VinFuture 2025 main prize worth 3 million USD awarded to 4 American scientists

Tonight (December 5), Hoan Kiem Theater, Hanoi became the world's scientific center as hundreds of researchers gathered at the VinFuture 2025 Awards Ceremony. The winners of the million-dollar prize were announced in a moment watched by the global scientific community.

Speaking at the ceremony, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man said that the 5th VinFuture Awards ceremony, with the theme "Together we grow - Together we prosper" , is a strong global call for development, in the spirit of solidarity, progress, sharing, creating opportunities for all people and all nations. It is also the spirit of overcoming knowledge limits, promoting global cooperation and bringing practical benefits to humanity.

Tran Thanh Man .jpg — National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man affirmed that Vietnam wishes to cooperate with the world's scientific community in researching common issues of humanity. Photo: TT

Looking back on the past five years, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man affirmed that this award not only honors outstanding scientific works but also creates valuable dialogues and forums between scientists, businesses and policy makers; from there, new ideas, new approaches, new cooperation models are opened up and widely spread.

The National Assembly Chairman affirmed that Vietnam wishes to work with the world's scientific community to promote cooperation in researching common issues of humanity, promote academic exchanges, train high-quality human resources, cooperate in technology transfer, and implement green and inclusive development models.

At the end of his speech, Mr. Tran Thanh Man quoted General Secretary To Lam: Developing science, technology, innovation and digital transformation is not just a choice, but a way of survival. Vietnam is committed to building a transparent legal environment, creating favorable conditions for innovation models to be deployed effectively and safely, contributing positively to the development of the region and the world.

GS Friend.jpg — Professor Richard Friend, Chairman of the VinFuture Prize Council, said that the VinFuture Prize is receiving an increasing number of nominations, with 1,705 nominations this year alone.

The main VinFuture 2025 prize worth 3 million USD was awarded to 4 American scientists: Dr. Douglas R. Lowy, Dr. John T. Schiller, Dr. Aimée R. Kreimer and Professor Maura L. Gillison for their discoveries and development of HPV vaccines to prevent tumors caused by human papillomavirus (HPV).

Dr. Lowy and Dr. Schiller’s groundbreaking work on the human papillomavirus capsid protein led to the development of highly effective HPV vaccines, which have prevented millions of cases of cervical cancer, particularly in developing countries. Dr. Kreimer’s single-dose vaccination regimen, recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), has significantly expanded access to vaccines.

In parallel, studies in the epidemiology laboratory of Professor Gillison and Dr. Kreimer also identified a link between HPV and head and neck cancer, a significant cancer threat that can be reduced by HPV vaccination. Their achievements have saved, and will continue to save millions of lives for decades to come.

In addition to the main prize, VinFuture 2025 also awards three special prizes, each worth 500,000 USD, to Scientists researching new fields, Female Scientists, and Scientists from developing countries.

The VinFuture 2025 Special Prize for Scientists from Developing Countries honors Professor María Esperanza Martínez-Romero (Mexico) for her advances in microbial ecology and symbiotic nitrogen fixation in tropical ecosystems. Professor Martínez-Romero discovered and described many new Rhizobium species, contributing to expanding the understanding of microbial taxonomy and plant-microbe interactions in agriculture, opening up new research directions on plant-microbe symbiosis, with far-reaching implications for sustainable agriculture in the context of limited resources.

The VinFuture 2025 Special Prize for Female Scientists was awarded to Professor Mary-Claire King (USA) for her discovery of the BRCA1 gene associated with breast and ovarian cancer risk, laying the foundation for genetic testing, screening programs and personalized treatment. The location of the BRCA1 gene on chromosome 17q21 in 1990 - before the human genome was decoded - was considered a historic milestone, confirming the genetic nature of cancer risk and changing approaches to prevention and treatment worldwide.

The VinFuture 2025 Special Prize for Scientists researching new fields honored five scientists: Professor Venkatesan Sundaresan (USA), Professor Raphaël Mercier (Germany), Dr. Emmanuel Guiderdoni (France), Dr. Imtiyaz Khanday (USA) and Dr. Delphine Mieulet (France) for their innovations in developing hybrid crops capable of self-propagating.

Hybrid plants have superior yields compared to their parent plants, but producing hybrid seeds for rice – the staple food of more than half the world’s population – is complex and expensive, making it out of reach of most farmers. The team created rice seeds with superior traits identical to the parent plants through self-pollination, based on new insights into developmental biology and genetics, which could improve yields, reduce seed costs and promote sustainable food security.

Sharing about the works honored this year, Professor Richard Friend, Chairman of the VinFuture Prize Council, said: “The VinFuture Prize 2025 winners have created groundbreaking scientific advances, bringing practical benefits to human health and global food security. From vaccines, understanding genetic diseases, to plant breeding methods and farming processes that ensure optimal growth - these achievements demonstrate the power of science when guided by compassion and the spirit of cooperation across borders. When knowledge serves humanity, it not only expands our understanding of the world, but also contributes to protecting and nurturing life.”

After 5 consecutive successful seasons, the VinFuture Prize has become one of the world's most prestigious science and technology awards, with 6,132 nominations from nearly 110 countries and territories on 5 continents, honoring 48 outstanding scientists. The honored works - from clean energy, artificial intelligence, biomedical technology to breakthroughs in agriculture - are creating profound changes, contributing to improving the quality of life and shaping the future of humanity.

The VinFuture Science and Technology Week and Award Ceremony have also become a familiar platform for connecting global knowledge, bringing together scientists, policymakers and business representatives to promote cooperation towards a sustainable, humane and prosperous future.

In particular, after 5 seasons with persistent efforts to connect the world's scientific elite with the Vietnamese scientific community, the VinFuture Foundation and the VinFuture Prize not only create opportunities and motivation for the development of domestic science; but also contribute to making Vietnam a trusted destination for world scientists, where creative values are shared and spread strongly for the prosperity of humanity.

Alicia Key.jpg — 17-time Grammy Award-winning singer Alicia Keys performs at the VinFuture 2025 Awards. Photo: TT

Alongside the science stars, the VinFuture 2025 awards stage featured Alicia Keys - the owner of 17 prestigious Grammy gold statues. Her music carries a strong, steadfast and hopeful spirit, in harmony with the message "Together we rise - Together we prosper" of this year's awards season and as a tribute to scientists and innovators who are persistently creating a progressive life for humanity.