On 16 August, the German Falling Walls Foundation officially announced the shortlist of winners for the ‘Science Breakthrough of the Year 2023’ award to be presented in Berlin on 9 November. A high-level jury has evaluated more than 1,000 nominations and awarded 10 finalists in the fields of Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Social Sciences and Humanities, Arts and Science, and Science and Innovation Management.
The Spanish scientist Ramón Flecha has been chosen among the 10 best international contributions in the category of Science and Innovation Management. The jury highlighted his scientific contribution to the co-creation of knowledge and social impact in projects such as ALLINTERACT (European Commission, Horizon 2020). Professor Flecha, Emeritus Professor at the University of Barcelona and DAAD Gastprofessor at the University of Würzburg, Germany, has coordinated the group of experts from the European Commission who have developed the social impact criteria that govern all the sciences of the European Research Framework Programme.
The Falling Walls Foundation’s mission is to enable scientists to share their knowledge with the widest possible audience, generating socially and geographically inclusive thinking and impact. The Chairman of the Falling Walls Foundation Board of Trustees, Jürgen Mlynek, thanked all the award winners for “their scientific vigour and persistence in breaking down walls to new discoveries from which we will all benefit”.