Indian economist Bina Agarwal, a professor at the University of Manchester, is among the winners of this year’s Balzan Prize
She was recognised in the gender studies category for her “heroic” work studying women’s contributions to agriculture in India.
She was recognised in the gender studies category for her “heroic” work studying women’s contributions to agriculture in India.
Other Awardees
- James Allison of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Robert Schreiber of the Washington University School of Medicine is cited for their work on antibody treatments
- Belgian astrophysicist Michael Gillon was awarded for his work that has helped map new solar systems from the comfort of planet Earth, using robotic telescopes instead of much more costly satellites.
- Germans Aleida and Jan Assmann, a married couple was recognised for their work presenting collective memory “as a requirement for the formation of the identity of religious and political communities.”
What is Balzan Prize?
- The International Balzan Prize Foundation awards four annual monetary prizes to people or organizations who have made outstanding achievements in the fields of humanities, natural sciences, culture, as well as for endeavours for peace and the brotherhood of man
- Since 2001 the prize money has increased to 1 million Swiss Francs per prize, on condition that half the money is used for projects involving young researchers.
- Four prizes have been awarded annually since 1978.
- Every 3 to 7 years the foundation also awards the Prize for humanity, peace and brotherhood among peoples. It was last awarded in 2014 to Vivre en Famille.
- This year, the Balzan Foundation also awarded a fifth prize, in international relation
