The Bial Biomedicine Prize: A 350,000 Euro Award With a Track Record of Nobel Outcomes

A Prize That Spotted Nobel Science Early

In 2021, the Bial Foundation awarded its biennial Prize in Biomedicine to Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman. Two years later, those two scientists shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine -- recognized for the mRNA modifications that made effective COVID-19 vaccines possible. The timing was not coincidental. The Bial Award has developed a reputation for identifying foundational biomedical work before its full significance has been absorbed by the broader scientific community.

On February 24, 2026, the foundation will announce the winner of the Bial Award in Biomedicine 2025 at a ceremony in Porto, Portugal. The event is open for viewing online without prior registration, beginning at 6 pm Western European Time.

What the Award Recognizes

The Bial Award in Biomedicine is distinct from prizes that recognize lifetime achievement or a body of work accumulated over decades. Instead, it targets a single published work from within the previous ten years -- one piece of research judged to represent exceptional quality and scientific relevance across the broad biomedical field. The prize carries 350,000 euros, making it one of the more substantial targeted awards in European biomedical science.

This year's competition drew 58 nominations from researchers in 18 countries. The jury that will select the winner is chaired by Ralph Adolphs, Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience and Biology at the California Institute of Technology. The 12-member jury includes representatives designated by the European Research Council, the Council of Rectors of Portuguese Universities, the European Medical Association, the Scientific Board of the Bial Foundation, previous award winners, and editors of the British Medical Journal and the New England Journal of Medicine.

The Award's Structure and Cadence

The Bial Award in Biomedicine runs on a biennial schedule in odd-numbered years, alternating with a separate clinical medicine prize -- the Premio Bial de Medicina Clinica -- which runs in even years. The two-year cycle allows sufficient time for nominations, jury review, and deliberation over a competitive field.

The prize has institutional backing from the President of the Portuguese Republic, the Council of Rectors of Portuguese Universities, and the European Medical Association. The Bial Foundation, based in northern Portugal, is the charitable arm of the Bial pharmaceutical group and has supported scientific research and awards in biomedicine for three decades.

The 2025 winner and the specific research being recognized will be announced at the Porto ceremony on February 24. The full ceremony is accessible online without registration.