CAS researchers received the 2024 Praemium Academiae and Lumina Quaeruntur

Space, fungi, and European languages – nine researchers from the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS) were awarded for their contributions across diverse fields of study. At a ceremony held on 25 October 2024, three of these scientists received the Praemium Academiae from CAS President Eva Zažímalová, while six were awarded the Lumina Quaeruntur grant. The awards constitute financial support for their ongoing research.

This year, the awards were presented jointly, which CAS President Eva Zažímalová sees as symbolic. “These are our most prestigious research support awards. They assist experienced scientists who have achieved remarkable results in their field, as well as promising researchers, whom we want to empower to accomplish great things,” Zažímalová noted.

The two CAS awards help scientists establish optimal conditions with minimal bureaucratic hurdles, which often accompany standard grant processes. “Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said that ‘knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.’  Our awarded researchers unquestionably are knowledgeable and willing. But to apply themselves, they need funding,” Zažímalová added.

The 2024 laureates of the Academic Award – Praemium Academiae and the Lumina Quaeruntur with the CAS President, Eva Zažímalová.

The Praemium Academiae awards were presented to Petr Pravec from the Astronomical Institute of the CAS, Ivo Starý from the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS, and Pavel Krejčí from the Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics of the CAS. Over the next six years, they are eligible to draw up to CZK 30 million to cover research expenses, salaries, and technical equipment.

Astronomical achievements within reach
Petr Pravec has achieved extraordinary success studying asteroids that pass near Earth. These asteroids are a valuable source of information for understanding processes in our Solar System and could even serve as a potential resource. However, they could also pose a threat to Earth in regard to potential impact.

Pravec has discovered or co-discovered several hundred asteroids and their moons, one of which was the satellite of the Didymos asteroid, later chosen by NASA for its Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission – a trial of technology for deflecting dangerous asteroids from Planet Earth. Pravec’s team played a crucial role in this mission, marking one of the greatest achievements in Czech astronomy. Over the next six years, the Czech astronomer plans to study potentially hazardous asteroids approaching Earth. “I hope we can achieve similarly excellent, or even better, results as we did with DART,” he said.

Petr Pravec (center).

A lab poised for world-class science
Ivo Starý specializes in organic chemistry, catalysis, chirality, and nanoscience. With his team, he explores areas of organic chemistry that overlap with physics and biology. “Our aim is to ‘outsmart’ nature by designing molecular structures it doesn’t know but that might prove useful, for instance, in technology,” Starý stated. At the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS, he leads a group focused on functional molecular chemistry, innovating in the study of chiral molecular structures and their physical-chemical and material properties.

Ivo Starý (center).

The Academic Award will enable the group to embark on interdisciplinary projects. Having already gathered valuable insights, the funding will allow the IOCB lab to soon join the ranks of world leaders in their field.

Understanding growth disorders
In the Czech Republic, 4–5 children are born annually with achondroplasia – the most common genetic bone growth disorder, which results in short stature and associated health issues. For Pavel Krejčí, achondroplasia is a “laboratory” that can help us better understand intercellular communication.

With over 20 years of research on growth factors critical for cell communication, Krejčí has established a clinical registry for patients with achondroplasia and contributed to developing treatments for this disorder. The first of these treatments has been available to Czech children since 2022, and another is in clinical trials in Japan. “Our success is the result of hundreds of people’s work worldwide,” Krejčí emphasized.

Pavel Krejčí (center).

With the Praemium Academiae, he aims to delve deeper into cellular communication mechanisms by means of eight specific projects, including the development of new treatments for growth disorders.

Praemium Academiae as financial and moral support
The Academic Award is used as a tool for offering funding and moral support to excellent CAS researchers in order to develop their potential. The amount of the premium (up to CZK 30 million) can be used by the recipients over the following six years to pay for technical equipment, salaries, and research costs. The Praemium Academiae has been awarded by the CAS since 2007; the list of laureates can be found on the CAS website.

Prepared by: Zuzana Dupalová, External Relations Division, CAO of the CAS, drawing on the press release issued by the CAS
Translated by: Tereza Novická, External Relations Division, CAO of the CAS
Photo: Jana Plavec, External Relations Division, CAO of the CAS

 The text and photos are released for use under the Creative Commons license.

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