Scientific prizes and awards / General

Descartes prize for research

European Union

Description

The Descartes Prize for Research has been awarded yearly, since 2000, to transnational research teams which have achieved outstanding scientific or technological results through collaborative research in any field of science, including economics, social sciences and humanities.

The amount to be shared among the laureates of the research prize is one million euros. There are maximum five laureate teams. Moreover, five finalist teams receive 30 000 euros each.

Recipients

2005 Descartes prize for research :
- the EXEL (DALHM) team for developing a new class of artificial meta-materials, called Left-Handed Materials or Negative Index Materials, which have the ability to overturn many familiar properties of light;
- the CECA team for breakthrough findings on climate and environmental change in the Arctic;
- the PULSE team for demonstrating the impact of European pulsar science on modern physics;
- the ESS project, European Social Survey, for radical innovations in cross-national surveys; and
- the EURO-PID project for cutting-edge research on a group of over 130 rare genetically determined diseases known as primary immunodeficiencies.