Jiří Friml awarded the FWF Wittgenstein Prize 2024
Austria's most highly endowed research prizes have been awarded: On the recommendation of an international jury of experts, the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) has selected cell biologist Jiří Friml from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) to receive the FWF Wittgenstein Award. Jiří Friml is the ERA Chair at the Biology Centre of the CAS within the MOLIPEC project supported by the European Horizon Europe programme.
“This award is a great honor for me and my team. It motivates us to continue with our work and at the same time gives us the opportunity to try out something radically new. Both are crucial for successful research,” said Jiří Friml in an initial reaction. “The FWF Wittgenstein Award gives me and my group at ISTA the opportunity to continue researching very fundamental questions about how plants regulate their growth. We are focusing on new approaches combining methods from cell and developmental biology, genetics, biochemistry, and bioinformatics,” continues Friml.
“With Jiří Friml, the international jury is honoring a pioneer in basic research who is investigating previously undiscovered mechanisms of how plants control their growth. His work is extraordinarily groundbreaking and gives us a profound insight into the evolutionary development of the plant world. The award marks a further milestone in a remarkable scientific career, which also promises to produce exciting new findings in the future,” said FWF President Christof Gattringer about this year’s award winner.
FWF Wittgenstein Award: Austria’s most highly endowed science prize
The FWF Wittgenstein Award is granted to outstanding researchers from all disciplines. The award, endowed with €1.7 million, supports the researchers’ work and guarantees them independence and flexibility in implementing their projects, giving them the opportunity to advance their research activities at the highest international level.
