Conscious about the value of the recognition given by the scientific community to the outstanding work and career of researchers, the Interciencia Association established in 2003 the Interciencia Awards. Through these awards, the effort made by our scientists on behalf of the progress of science, of our nations and of their people is honored without compromising local institutions or governments that could be subjected to considerations that are foreign to the intrinsic values of science.

In the last three years, from 2004 to 2006, the Interciencia Awards were made possible thanks to the intervention of ACFAS, the Association Francophone pour le Savoir, the corresponding Canadian member of the Interciencia Association. ACFAS succeeded, on the one hand, to obtain a generous grant from the Canadian Government that permitted the establishment of a fund for the annual concession of an international award in the fields of Life Sciences and of Ecology and Biodiversity. On the other hand, the Canadian enterprise Hydro-Québec assumed the direct patronizing of an annual recognition in the fields of Energy and Environment.

As a result of changes in the market scope of the latter enterprise in Latin America, where it held operations in Chile, Panama and Peru, the sponsorship and thus the Interciencia Award in Energy and Environment have been suspended. The prize, restricted by the sponsor to South Cone countries, was awarded for three consecutive years in recognition to the noteworthy contributions of their researchers in the respective fields. In successive years the awards were received by three prominent Argentinean researchers, José Manuel Fink for his work in nuclear energy, Miguel Laborde for his contribution in the development of new fuels, and Pedro José Depetris for his studies in environmental chemistry.

We hope that it will be possible to reinstate this initiative in the near future without the regional restriction imposed before but valid for all the scientists and technologists who work south of the Río Grande, without regard of the country where their research activities are carried out. The needed sponsorship is pending.

Concerning the Life Sciences and the Ecology and Biodiversity awards, the Interciencia Association decided from the beginning to alternate the two fields in successive years. In this manner, the prizes were awarded in their first three editions to Mayra de la Torre from Mexico for her contribution to the development of bioprocess engineering and biotechnology in the region, to Rodrigo Lobo-Gómez from Costa Rica for his outstanding conservation efforts, and to Gonzalo Halffter from México for his important role in the development of biosciences and the study of biodiversity.

In every occasion the Executive Committee of the Interciencia Association designates an ad hoc international jury for the selection of the awardee. In turn the jury requests the advice of acknowledged scientists from the member countries for the evaluation of the dossiers received. The awards are granted on the basis of the scientific quality of the candidate’s work, its repercussion in the specialty and its impact in the country and the region.

For the current year the nomination period for candidates to the Interciencia Award in Ecology and Biodiversity has been opened. The nominations should be submitted by the Member Associations before September 15 and the requested material sent to the Executive Director of the Association.

Miguel Laufer