Balzan Prize

30/12/2025

Il Gomitolo Atomico continues its special series in collaboration with the International Balzan Foundation.

In this new episode, hosted by Massimo Polidoro and produced by Think About Science, the guest is 2025 Balzan Prizewinner Carl June, an immunologist at the University of Pennsylvania and one of the pioneers of cellular immunotherapy.

Together with his research group, he developed CAR-T therapy, a treatment that “trains” the patient’s cells to recognize and destroy cancer cells.

He is introduced by Alberto Mantovani, an immunologist, President of the Humanitas Foundation for Research and a member of the Balzan Prize General Committee.

Che cosa significa davvero “curare” una malattia che nasce da noi stessi?
Il cancro, che trasforma le nostre cellule in avversarie, resta una delle sfide più grandi della medicina moderna. Eppure qualcuno ha provato a capovolgere la logica del nemico, chiedendosi: e se la cura fosse già dentro di noi, in attesa solo di essere istruita?

In questa puntata speciale del Gomitolo Atomico, incontriamo Carl June, immunologo dell’Università della Pennsylvania e tra i pionieri dell’immunoterapia cellulare. Con il suo gruppo di ricerca ha ideato la terapia CAR-T, un trattamento che “educa” le cellule del paziente a riconoscere e distruggere quelle tumorali, creando, come la definisce lui, una vera e propria medicina vivente.

La sua intuizione ha unito biologia, ingegneria e clinica in un’unica visione, ridefinendo i confini di ciò che chiamiamo guarigione. A introdurlo è Alberto Mantovani, immunologo, Presidente della Fondazione Humanitas per la Ricerca e membro del Comitato Generale dei Premi Balzan.

Con questo episodio prosegue la serie speciale del Gomitolo Atomico, realizzata con la Fondazione Internazionale Balzan, che ogni anno assegna quattro premi alla ricerca (due umanistici e due scientifici). Oltre al riconoscimento pubblico e al premio in denaro, la sua particolarità è che metà dell’importo viene destinata, su indicazione del vincitore, a giovani studiosi dello stesso ambito per sviluppare ulteriori ricerche.

Il Gomitolo Atomico è una serie ideata e realizzata da Think About Science.
Questi speciali episodi nascono con il sostegno della Fondazione Internazionale Balzan Prize

Scritti con Silvia Lazzaris
Responsabili del progetto:
Federica Andreoli e Marcello Foresti, Fondazione Internazionale Balzan
Elena Bottaro, Think about Science

Guarda la puntata e l'intera serie sul canale YouTube di Massimo Polidoro
👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0easzWnIl0

29/12/2025

🏆 Ever wonder how the world’s brightest minds are recognized on a global stage?
Every year, the Balzan Prize celebrates excellence in four disciplines. Only top universities, academies, and cultural institutions can put names forward, showcasing a candidate’s groundbreaking contributions.
The journey begins in September, when the topics are selected. In December, invitations are sent and, by mid-March, nominations close. The selection process lasts until September when the winners are notified, and their names announced to the public.
Prizewinners are chosen for originality, international impact, and innovations that extend the boundaries of knowledge, with part of the Prize dedicated to funding new research projects involving young scholars.
The Balzan Prize isn’t just about honoring the past — it’s about building the future.

👉 Learn more about the Prize and its mission on our website: https://www.balzan.org/it

23/12/2025

🌍 In 2020, Joan Martínez Alier received the Balzan Prize for Environmental Challenges: Responses from the Social Sciences and Humanities. True to the spirit of the award, he dedicated half of his prize to advancing the Environmental Justice Atlas (EJAtlas) — a global platform documenting socio environmental conflicts across the world.

What the project achieved:
• expanded the EJAtlas to include more than 4,000 cases of environmental conflict;
• connected researchers, NGOs, and communities in a collaborative network;
• supported young scholars, ensuring that new voices contribute to the study of ecological justice.

💡 Why does it matter?

The EJAtlas is more than a database. It is a living testimony of how communities confront ecological degradation, resource extraction, and climate injustice. By calling attention to local struggles, the project transforms knowledge into action and empowers global awareness.

👉 Let’s talk: How do you think research can help protect our environment and support communities worldwide? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Discover more about the Balzan Foundation’s mission and the projects it supports, visit www.balzan.org

19/12/2025

📖 Every story has a beginning. For the Balzan Prize, a milestone came in 1962, when Pope John XXIII was awarded the Prize for Humanity, Peace, and Fraternity among Peoples. His vision of dialogue and understanding across nations embodied the spirit that continues to guide us today.

The path had already been opened in 1961, when the Nobel Foundation received the very first Balzan Prize with the same dedication to humanity and peace — starting a legacy that continues to inspire.

From those first steps, excellence and solidarity became the foundation of our mission — values that guide us still.

👉 From those first steps, excellence and solidarity became the roots of the Balzan Foundation’s mission. Curious to know how the story unfolded?

05/12/2025

📚 🌍 The Award Ceremony marks an important milestone — but not the end of the journey. It is a starting point which reminds us that research must lead to real, tangible outcomes.

By dedicating half of every award to new projects, entrusted to young scholars, the Foundation transforms honor into action, ensuring that excellence becomes progress and that discoveries leave a lasting mark on society.

👉 Which responsibilities must research embrace today to deliver long-term benefits to society?

28/11/2025

Building bridges that changed medicine ⚕️
Carl H. June, 2025 Balzan Prizewinner, has redefined cancer research by creating a global network of collaboration — a revolution that opened new paths in immunotherapy and united scientists across borders.

By inventing and developing a genetically engineered cellular therapy (CAR-T cells), he and his team have pioneered breakthroughs that turned hope into progress. This award strengthens his mission to inspire the next generation and keep science moving forward across borders.

Read more about Dr. June’s vision, just follow this link 👉 https://www.balzan.org/en/carl-june

25/11/2025

🧶 Il Gomitolo Atomico continues its special series in collaboration with the International Balzan Foundation.

In this new episode, hosted by Massimo Polidoro and produced by Think About Science, the guest is Josiah Ober, Professor at Stanford University and 2025 Balzan Prizewinner. He is introduced by Christoph Riedweg, Professor at the University of Zurich and member of the General Prize Committee.

Together they explore democracy — what keeps it alive, and what can bring it to an end — through the lens of history and the Greek city states.

🎥 Watch the episode now on Massimo Polidoro’ YouTube channel : https://youtu.be/CT0bBbFFATc?si=bSK4PRK-ZfRni1lV

Le democrazie sono davvero in pericolo? Che cosa può insegnarci il passato della democrazia sul futuro? In che modo le città-stato greche possono rappresentare una lente per riflettere sul potere, la cittadinanza e la fragilità dei governi attuali?

In questa puntata speciale del Gomitolo Atomico, incontriamo uno dei massimi esperti di questi temi: Josiah Ober, docente di Scienze Politiche e Classiche a Stanford e vincitore del Premio Internazionale Balzan 2025. A introdurlo è Christoph Riedweg, docente di Filologia classica presso la Facoltà di Filosofia dell'Università di Zurigo, oltre che componente del Comitato Generale dei Premi Balzan.
Nella nostra conversazione con il Prof. Ober parleremo di ciò che fa vivere una democrazia - e di ciò che la fa morire.

Con questo episodio continua la nuova serie speciale del Gomitolo Atomico, realizzata in collaborazione con la Fondazione Internazionale Balzan, che ogni anno conferisce quattro premi alla ricerca: due nelle discipline umanistiche e due nelle discipline scientifiche. Un riconoscimento pubblico significativo, accompagnato da una cospicua cifra che viene devoluta in parte come riconoscimento al vincitore e in parte, e in questo sta la sua unicità, si richiede al vincitore stesso di devolvere metà dell'importo assegnato a un gruppo di giovani studiosi nello stesso ambito per sviluppare ulteriori approfondimenti o ramificazioni dell'indagine per la quale il premiato è stato selezionato.

🧶 Il Gomitolo Atomico è una serie ideata e realizzata da Think About Science.
Questi speciali episodi nascono con il sostegno della Fondazione Internazionale Balzan Balzan Prize

Scritti con Silvia Lazzaris
Responsabili del progetto:
Federica Andreoli e Marcello Foresti, Fondazione Internazionale Balzan
Elena Bottaro,Think about Science

🎥 Guarda la puntata sul canale YouTube di Massimo Polidoro
👉 https://youtu.be/CT0bBbFFATc

24/11/2025

🛰️⏱️ Christophe Salomon takes us from Paris to space.
Together with his team, he is advancing a space-based atomic clock within the European ACES/PHARAO mission — designed to test Einstein’s theory of relativity and compare time with the world’s most precise clocks.

Part of his Balzan Prize will be dedicated to supporting young postdoctoral researchers, inviting them to join this ambitious scientific endeavor.

👉 Discover more about Dr. Salomon’s journey through the invisible architecture of precision: https://shorturl.at/ecRLn

21/11/2025

🏛️ Josiah Ober speaks of a recognition that resonates deeply with his life’s work.
For decades, he has explored the roots of ancient democracy, showing how ideas born in Athens continue to shape our world today.

This honor is not only a celebration of his scholarship, but also a commitment to the future: Dr. Ober will carry it forward by creating opportunities for young scholars, a vision dedicated to empowering generations to come.

Join us in celebrating his inspiring contributions to democracy studies, learn more on 👉 https://shorturl.at/ecRLn

20/11/2025

🎨📚 Honored, grateful and deeply moved — Rosalind Krauss shares her reflections on receiving the Balzan Prize.

This prestigious recognition not only celebrates her extraordinary contribution to contemporary art history, but also amplifies the impact of her voice within the field.

Her groundbreaking research has reshaped the way we understand modern visual culture, bringing new depth to the discipline and inspiring generations of scholars around the world.

Join us in celebrating Rosalind Krauss and her remarkable achievements, just follow this link to learn more 👉 https://shorturl.at/ecRLn

15/11/2025

🏅 Dr. Christophe Salomon receives the Balzan Prize for Atoms and Ultra-Precise Measurement of Time.

His research with ultra-cold atoms and atomic clocks has transformed the science of timekeeping, opening new frontiers in quantum physics and precision measurement.
The Balzan Foundation celebrates his journey through the invisible architecture of precision.

💬 “This achievement is the result not of one individual […] but of the tireless, persistent work of an international scientific community in which the spirit of collaboration has always prevailed over the spirit of competition. That is why I would like to thank all my colleagues, students, and postdoctoral researchers with whom I’ve had the privilege of working throughout my scientific career”.

- Christophe Salomon -