To be nominated for this award, the following criteria must be met:

• The award is for (former) students/ researchers from the Faculty of Science, Leiden University, who did their research as an MSc student, PhD student or post-doc at this faculty and who received their masters’ or PhD degree no longer than 3 years ago or who are still an MSc or PhD student.
• The nominated research needs to relate to the field of bioscience in combination with data-science, preferably in relation to pharma, biology, chemistry, food and nutrition, or environmental sciences.

A judging committee will review the nominations and select the winner. The judging committee is led by a representative of Royal DSM and includes the Director of the Bio Science Park and representatives from the Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science and the Faculty office of the Faculty of Science.

The jury will assess the incoming nominations based on the following criteria:

• The quality of the scientific research. The difference between the submission of a MSc student and a PhD or post-doc will be considered in the jury process.
• The research should contribute to tackling societal challenges as outlined by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
• The research should contribute to the development of (an) innovative solution(s) that can be brought to market or to applications in the field of bioscience in combination with data-science. In the ideal case, a proof-of-concept is available with the potential to be applied in a commercial product or solution. This does not necessarily mean that there should be a business plan – but at least there should be a valorisation potential: e.g., licensing, selling the solution, or a potential partner (or spin-off) for commercialization has been found.
• Showcasing multi-disciplinary research is preferred.

To be considered for nomination for this award, fill in the application form. Your institute's Scientific Director will receive your submission. Each Scientific Director from the Science Faculty can nominate a maximum of two candidates.

Closing date: Friday 10 February 2023

Update: the deadline has been extended to 21 April 2023 for institutes that have not yet sent in their nominees. Please consult with your (former) supervisor/ scientific director before submitting your research.

The winner will be invited to receive the award personally at the award ceremony on 13 June 2023 between 16:00 and 17:30. The ceremony is combined with a career talk for students and staff by DSM vice-president Wim Klop, who will also hand out the award. Afterwards there will be celebratory drinks (borrel).