Fiocruz Servier International Awards to recognize cancer research projects

In a joint initiative, Fiocruz and the French pharmaceutical company Servier announce the winners of the 2nd Fiocruz Servier International Awards, the first in Oncology, in a ceremony on June 13th at the Foundation in Rio de Janeiro. The main aim of the awards is to stimulate the production of knowledge and the development of new therapies and approaches to the treatment of cancer, one of the main causes of death in the country and the world. Out of more than 30 applicants, three projects were selected, each to receive a prize of 50,000 Euros to fund the development of research over two years. The event will be broadcast online via Fiocruz's YouTube channel.

"The award is part of Fiocruz's commitment to promoting innovative research and the development of new therapies that can transform cancer treatment in the [Unified Health System] SUS," says Fiocruz president Mario Moreira. "Support and incentives for projects and researchers is essential if we are to make progress in tackling cancer, one of the main causes of mortality in Brazil and the world."

"This initiative not only values the efforts of scientists, but also promotes collaboration between different institutions, accelerating the development of innovative solutions that directly benefit patients," says the general director of Servier in Brazil, Mathieu Fitoussi.

The aim of the awards is to highlight work with a high potential impact, considering the following criteria: unmet medical need, level of potential clinical benefit and degree of technological innovation. The assessment process of the projects was anonymized and conducted by a jury made up of members from the National Cancer Institute (Inca), the Brazilian Society of Clinical Oncology (SBOC), the Brazilian Society of Medical Auditing (SBAM), Servier and Fiocruz, ensuring impartiality in choosing the winners without the Foundation and Inca assessing projects from their institutions. The prize can be used for a variety of purposes, including paying for research grants, tickets and per diems to attend congresses, tests and services to develop the project, as well as purchasing equipment, materials, supplies and reagents.

"We are happy to celebrate the winners of the Servier Awards, which had a very high qualified demand, with a tie between three excellent proposals, all of which focused on the frontier of current and future cancer treatment, such as: new biomarkers, assessing treatments and advanced therapies", highlighted Fiocruz Vice President of Health Production and Innovation, Marco Krieger. "It was a very significant set of proposals and we had better than expected results."

Awards
The event will be attended by representatives of the partner institutions and aims to highlight the importance of fostering the production of knowledge and the development of new therapies for the treatment of cancer, one of the main causes of mortality in Brazil and the world. The partnership between Fiocruz and Servier, with the support of Inca, SBOC and SBAM, reinforces the commitment to science and public health, providing Brazilian researchers with greater visibility and resources to continue their work.

With these awards, it is hoped to encourage more research focused on the development of effective drug therapies, contributing to the improvement of cancer treatment and, consequently, the quality of life of patients. "These awards reflect our continued support for research and our commitment to progress in oncology and the advancement of personalized medicine, always in the pursuit of improving patients' lives," adds Fitoussi.