The Hugo van Poelgeest Award is a scientific award for excellent animal-free research in the life sciences. In the past the prize was awarded every four years by Stichting Bouwstenen voor Dierenwelzijn. Since 2019, Stichting Proefdiervrij has been involved in the organization, and the prize is now awarded every two years. Furthermore: the prize now focuses on the new generation of scientists, in an effort to inspire them to continue working with animal-free models.
Nominate a scientist for the Hugo van Poelgeest Award 2024.
The nomination period for the Hugo van Poelgeest Award 2024 has ended.
“We hope to inspire young, talented researchers to continue to contribute to animal-free innovation. They are at the forefront of significant change in animal-free, human-centric science. ”
Saskia Aan, former advisor science & innovation
Focus on a new generation of scientists
A joint investigation with Stichting Bouwstenen voor Dierenwelzijn has led to the new format of the Hugo van Poelgeest Award. Where previously the award was presented to established researchers, it was decided from 2019 onwards to award the prize to the younger, new generation of scientists.
Participants could win…
Participants in the Hugo van Poelgeest Award have the opportunity to win two prizes:
- The prestigious Hugo van Poelgeest Award of €5.000,-
- The audience award of €1.500,-
Support from society is crucial for animal-free research. Therefore, a public award is also presented. People are asked to vote for one of the top three nominees to determine the winner of this award.
There is a prize for all nominees. To convey the research effectively to the jury, the top three nominees, along with Proefdiervrij, create a compelling promotional video for their research. They can use this video themselves, and it will be funded by the organization. The video will also be used in determining the winner of the main prize and the udience award.
Winner 2022: Niels Harlaar
On October 18, 2022, Niels Harlaar won the Hugo van Poelgeest Award of 2022. Niels is a researcher and in training to become a physician at the LUMC. He received a scholarship from the LUMC for excellent students to conduct doctoral research alongside his medical training. Niels is working on the development of new human heart models to replace animals in cardiovascular research. He developed an endless source of human heart muscle cells, allowing him to better replicate atrial fibrillation, the most common cardiac arrhythmia, in the laboratory than using animal models.
Niels Harlaar, researcher and in training to become a physician at the LUMC (Leiden University Medical Center)
Winner 2020: Berend van Meer
On October 2, 2020, we had the pleasure of awarding the Hugo van Poelgeest Award to the inspiring researcher Berend van Meer. With his research on human heart models, Berend has shown a clear vision of what an animal-free future looks like. He is actively working to realize this future by establishing a company focused on human heart models. Furthermore, he raises awareness of the subject by publishing extensively in scientific journals and regularly giving lectures to a broader audience.
Berend van Meer, MSc (Master of Science in Engineering), Leiden University Medical Center