News Release

TWAS awarded Premio Feltrinelli

Grant and Award Announcement

TWAS

The Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei (Rome) announces today that TWAS has received the 2010 Premio Feltrinelli. The award is given to individuals or institutions that have made outstanding contributions to knowledge or to addressing critical social or moral challenges. It is sometimes referred to as Italy's Nobel prize.

TWAS, as noted in the statement announcing the award, is being recognized for its "unprecedented accomplishments of high moral and humanitarian relevance," and especially for its efforts in helping to build scientific capacity in developing countries. The prize includes a Euro 250,000 cash award. The announcement will be made in Rome today at Accademia dei Lincei, Italy's national science academy, which oversees the award's evaluation process. The official ceremony is scheduled to take place in November, also in Rome.

Premio Feltrinelli is given in memory of Antonio Feltrinelli, an Italian business leader and renowned artist who died in 1942. It was awarded for the first time in 1950 to Paola Bancari Montuoso and Umberto Zanotti Bianco in recognition of their discovery of a Greek sanctuary near the famous archaeological site in Paestum, Italy. Since then, the award has been given to more than 25 people and institutions, including the Fondazione Giorgio Cini and the Remedial Education Center in Gaza.

The statement accompanying the award praises TWAS for its "inspirational and far-sighted mission in the promotion of scientific and technological growth in developing countries."

The statement goes on to commend TWAS for serving as "the voice of science in the South" and "for its unremitting efforts to use science as a tool for economic development in the developing world."

"We are indeed honoured to receive this highly esteemed award," Mohamed H.A. Hassan, TWAS executive director, says. "We embrace both the ideals and spirit of Premio Feltrinelli and are humbled by the recognition that the prize bestows. We hope we can live up to these ideals in the years ahead as we continue to promote South-South and South-North cooperation in science for advancing global economic and social well-being."

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For additional information about the Premio Feltrinelli and Accademia dei Lincei, see www.lincei.it.

For additional information about TWAS, see www.twas.org.


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