Applications for the third edition of the Dr. Mário Fonseca Scientific Research Prize close on August 31, at a time when the Municipality of Lousada aims to establish this initiative as a national reference in Health Sciences research. The mayor of Lousada, Nelson Oliveira, emphasizes that Lousada was the first municipality in the country to create and fund a prize dedicated specifically to research in this area, which represents, according to the mayor, "a responsibility that we take on with pride."
The prize, worth 30 thousand euros, is aimed at junior researchers who completed their doctorate less than ten years ago. Nelson Oliveira explains that it is at this stage that many researchers face the greatest funding difficulties, and that "in every edition we have had young researchers from Lousada" among the applicants. The Municipality therefore intends to support those building their scientific careers and awaken vocations among the young people of the municipality. The initiative has the support of SOMA GROUP, a company from Lousada that contributes 20 thousand euros.
Among the projects already distinguished, the first edition awarded Sandra Tavares, a researcher at i3S, for her work on a new chemotherapy approach for triple negative breast cancer, developed in collaboration with IPO-Porto and the University Medical Center Utrecht. In the second edition, the winner was Andreia Mósca, from GIMM — Gulbenkian Institute of Molecular Medicine, with a project on the impact of viruses on malaria infection. Nelson Oliveira highlights that "the prize does not end at the moment the check is handed over" and that the winning projects have been progressing internationally.
The Dr. Mário Fonseca Prize pays tribute to Dr. Mário Fonseca, known as "the people's doctor," associating his name with scientific research to keep alive the values of service and dedication. The initiative also has Professor Manuel Sobrinho Simões as an ambassador, which, according to Nelson Oliveira, confers "a seal of credibility and scientific rigor." Candidate projects may be developed in national or foreign institutions, allowing bridges to be built between Lousada and international research centers.
