At the end of November, it’s that time again: for the 16th time, the prestigious Hugo van Poelgeest Award will be awarded to a scientist conducting animal-free research within the life sciences. Do you lead a (young) researcher who deserves this award? Nominate them now for the Hugo van Poelgeest Award 2024!
The prize pools consists of three prizes
Participants in the Hugo van Poelgeest Award have a chance to win two prizes: the jury prize of €5,000 and the audience award of €1,500. In addition, a compelling promotional video for their research will be created at our expense for the top three nominees. They can use this video themselves, and it will also be used in determining the winner of the jury prize and the audience award.
Who can nominate and be nominated?
The Hugo van Poelgeest Award is for young researchers who have completed their master’s degree within the past 8 years. They can only be nominated by their supervisor, mentor, or principal investigator (PI). Additionally, the research they conduct must meet certain criteria:
- The research must have a demonstrable impact on transitioning to animal-free science. For example, by contributing to the reduction of animal experiments and/or improving the translation of research results to the human situation.
- The researcher must be working in the Netherlands.
Does your candidate meet these requirements? Download the form using the button below and submit the completed application by March 1, 2024.
Note: If you are a young researcher and would like to be nominated, you can share this form with your supervisor and ask them to nominate you!
Update March 2024: the nomination period for the Hugo van Poelgeest Award has ended.
The timeline of the Hugo van Poelgeest Award 2024
What is the Hugo van Poelgeest Award?
The Hugo van Poelgeest Award is the oldest Dutch award for animal-free research in the life sciences. In the past, the award was presented every 4 years by Stichting Bouwstenen voor Dierenwelzijn. Since 2019, we have been part of the organization, and the award is now presented every two years. The focus is now on the new generation of scientists, inspiring them to continue working with animal-free models.
Who is Hugo van Poelgeest?
Hugo van Poelgeest (1879 – 1954) was actively involved for many years as a member and later (vice-)chairman of the Dutch Association for the Protection of Animals. He was also active in many other organizations and committees related to animal protection. The award was established by Mrs. van Poelgeest-Spatkova, who wanted to honor her husband after his death.
Winner of the 2022 edition
The last Hugo van Poelgeest Award was won in 2022 by Niels Harlaar, a researcher at the LUMC. Niels is working on developing new human heart models as alternatives to animal testing for heart disease research. He created an endless source of human heart muscle cells, enabling him to accurately and animal-free simulate atrial fibrillation (the most common heart rhythm disorder).
