Open call: Vilcek Foundation to award $150,000 in prizes to immigrant scientists in 2025

The Vilcek Foundation has announced an open call for applications for the 2025 Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Science. Three prizes of $50,000 each will be awarded to young immigrant scientists in the United States whose early career work represents a significant contribution to their field. Applications will be accepted through June 10, 2024, at 5:00pm ET.

The Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise are a part of the Vilcek Foundation Prizes program. Since 2006, the prizes have been given each year in two primary categories: in biomedical science, and in an area of the arts and humanities. The Vilcek Foundation Prizes celebrate the importance of immigration for a robust society, and recognize the profound impact that immigrant professionals have on arts and culture, and on biomedical research and development in the United States.

The Vilcek Foundation Prizes in Biomedical Science are a tribute to Vilcek Foundation Chairman and CEO Jan Vilcek, an immunologist and biomedical research scientist who immigrated to the United States in 1965 from the former Czechosolavakia. Immigrating to the United States enabled Vilcek to freely pursue the research he was passionate about and led to his work on the development of Infliximab, an important biologic anti-inflammatory drug used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune disorders.

“More than 40% of all United States–based Nobel Prize winners are immigrants,” says Vilcek Foundation President Rick Kinsel. “From breakthroughs on the development of mRNA therapeutics to the development of CRISPR technologies for gene editing, foreign-born scientists are leading the way in research and development in the United States. By recognizing young immigrant scientists with the Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise, we provide meaningful support to researchers, and we help to raise awareness of the value of immigration for science, medicine, and society more broadly.”

To be eligible for a Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise, applicants must have been born outside the United States to non-American parents, and must have lived and worked in the United States for at least four years. Applicants must hold a doctoral degree and must currently be employed as a principal investigator with an academic institution or an accredited scientific research organization. Candidates must be 38 years old or younger at the time of application; exceptions will be made for candidates up to the age of 40 who have taken time off work for family, medical, or military leave.

All applications received will be reviewed after the close of the open call on June 10, 2024. Prizewinners will be selected by a jury of biomedical science experts appointed by the Vilcek Foundation. Prizewinners are selected for the rigor and impact of their work in scientific research and in biomedical applications.

The 2025 Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science will be announced in early 2025. Recipients will each receive an unrestricted cash award of $50,000 and a commemorative trophy. Prize recipients will also be celebrated in a media campaign published by the Vilcek Foundation highlighting their scientific accomplishments and life experiences.

Full application details and eligibility requirements are available at the Vilcek Foundation website at https://vilcek.co/2025cpp-biomed-eapr. Please direct any questions about the Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise or the application process to Program Officer Zahra Banyamerian at creativepromise@vilcek.org.
 

The Vilcek Foundation

The Vilcek Foundation raises awareness of immigrant contributions in the United States and fosters appreciation for the arts and sciences. The foundation was established in 2000 by Jan and Marica Vilcek, immigrants from the former Czechoslovakia. The mission of the foundation was inspired by the couple’s respective careers in biomedical science and art history. Since 2000, the foundation has awarded over $7 million in prizes to foreign-born individuals and has supported organizations with over $6 million in grants.

The Vilcek Foundation is a private operating foundation, a federally tax-exempt nonprofit organization under IRS Section 501(c)(3). To learn more, please visit vilcek.org.