As part of our Global Call and search for the Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs of the Year 2023, we invited leading actors in science and academia worldwide to nominate the latest breakthroughs and outstanding science projects in 9 different categories, Life Sciences being one of them. Our distinguished jury for Life Sciences, chaired by Maike Sander, selected 10 excellent winners in this category. One of them will be awarded with one of them with the prestigious title Science Breakthrough of the Year,  Life Sciences.

MEET OUR LIFE SCIENCES WINNERS

You can discover the 10 winners in Life Sciences 2023 below. To see the winners in each category, click here, to see the finalists in each category, click here.

ADAM COHEN – HARVARD UNIVERSITY

Breaking the Wall to Imaging Bioelectricity
By imaging the electrical activity in rodent and human neurons, as well as other cell types, Adam Cohen has developed tools to convert bioelectricity into light, thus deciphering rules of bioelectrical signaling in health and disease.

CHUAN HE – UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

Breaking the Wall of Food Insecurity
Chuan He’s laboratory work on the functional roles of RNA chemical modifications in gene expression regulation aims to build resilient high-yielding crops.

CLAUDIA HÖBARTNER – UNIVERSITY OF WÜRZBURG

Breaking the Wall to the Molecular Evolution of RNA-modifying Ribozymes
Claudia Höbartner discovered the first methyltransferase ribozyme – a catalytically active RNA that site-specifically methylates another RNA and can be repurposed for targeting/labeling any RNA of interest.

FRANK WINKLER – UNIVERSITY OF HEIDELBERG

Breaking the Wall to a New Concept of Cancer Treatment
Frank Winkler discovered that tumor cells of incurable brain tumors interconnect with neuron-like processes to a communicating multicellular network that resists all standard therapies and can repair itself.

JEFFREY KELLY – THE SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Breaking the Wall of Treating Neurodegenerative Diseases
Jeffery Kelly discovered the kinetic stabilizer drug Tafamidis to inhibit transthyretin aggregation; it’s the first regulatory agency-approved drug to slow the progression of amyloid disease.

KAREN CHRISTMAN – THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO

Breaking the Wall to Cost-Effective, Minimally Invasive Regenerative Medicine
Karen Christman developed the first pro-regenerative biomaterial therapy to target the microvasculature of injured or inflamed tissues, reduce vascular permeability and promote cell survival and tissue regeneration.

MARC DEWEY – CHARITÉ – UNIVERSITÄTSMEDIZIN BERLIN

Breaking the Wall to Noninvasive Imaging of Coronary Artery Disease
Mark Dewey made critical refinements to Computed Tomography as a highly accurate noninvasive clinical imaging test for coronary artery disease.

PIETER ROELFSEMA – NETHERLANDS INSTITUTE FOR NEUROSCIENCE

Breaking the Wall to a Visual Brain Prosthesis for Blind Users
Pieter Roelfsema aims to restore vision in blind individuals by the electrical activation of neurons in the visual brain.

ROBERT SEDER & PETER CROMPTON – NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

Breaking the Wall to Malaria Prevention with Monoclonal Antibodies
Peter Crompton and Robert Seder developed monoclonal antibodies as a potential tool to confer high-level protection against malaria in key vulnerable populations.

TOBIAS ERB – MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR TERRESTRIAL MICROBIOLOGY

Breaking the Wall to Photosynthesis 2.0
Tobias Erb uses synthetic biology to develop photosynthesis 2.0 – a human-enabled version of the operating system of the global carbon cycle, providing novel solutions for improved carbon capture in agriculture, biotechnology, and chemistry.

 

The Global Call 2023 has ended on 15 May 2023, the next Global Call will take place in 2024. You will find all relevant information and updates here and in our newsletter.

Falling Walls seeks internationally recognised, established academics and leaders in the scientific study of life and organisms (e.g. biology, neuroscience, zoology), whose groundbreaking work contributes towards solving the world’s biggest challenges.

Relevant Information

Please find below everything you need to know about your Falling Walls Global Call submission in the Life Science category. We recommend that you read all the information carefully. We look forward to your nominations.

WHAT IS THE FALLING WALLS GLOBAL CALL?

The Falling Walls Global Call is an international competition format that brings together science enthusiasts from diverse backgrounds. We are looking for the most recent and innovative Breakthroughs of the Year! We encourage and invite nominations and applications from all over the world. To help make the Falling Walls Science Summit 2023 the celebration that excellent science deserves, we launch the Falling Walls Global Call each year.

Nominations open 1 March and close 15 May 2023 (extended from 1 May).

WHO CAN NOMINATE?

Nominations for the Science Breakthrough of the Year may be initiated by leading academics and academic institutions, universities, research organizations, companies, private and public research centres, academies, research funders, foundations, and individuals to nominate the latest breakthroughs in Life Sciences. Self-nominations are accepted. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via email. We are happy to help.

Who can be nominated?

In the Life Sciences category, we are looking for internationally recognised, established academics and leaders in the scientific study of life and organisms (e.g. biology, neuroscience, zoology), whose groundbreaking work contributes towards solving the world’s biggest challenges. Our search is for individual scientists as well as research groups of outstanding quality who

  • have made excellent, ground-breaking, recent achievements in their respective fields, nationally and internationally, and who stand out for their innovative strength;
  • promise to have a significant long-term impact on the research landscape and to contribute towards solving global challenges, such as having a positive effect on nature and humanity, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals;
  • translate scientific topics and their complexities in a way that makes them accessible and attractive to large sections of society.

Nominations will be considered and evaluated within the category, but their potential for interdisciplinary problem-solving will also be assessed.

HOW CAN I SUBMIT MY OWN PROJECT?

Self-nominations are accepted. To submit your own project, please run through the nomination process on our online platform. You will receive an email to confirm your nomination in order to give detailed information on your project.

Please note that submissions must be completed in English.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

  • Your work will be presented to a distinguished Jury and will get international visibility.
  • Be a part of the Falling Walls network and interact with a wide range of decision-makers, innovators and emerging talents from all over the world. Join an interdisciplinary community that is committed to bringing down barriers to address common challenges.
  • If chosen as one of the 10 winners in Life Sciences, you will have the opportunity to participate in the Life Sciences Symposium at the Falling Walls Science Summit on 8 November 2023.
  • Get the opportunity to enjoy the Falling Walls Science Summit 2023, a three-day conference with inspiring keynotes, discussions, and exciting pitches. Be part of a community of the most important researchers and thinkers of our time and discuss breakthroughs with global leaders in science, politics, business, and the media.
  • Take your chance to become the Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year in Life Sciences and present your breakthrough work to a global audience on 9 November 2023 on our stage at the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin.

We will use our expertise and years of experience in science communication to help make your research accessible and engaging to a wide audience, and to highlight its impact on society.

How does the selection process work?

STEP 1 – NOMINATION

Leading actors in science and academia worldwide nominate individual scientists or research groups by submitting a nomination form via our online platform by 15 May 2023. Nominated candidates will be contacted directly and asked to submit further details. Self-nomination is accepted.

STEP 2 – 30 FINALISTS

Submissions that meet the standard requirements will be evaluated by a shortlisting jury and the jury chair using our selection criteria (see below) to agree on a list of 30 finalists, who will be officially announced on our website in mid-June. 

STEP 3 – 10 WINNERS

Our distinguished jury for Life Sciences, chaired by Marja Makarow, will evaluate all finalist applications based on the selection criteria and choose ten winners. The ten winners will be released in mid-August.

STEP 4  THE FALLING WALLS SCIENCE BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR

The respective juries will select the Science Breakthroughs of the Year from the winners of each category. On 9 November, the anniversary of the peaceful fall of the Berlin Wall, the Science Breakthroughs of the Year 2023 will take up the stage at the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin.

What are the selection criteria?

We are specifically looking for projects that address global challenges and represent scientific knowledge in an innovative way. Falling Walls always encourages interdisciplinary approaches to science and seeks outstanding scientists as well as research groups. The four selection criteria are:

  • Breakthrough Potential: How much of a paradigm shift does the research represent? Are there excellent, ground-breaking, recent achievements in their respective fields, nationally and internationally?
  • Level of Innovation: How new and original is this idea?
  • Societal Relevance: How significant is the research for society today and in the future? Is there a positive effect on nature and humanity, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals?
  • Academic Excellence: Is the research of outstanding quality and is it likely to have a significant long-term impact on the research landscape and to contribute towards solving global challenges? Is the research able to translate scientific topics and their complexities in a way that makes them accessible and attractive to large sections of society?

Each evaluation criterion is considered proportionally. Nominations and Self-nominations will be considered and evaluated within the category, but their potential for interdisciplinary problem-solving will also be assessed.

WHEN AND WHERE DOES THE FALLING WALLS SCIENCE SUMMIT TAKE PLACE?

The Falling Walls Science Summit takes place in Berlin.
S
ave the date: 7 – 9 November 2023.

7 November
Falling Walls PITCHES

A day of live pitches in the following categories:

  • Emerging Talents (Falling Walls Lab) for the next generation of outstanding innovators;
  • Science Engagement (Falling Walls Engage) for inspiring science engagers; Science Start-Ups (Falling Walls Venture) for the science start-up community.

8 November
Falling Walls Circle
Our format to connect science and society. Researchers, policymakers, business leaders, and society discuss the biggest challenges we face and the foresight that scientific breakthroughs can offer.

9 November 

Breakthrough Day
On 9 November, the anniversary of the peaceful fall of the Berlin Wall, the Science Breakthroughs of the Year 2023 will take up the stage at the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin.

QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions about the Nomination and the Self-nomination process, please contact us via email.

Terms and Conditions

Falling Walls Winner Interviews 2023

This year, we invited our Falling Walls Winners to expand on their research through a series of four in-depth interview questions. Take a deep dive into these great minds at the forefront of innovation as they aspire to claim the title of Science Breakthrough of the Year 2023 in the Life Sciences category!

jury 2023

Counting more than 100 jurors across 10 categories, each Breakthrough is determined by a distinguished world-class Jury under the leadership of renowned experts in their respective fields. The Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year 2023 in Life Sciences is selected by a distinguished Jury chaired by Barbara Cannon.

 

PREVIOUS SCIENCE BREAKTHROUGHS

The prestigious title Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year, Life Science has been awarded to Marcus Mall (2022), José-Alain Sahel (2021) and Christian Hackenberger (2020).

The FALLING WALLS SCIENCE BREAKTHROUGH of the year 2022 in life Sciences

Cystic Fibrosis: Breaking the Wall to Treating Rare Genetic Diseases

Marcus Mall led a clinical study of a combination therapy with three CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) modulators showing 90% efficiency rate.

DISCOVER THE 2022 WINNERS 

Join our newsletter to receive updates on the Global Call.

Go to Global Call 2023

More Pages

Further Activities to have a look at

We use cookies and other technologies to collect data about your use of our site and about your browser, device and location. We process this data to help us understand how the site is used and to personalize our content and the advertising you see on this and other sites we also share this data with advertising, social media and analytics partners for the same purposes. By choosing “Accept All” you agree that we store cookies on your device and process the data for the aforementioned purposes . You may revoke your consent at any time by choosing the respective settings. For more information on the processing of personal data and what specific services we use see our Privacy Policy

Privacy Preference Center

We use cookies and other technologies to collect data about your use of our site and about your browser, device and location. We process this data to help us understand how the site is used and to personalize our content and the advertising you see on this and other sites we also share this data with advertising, social media and analytics partners for the same purposes. By choosing “Accept All” you agree that we store cookies on your device and process the data for the aforementioned purposes . You may revoke your consent at any time by choosing the respective settings. For more information on the processing of personal data and what specific services we use see our Privacy Policy

Necessary Cookies

These cookies are required to provide you with our site and its functions. Since storing these cookies is necessary for the provision of our site and its functions, you cannot disable them. If you block these cookies via you browser settings our site may not function properly.

Analyse Cookies

These cookies enable us to use website analytics in order to improve our site or provide you with personalized content. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages.

Marketing Cookies

These cookies enable us to use online marketing and advertising in order to provide you on this or on other sites with personalized advertisement. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages.