9th Edition of the Health Marathon Awards

The application period for the 9th edition of the Health Marathon Awards 2022 opens today. This year's support is aimed at Research into Infectious Diseases. As in previous editions, these awards aim to promote Portuguese scientific research in different areas of biomedicine. Two prizes of 20,000 euros will be awarded for the junior and senior researcher categories. Applications are open until January 17, 2022.

The Maratona da Saúde 2022 Awards recognize two scientific research projects in the field of infectious diseases. The projects must be carried out in Portugal. Researchers and/or doctors, Portuguese or foreign, who have completed their doctorate less than ten years ago, in the case of the junior category, or more than ten years ago at the time of the opening of this Call, in the senior category, can apply for these awards. The funding will be awarded for a maximum period of two years and will start between June and December 2022.

The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) supports the logistical management of this Call and proposes the jury panel that will carry out the evaluation, which will be made up of scientists of recognized international merit in the field of biomedicine. The evaluation and selection process is based on various criteria, including the scientific merit of the candidates and the impact that the proposed research work could have on the discovery of better treatments, cures and prevention of infectious diseases. The awarding of these prizes encourages applications that involve partnerships between research institutions based in Portugal and hospitals or other national or foreign health institutions. Once the best Call candidates have been shortlisted, the Health Marathon Scientific Council will choose the two winners according to the jury's recommendations.

In the previous edition, the Health Marathon Awards honored research projects in Rare Diseases, with Susana Lopes, a researcher at CEDOC - Nova Medica School - Faculty of Medical Sciences of Lisbon, being awarded in the senior category for her project "Combating PCD (Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia), and in the junior category, Sara Carvalhal, a researcher at the Algarve Biomedical Center - Research Institute (ABC -RI), for her project "Understanding the Contribution of Mitotic Defects in Rare Diseases with Microcephaly".

The Health Marathon Awards were created with the aim of promoting Portuguese scientific research in different areas of biomedicine and related to the different themes of the Health Marathon editions. This initiative is financed mainly through donations raised during the annual Health Marathon television show, broadcast by RTP. Janssen was one of the main partners in the eighth edition of this initiative and will associate its name with one of the prizes to be awarded.

For more information, see the Call page.