Maria de Sousa Award 2026: applications are open
The Maria de Sousa Award 2026 is open for applications until May 31. It aims to award and support young Portuguese researchers, aged 35 or under, in scientific projects in the area of Health Sciences.
Published Jan 6, 2026
The applications are now open for the Maria de Sousa Award 6th edition - 2026, promoted by the Portuguese Medical Association and the Bial Foundation to honour the physician and great researcher Maria de Sousa. The deadline for applications is 31 May.
The Maria de Sousa Award aims to award and support young Portuguese researchers aged 35 or under with scientific projects in Health Sciences, including a mandatory internship in an international centre of excellence.
In total, the award will distribute up to €150.000 to a maximum of five winners. Applications must be submitted individually. Applications by groups of researchers are not accepted.
For neuroscientist Rui Costa, President of the Jury, this distinction carries special meaning, as “Professor Maria de Sousa advocated science based on independence of thought, internationalisation, and the overcoming of the limits of knowledge. This award reflects that vision and invites young Portuguese researchers to present projects that bring it to life”.
In addition to Rui Costa, the jury is composed of researchers who were very close to Maria de Sousa: Miguel Castelo-Branco, director of the Center for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT) at the University of Coimbra, Maria Manuel Mota, CEO of the Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (GIMM), Joana Palha, full professor at the School of Medicine of the University of Minho, and João Relvas, researcher and group leader at the Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences (i3S) of the University of Porto.
The regulation, application submission and more information about this edition are available here.