ALICANTE, Apr 29. (EUROPA PRESS)
The Galician biotechnologist César de la Fuente Núñez (A Coruña, 1986) has been recognized this Thursday with the prize Princess of Girona Foundation in Scientific Research 2021 in an act in Alicante that has been held at the Las Cigarreras Cultural Center and which has been chaired by King Felipe VI.
The verdict has been released in the final course of an event that has addressed the challenges of science and the importance of mobilizing the talent of young people. The event was attended by the Minister of Science, Pedro Duque, the President of the Generalitat, Ximo Puig, the Minister for Innovation, Carolina Pascual; the mayor of Alicante, Luis Barcala; Deputy Mayor Mari Carmen Sánchez and other councilors of the municipal corporation.
De La Fuente has received this award after promoting a project that consists of the creation of new antibiotics by computer, a fact that has been described by experts as of “enormous social and industrial relevance”. A) Yes, have highlighted his “leadership and excellent scientific career in the field of computational biology which combines extraordinary scientific productivity with a capacity to transfer developed technology “.
The jury, which has been chaired by the president of the State Agency of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Rosa Menéndez, has described the winner as “one of the most important innovators in the world by digitize evolution to create better antibiotics and its activity in defense of socially disadvantaged groups “.
For his part, the winner has shown in a video issued after the jury’s decision his “honor” and has dedicated the recognition to his father, who died 5 years ago. Likewise, he stressed that science has been “fundamental” in a year “so complicated” due to the pandemic and has shown confident that “the smallest and smallest will become scientists and help us get out of the next one. “
De la Fuente has a degree in Biotechnology from the University of León and a doctorate in microbiology and immunology from the University of British Columbia (Canada), thanks to a grant from the La Caixa Foundation. He has also carried out research and training stays in prominent centers such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology -MIT- (United States), thanks to a grant from the Ramón Areces Foundation.
In addition, was named in 2020 as “America’s Best Young Researcher” by the American Chemical Society and in 2019 elected “one of the ten best innovators in the world under 35 years of age in life and health sciences” by the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Quality education”
During the event, experts also addressed the situation of the youths, its relationship with Science and the “importance” of these receive a “quality” Education through teachers. Along the same lines, it has highlighted the work of Science to develop vaccines for an “unknown” disease, so has urged the Minister, Pedro Duque, to achieve “more investment in R&D” so as “not to demand that others invent others.”
In his speech, the president of the FPdGI, Francisco Belil, stressed the “importance” of young people for the country and argued that Education has a “chronic problem” due to the dropout rate. Likewise, it has also shown its “concern” for the “employability” of the group and has asserted that it is necessary to give the teachers of “best techniques and tools”.
Finally, the mayor of Alicante, Luis Barcala, has been “very proud” of the visit of His Majesty King Felipe VI and has declared that he is “very satisfied” by the celebration of the event. Along the same lines, he has described the presence of the monarch as a “boost”: “The city is betting on innovation, digitization and on becoming a benchmark in the technology industry,” he added.
Likewise, it has affirmed that the visit of Felipe VI was not “strictly” for the award decision and that the Cigarreras project and that of the Future Territories to recover traditional urban spaces to turn them into centers of innovation and thus “retain Alicante’s talent”.
Entrepreneurial challenge
At the same time, the final of the Entrepreneur Challenge of the FPdGi in which more than 250 students from 4 educational centers of the Valencian Community have participated who, over four weeks, have raised creative solutions to promote the scientific vocations of young people.
The project that has been selected to represent the Community and that will compete against three other centers in Aragon, La Rioja and Toledo has been called + Cienca and promoted by students from an IBI institute.