VinFuture 2025 - honoring 4 scientific works "Strengthening together - Prospering together"

On December 5, VinFuture Foundation officially announced the winners of the VinFuture Prize 2025. The four outstanding scientific and technological works honored consistently affirmed this year's theme of "Rising together - Prospering together", demonstrating the role of cross-border scientific cooperation to jointly solve global challenges in health, environment and livelihood for humanity.

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man speaks at the VinFuture 2025 Awards Ceremony

The VinFuture Awards Ceremony 2025 was broadcast live on VTV1 – Vietnam Television. The event was attended by Mr. Tran Thanh Man, Politburo member, Chairman of the National Assembly, along with leaders of central departments, ministries, branches, representatives of embassies, international organizations and outstanding scientists from all over the world.

The VinFuture Prize 2025 attracted 1,705 nominations from scientists , research organizations and technology businesses worldwide - nearly three times more than the first season, focusing on the theme of cross-border scientific cooperation to protect public health, develop new-generation smart materials, respond to climate change, promote clean energy solutions, as well as ensure global food security.

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man presents the VinFuture 2025 Prize worth $3 million to scientists

The VinFuture 2025 Main Prize worth 3 million USD was awarded to Dr. Douglas R. Lowy, Dr. John T. Schiller, Dr. Aimée R. Kreimer and Prof. Maura L. Gillison (USA) 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 that 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 labs of Prof. 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 work has saved, and will continue to save, millions of lives for decades to come.

In addition to the Main Prize, VinFuture 2025 also awards 3 Special Prizes, each worth 500,000 USD, to Scientists researching new fields, Female Scientists and Scientists from developing countries.

VinFuture 2025 Special Prize for Scientists from Developing Countries honors Prof. María Esperanza Martínez-Romero (Mexico)

The VinFuture 2025 Special Prize for Scientists from Developing Countries honored Prof. María Esperanza Martínez-Romero (Mexico) for her advances in microbial ecology and symbiotic nitrogen fixation in tropical ecosystems. Prof. 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 impacts on sustainable agriculture in the context of limited resources.

The VinFuture 2025 Special Prize for Female Scientists was awarded to Professor Mary-Claire King

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 the approach to prevention and treatment worldwide.

VinFuture 2025 Special Prize for Scientists researching new fields with innovations in developing hybrid crops capable of self-propagating

The VinFuture 2025 Special Prize for Scientists researching new fields honored five scientists: Prof. Venkatesan Sundaresan (USA), Prof. Rap ​​haël 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 inaccessible to 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.

Professor Richard Friend, Chairman of the Award Council, shared the key message of VinFuture season 5: “Together we grow – Together we prosper”

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 .”

Overview of the VinFuture 2025 Award Ceremony

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, and 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 performance of "Phu Dong Thien Vuong - Lullaby Country" by singer Duc Phuc is a greeting from Vietnam to international friends. This is also the song that helped the male singer win the Intervision 2025 Championship in Russia.

The VinFuture 2025 Awards ceremony exploded with emotions with the appearance of the legendary 17-time Grammy Award-winning female artist - Alicia Keys

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.

VinFuture 2025 Award Ceremony Auditorium

VinFuture 2026 season kicks off - VinFuture 2026 Prize will officially launch the call for nominations from 2:00 p.m. on January 9, 2026 to 2:00 p.m. on April 17, 2026, Hanoi time (GMT+7).

Nominating partners please submit information about your project to participate in the award via the online nomination portal at: https://vinfutureprize.org/vinfuture-prize-nomination/.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/vinfuture-2025-vinh-danh-4-cong-trinh-khoa-hoc-cung-vuon-minh-cung-thinh-vuong-post827210.html