An Italian researcher among the winners of the IBSA Foundation Fellowships

Rewarding research, supporting talent and looking to the future: with these goals, on May 27, 2025, at Palazzo Giureconsulti in Milan (Italy), IBSA Foundation for scientific research celebrated the 12th edition of its Fellowships, grants aimed at promoting and supporting new generations of researchers, as well as the most innovative projects.

Among the six winners – hailing from universities and research centres from all over the world – was Italian Ilaria Chiaradia: a researcher at Sapienza University of Rome, she was awarded for a project in the fertility/urology scientific area focused on the effect of prenatal exposure to multiple substances with abuse potential on human brain development.

A ROUNDTABLE TO REFLECT ON THE VALUE OF INDEPENDENT RESEARCH

In addition to the awards ceremony, the event hosted a roundtable entitled Investire nella ricerca indipendente per valorizzare i talenti e rafforzare la competitività (“Investing in independent research to enhance talent and strengthen competitiveness”), moderated by the science journalist Luca Carra and attended by some of the most authoritative exponents of the Italian scientific landscape:

Alberto Mantovani, Scientific Director Emeritus of IRCCS Istituto Clinico Humanitas, President of the Humanitas Foundation for Research and Professor Emeritus at Humanitas University;

Irene Bozzoni, Professor Emeritus of Molecular Biology at Sapienza University of Rome and senior researcher at the Italian Institute of Technologies;

Silvia Misiti, Director of IBSA Foundation for scientific research;

Andrea Alimonti, Director of the Institute of Oncology Research (IOR) in Bellinzona and head of the Molecular Oncology Group. Full Professor at the University of Italian Switzerland in Lugano and at ETH Zurich and member of the Scientific Board of IBSA Foundation;

Antonio Musarò, Full Professor at the Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic Medicine and Musculoskeletal Sciences, Section of Histology and Medical Embryology of Sapienza University of Rome, and member of the Scientific Board of IBSA Foundation;

Domenico Salvatore, MD, PhD, Full Professor of Endocrinology at the Department of Public Health at the University of Naples Federico II and member of the Scientific Board of IBSA Foundation.

The discussion highlighted the critical role of private foundations in strengthening the research ecosystem – while making it more competitive – and underscored independent research as a key driver of innovation and solutions to society’s needs.

On the sidelines of the awards ceremony, Silvia Misiti emphasised the Fellowship goals and the impact it can have on the careers of emerging researchers: “Supporting the talent of young researchers represents for IBSA Foundation a strategic investment, driving scientific progress and fostering a society that is more aware and better equipped to face future challenges. In a context where access to a scientific career is increasingly complex, our Fellowships serve as a tangible tool to support young researchers at a difficult time, promoting merit and innovation”.

THE IBSA FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIPS

Founded with the aim of promoting an open, rigorous and accessible scientific culture, IBSA Foundation for scientific research has been committed for over a decade to supporting research and promoting dialogue between science and society. Through scholarships, outreach activities and interdisciplinary projects, the Foundation champions shared knowledge as a catalyst for collective progress, with a focus on young people and their education.

Every year, IBSA Foundation awards six € 32,000 grants to researchers under 40 in five scientific areas: dermatology, endocrinology, fertility/urology, pain medicine/orthopaedics/rheumatology, and healthy aging/regenerative medicine.

This latest edition has seen unprecedented interest: 259 projects received from 45 Countries, with Italy leading for number of applications (95). A clear signal of the attractiveness and growing relevance of the programme, which since 2012 has funded 58 scholarships, for a total value of over € 1.6 million. 

CALL FOR 2025 APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN

IBSA Foundation has officially announced the opening of the call for the 2025 edition of the Fellowships, confirming the award of six € 32,000 grants. As of this year, the IBSA Foundation Research Equity Prize will also be introduced: worth € 5,000, the prize will be awarded to the best scientific project developed in a laboratory, research institute or university based in a developing country.

Projects must be submitted by January 31, 2026, via the dedicated platform, accessible through the website of IBSA Foundation for scientific research. This initiative reaffirms, year after year, the Foundation’s commitment to an independent and inclusive future for science.