Prize laureates.” Quesada highlighted the importance of science, research, and entrepreneurship in Spain: “Priorities must be set. If a significant part of GDP is not invested in science, the consequences will be very serious, and the longer it takes for business to approach science and technology, the more risk Spain will run of falling into the second or third international league”.

Round table: Collaboration between science and business, prospects for the future

After the official welcome, the journalist Pepa Fernández, director of RNE’s No es un día cualquiera, moderated a round table with the participation of leading figures from the technology sector and laureates of the institution.

Inés Bermejo, Vice President and General Manager of HP Spain and Portugal, has focused on education and the institutional framework: “From school, we must position entrepreneurship and give visibility to what it is and the success of entrepreneurship. And, that the learning comes from failure, it is sometimes important to fail or not be successful to learn.”. Bermejo added that “the regulatory aspect is important for companies, being close to the administration from the point of view of R&D incentives and being very close to universities so that there is employability and talent helps to develop that R&D.” He also advocated for patent enforcement: “We need solutions that help people. The more patents we have, the more value we can create.”

Damià Tormo, winner of the 2025 Rei Jaume I Business Revelation Prize, insisted on the importance of acting in the face of the speed of global change: “Everyone talks about how important R&D and innovation are, but no one really believes that they are essential to our future survival; either we increase productivity and innovation, or we will not be able to maintain this social state.” Tormo pointed to the shortage of talent as a critical problem and proposed changes to the academic system: “If university professors were valued equally for publishing a paper or giving a lecture as for creating a patent or setting up a spin-off, many things would change.”

Finally, Francisco Pérez, director of IVIE and winner of the 2024 Rei Jaume I Prize for Economics, analyzed the evolution of the Spanish economy: “There is a problem of structural productivity, but if we look at the composition of Spanish growth, especially since the post-COVID recovery, we are growing more because part of the growth is already a consequence of increased productivity.” Pérez highlighted that behind this improvement there is a greater weight of intangible assets such as digitalization, although he warns that “it is a tragedy that there are no agreements of any kind” in the face of challenges such as the digital transition or sustainability, which require profound changes in both universities and companies.

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At the press conference laureates called for greater competitiveness without losing European values.

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The seven winners of the 2025 Rei Jaume I Prize agreed on Monday that Europe must boost its competitiveness so as not to fall behind the United States or China, but without losing its values centered on citizen-based regulation. “It’s a hard balance, but it’s necessary,” said the winners, who again called for “brave” politicians to invest so that “we don’t fall into decline.”

José Luis Mascareñas Cid, winner in the Basic Research; Jan Eeckhout, in Economics; Nuria López-Bigas, in Biomedical Research; Victoria Reyes García, in Environmental Protection; María Jesús Vicent Docón, in New Technologies; Damià Tormo Carulla, in Business Revelation; and Silvia de Sanjosé Llongueras, in Clinical Research and Public Health, gave a press conference on monday prior to the traditional awards ceremony, which will be held at the Lonja attended by the King of Spain, Felipe VI.

The laureates discussed the lack of investment in Spain, which is 40 years behind Europe, as investment as a percentage of GDP stands at 1.5%—up just one tenth of a percentage point in a year—and continues to “think about research as it did 20 or 30 years ago,” as well as how the lack of dynamism and bureaucracy are weighing down European productivity compared to other economies. In fact, this year’s marketing campaign is called “Spain: Insert Coin,” which offers constructive criticism to draw attention to this issue.

Damià Tormo warned that Europe is “losing that race” with China and the United States, pointing out that “the US regulates for its companies, China for its government, and Europe governs for its citizens,” adding that “that mentality is very difficult to change.”

He also stated that with Artificial Intelligence, “all the foundations we know will change in a very short period of time,” to which we must add the changes in the geopolitical situation. “It may be making us less competitive, but we cannot lose our values either. It will be very interesting to see how we proceed, he said.

“I feel much more confident with the model we have in Europe than with the savage free market that is the American one,” said Silvia de Sanjosé Llongueras, who nevertheless called for a “response” to the “tsunami that is coming with Artificial Intelligence”: “In Europe, we have a very privileged model, but we are falling into decline.”

Victoria Reyes García has stated that, in facing the global challenges posed by climate change and biodiversity loss, as well as the challenges of AI and new technologies, “rather than seeing it as a decline, we should see how we export and emphasize these values of science in Europe to regulate for citizens.” “Rather than competitiveness, we need to talk about cooperation. These global problems cannot be solved by thinking about who wins; they affect us all,” she said. She also warned that there are “strong economic interests” behind disinformation campaigns on social media aimed at young people.

Jan Eeckhout pointed out that the challenge is to overcome “the risk of what will happen with AI and a concentration of economic power.” “The danger is not that a robot will take your job, but the concentration of power in four large companies,” he said.

“Courageous politicians”

Furthermore, José Luis Mascareñas lamented that although politicians “talk a lot about the need to invest” in R&D, “the truth is that it is not a priority unless there is a crisis, when there is pressure, as happened with the COVID pandemic,” because “the results of research are usually seen in the mid to long term” and that timeframe “is not usually very attractive” to them.

However, he stressed that “we will never be a competitive country internationally if we do not have sustained funding over time,” and to that end, he pointed out that a National Budget is needed that “includes a very clear commitment to investment,” in order to review how talent and training programs are developed: “Spanish University needs a great revulsive”

Silvia de Sanjosé Llongueras added that another of Spanish problems is its inability to guarantee young researchers “a minimum level of stability with good incomes” in order to retain talent and prevent them from emigrating to pursue their professional careers. “We need courageous politicians who are capable of looking at the long term and not just at one legislature, Nuria López-Bigas claimed.

Furthermore, María Jesús Vicent Docón pointed out that, in addition to investment, policies are also needed to ensure that research is self-sustaining, such as establishing benefits for companies that set up in Spain or supporting the self-employed.

The laureates explain their work to the Biohub audience

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The Laureates’ Colloquium was held, where they explained their different projects and the reasons why they were awarded the prize to an audience of over a hundred people.

The first speaker was José Luis Mascareñas, winner of the Basic Research Prize, for whom “catalysis processes make our lives much better.” The Galician researcher confessed that “We have been pioneers in metal catalysis, which is a field that is just beginning.”

The second speaker was Jan Eeckhout, representing Economy 2025, for whom “Our research focuses on understanding the relationship between monopoly companies and the rest of the economy, and we study three effects: on the labor market, on startups, and on inequalities.”

The winner in Biomedical Research, biologist Nuria López-Bigas, said that her research focuses on “identifying all the genes with mutations that cause cancer and generating algorithms that identify the patterns that warn us of cancer.”

For anthropologist Victoria Reyes, winner of the Environmental Protection Prize, her work consists of “examining the interactions between people and the environment, with two lines of research: one is how indigenous knowledge can help us protect the environment, and the other is the integration of perceptions of climate change.

For María Jesús Vicent, winner of the New Technologies Prize, “our research focuses on how to deliver the active ingredients of drugs to their destination, crossing biological barriers that could prevent this.”

On the other hand, for the winner of the Business Revelation Prize, Damià Tormo, “in Spain, there is no shortage of scientific ideas in our research centers, but rather ways to transfer them to business.” After creating hundreds of companies, Tormo formed Columbus as an ecosystem “capable of promoting science and demonstrating that here we also do science that changes the world,” emphasized the entrepreneur.

Finally, Silvia de Sanjosé spoke about her work: “The research focuses on identifying the cause of the human papillomavirus and finding out what causes the disease. We have managed to vaccinate children earlier to prevent them from developing the disease,” said De Sanjosé, winner of the Clinical Research and Public Health Prize.

King Felipe VI: “We build our prosperity on openness and multilateralism”

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The King presided over the solemn ceremony of the 37th edition of the Rei Jaume I Prizes 2025, held, as every year, in the Lonja de los Mercaderes in the city of Valencia.

José Luis Mascareñas Cid (Basic Research), Jan Eeckhout (Economics), Nuria López-Bigas (Biomedical Research), Victoria Reyes (Environmental Protection), María Jesús Vicent (New Technologies), Damià Tormo (Business Revelation), and Silvia de Sanjosé (Clinical Research and Public Health) received from King Felipe VI the medal accrediting them as winners in their respective categories.

Institutional speeches

The mayor of Valencia, María José Catalá, began her speech by thanking His Majesty for his support for these prizes and “recognizing those who dedicate their lives to knowledge and research.” Catalá wanted to focus “on the role of women in science, which has always been unfair. They often worked in silence, yet their mark is there and must be valued as a catalyst for girls and young women.” In this way, “these prizes place talent at the center, without surnames, without barriers, without prejudice.” He also addressed King Felipe VI, thanking him for “the Crown’s decisive support for research, science, and entrepreneurship, and for his constant presence, especially this year, which has been a beacon of hope amid so much pain.”

The president of the Valencian Foundation Rei Jaume I Prizes, Vicente Boluda, began his speech by expressing his gratitude to King Felipe VI “for his support, affection, and constant presence during all the months following the DANA, when the Valencian people felt very much accompanied by you, the Queen, and the Infantas.” In addition, in his speech he wanted to emphasize that “it is only fair to recognize that in Spain and in the Valencian Community we are making enormous efforts and that progress is being made, but the rest of the territories and countries are also racing ahead.” He insisted on calling for “a reduction in the current level of political tension and polarization,” as well as the oft-mentioned “Pact for Science proposed by Professor Santiago Grisolía.”

This year’s Rei Jaume I New Technologies Prize winner, Mª Jesús Vicent, spoke on behalf of the laureates and, after thanking “the jury, organizers, sponsors, and other winners” on behalf of the seven, she emphasized that this recognition is always a reflection of collective work. She wanted to emphasize that “investing in science, technology, responsible innovation, and public health is not a luxury, but a necessity for building a prosperous and inclusive society. We need science at the frontier of knowledge and technology at the service of the common good. From here, we call on the younger generations, the academic world, businesses, public administrations, and society as a to continue investing in knowledge,” Vicent emphasized.

Finally, His Majesty King Felipe VI began his speech by referring to the consequences of the DANA: “Reconstruction is progressing, although never fast enough, and normality is gradually returning to life in the affected areas.“ He also remembered those affected, ”who are very much in our thoughts, knowing that there is still much to be done and that you have the affection and support of all Spaniards and, of course, of the Crown.“

The King emphasized that great scientific results stem from cooperation, synergies, and teamwork. For this reason, he emphasized that “these prizes invite us to reflect on how much we owe to those who open new horizons for knowledge, growth, and well-being.” Felipe VI referred to the complex reality of researchers, which, added to difficult times and a geopolitical situation that is not conducive to international scientific exchange and cooperation, produces uncertainty and discourages vocations. This is something that, he said, is not in his power to reverse, but he can “insist on the evidence that we build our prosperity on openness and multilateralism.”

As is now tradition, at the end of the ceremony, the King declared the 2026 Rei Jaume I Prizes opened for entries.

Once again, this year’s ceremony was attended by representatives from civil society, politics, business, and social circles, among the nearly 400 people who attended the ceremony. Among them were the trustees of the Rei Jaume I Prizes Foundation, the jury members, family members, and representatives of the collaborators: Iberdrola Spain Foundation in Environmental Protection, the Provincial Council of Valencia in Economics, the City Council of Valencia in New Technologies, “La Caixa” Foundation and CaixaBank in Biomedical Research, Mercadona, Edem, and AVE in the Business Revelation Prize, and AirLiquide Healthcare in Clinical Research and Public Health. AirLiquide Healthcare in Clinical Research and Public Health. In addition, entities such as the Port Authority of Valencia, Boluda Corporación Marítima, the Council of Chambers of the Valencian Community, the Banco Santander Foundation, Pavasal, RNB, SPB, Grupo Vectalia, CEV, Logifruit, the Torrecid Foundation, BP, Empresas del Sol, the Martínez Family, the IVO Foundation, Grupo Segura, as well as institutional support from the Valencian Regional Government.

Severo Ochoa: serene perseverance

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On the occasion of Nobel Prize Day, the Rei Jaume I Prize Foundation held its second edition, this time dedicated to Spanish Nobel Prize winner Severo Ochoa.

The day began with a talk on “Severo Ochoa’s idea of creating a foundation, the realization of the project” by Regina Revilla, president of the Carmen and Severo Ochoa Foundation. For Revilla, “it is necessary to vindicate the figure of Severo Ochoa as a driving force behind the fact that so many Nobel Prize winners have been brought together at the Valencian Foundation of the Rei Jaume I Prizes since its inception.” She recalled how the Spanish Nobel laureated donated his entire library to the Foundation, a legacy that is still preserved today in its facilities.

“Research needs more minds than resources,” Ochoa said, and “science is the effort to understand nature, and its reward is the joy of discovery,” the Spanish Nobel laureate said, as recalled by some of his students gathered by the Valencian Foundation to commemorate his day.

Revilla acknowledged that “his truest legacy lies in his disciples, that invisible school, that network of knowledge based on freedom, trust, and responsibility, principles on which he based his work.” Revilla recalled his struggle to create a foundation that would be run by the Spanish scientists he had trained, and that is how, after his death, the Carmen and Severo Ochoa Foundation was born in 1994.

Mª Dolores Pinazo, professor of ophthalmology at the University of Valencia and currently the most cited researcher in Spain, moderated the round table discussion with Luis Blanco, research professor at the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Center, who spoke about Severo Ochoa and the code of life: a legacy for the future. Blanco referred to DNA and RNA and claimed that Ochoa was “the key to finding the code of life.”

Mª José Alonso, who won the Rei Jaume I Prize in 2011 for New Technologies and is a professor of pharmaceutical technology at the University of Santiago de Compostela, acknowledged that “I was not aware of the extent of Severo Ochoa’s legacy until I learned more about his life and his way of nurturing talent, which is formed in the chain of great advances.”

Xavier Salvatella also participated, and at the end of this round table, a commemorative book on the Spanish Nobel Laureated was presented, with speeches from Federico Pallardó and Vicente Rubio.

If you want to see the entire event:

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