On 1 December last, the Julián Sanz del Río Prizes for young Spanish and German researchers were awarded at the Cervantes Institute in Berlin for the second year. These prizes are organized by the Universidad.es Foundation in conjunction with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

The aim of the prizes is to encourage scientific, humanistic and cultural cooperation between Spain and Germany, and to acknowledge the work of talented young scholars whose studies have led them to forge professional links with the other country and thus foster mutual understanding.

In its first year, the prize was awarded for work in the social and legal sciences, and on this occasion it was devoted to themes related to the natural sciences. The prize-winners were Israel Fernández, from the Complutense University of Madrid, and André Eckardt, from the Max Planck Institute in Dresden. The prize is worth 5,000 euros, and in addition the respective prize-winners are offered a research grant for a stay in the other country.

The Universidad.es Foundation was represented at the award ceremony by Juan José Moreno Navarro, Director-General of University Policy and a member of the Foundation’s board of trustees.

Universidad.es is a public sector foundation that aims to promote the Spanish university system throughout the world. The foundation was set up by the Spanish government with the support of Spain’s universities, the regional governments and other institutions. Universidad.es was formally constituted on 23 December 2008