National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn presents the 2025 VinFuture Grand Prize to four scientists for their discoveries and development of HPV vaccines. — Photo courtesy of the organiser

HÀ NỘI — The VinFuture Foundation officially announced the laureates of the VinFuture Prizes 2025 at a ceremony in Hà Nội on December 5.

Four outstanding scientific and technological breakthroughs have been honoured, reflecting this year’s theme “Rising and Thriving”, and highlighting the role of cross-border scientific collaboration in addressing global challenges in health, environment, and human livelihood.

The 2025 VinFuture Grand Prize valued at US$3 million has been awarded to four scientists, including Dr. Douglas R. Lowy, Dr. John T. Schiller, Dr. Aimée R. Kreimer and Prof. Maura L. Gillison (USA), for their discoveries and development of HPV vaccines for prevention of tumors caused by human papillomaviruses.

Foundational studies on HPV capsid proteins by Drs. Douglas Lowy and John Schiller led to the development of highly effective HPV vaccines, preventing millions of cervical cancer cases, especially in developing countries. Furthermore, the single-dose vaccination regimen developed by Dr. Aimée Kreimer, now recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), has significantly expanded vaccine access for populations worldwide.

In parallel, laboratory and epidemiological studies by Prof. Maura Gillison and Dr. Aimée Kreimer established the link between HPV and head-and-neck cancers, which represent an emerging cancer threat expected to be mitigated by HPV vaccination efforts. The achievements of Dr. Douglas Lowy, Dr. John Schiller, Dr. Aimée Kreimer, and Prof. Maura Gillison have already saved millions of lives and will keep lowering the global cancer burden for decades to come.

National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn speaks at the ceremony. — Photo courtesy of the organiser

Speaking at the event, National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn emphasised that this year's award theme “Rising And Thriving” is a strong global call for development, in the spirit of solidarity, progress, sharing, creating opportunities for all people and all nations.

“The VinFuture Prize not only honours outstanding scientific works but also creates valuable dialogues and forums between scientists, businesses and policy makers, from there, new ideas, new approaches, new cooperation models would be opened up and widely spread,” said the NA Chairmain.

“Việt Nam wishes to work with the world's scientific community to promote cooperation in researching common issues of humanity, promote academic exchanges, train high-quality human resources, cooperate in technology transfer and implement green and inclusive development models,” added Chairman Mẫn.

Mẫn added that Việt Nam will continue to be a reliable and attractive destination for scientists so that creative values ​​can be shared and spread strongly to the international community.

In addition to the Grand Prize, the 2025 VinFuture Prizes will also present three Special Prizes, each valued at $500,000, recognising Innovators from Developing Countries, Women Innovators, and Innovators with Outstanding Achievements in Emerging Fields.

Professor Nguyễn Thục Quyên, Chairwoman of the VinFuture Preliminary Council, hands over the VinFuture 2025 Special Prize for scientists from developing countries to Professor Maria Esperanza Martínez-Romero (Mexico). — Photo courtesy of the organiser

The 2025 VinFuture Special Prize for Innovators from Developing Countries​ is awarded to Prof. María Esperanza Martínez-Romero (Mexico) for advances in microbial ecology and symbiotic nitrogen fixation in the tropics.

Prof. Martínez-Romero has discovered and described numerous new Rhizobium species, significantly expanding scientific understanding of microbial taxonomy and plant-microbe interactions in agriculture. Her work has opened new directions in the study of bacterial-plant symbiosis, with profound implications for sustainable agriculture in resource-limited settings.

Prof. Sir. Richard Friend, Chair of the VinFuture Prize Council hands over the 2025 VinFuture Special Prize for Women Innovators to Prof. Mary-Claire King (USA). — Photo courtesy of the organiser

The 2025 VinFuture Special Prize for Women Innovators is awarded to Prof. Mary-Claire King (USA) for identification of the breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1, laying the foundation for genetic testing, screening programs, and personalised treatment. Her landmark identification of the BRCA1 locus on chromosome 17q21 in 1990, before the human genome was sequenced, is considered a historic milestone, demonstrating the genetic basis of cancer risk and transforming prevention and treatment strategies worldwide.

Five scientists receive the 2025 VinFuture Special Prize for Innovators with Outstanding Achievements in Emerging Fields for innovations in the development of clonal hybrid crops. — Photo courtesy of the organiser

The 2025 VinFuture Special Prize for Innovators with Outstanding Achievements in Emerging Fields has honoured Prof. Venkatesan Sundaresan (USA), Prof. Raphaël Mercier (Germany), Dr. Emmanuel Guiderdoni (France), Dr. Imtiyaz Khanday (USA) and Dr. Delphine Mieulet (France) for their innovations in the development of clonal hybrid crops.

Hybrid seed production for rice, the staple food for more than half of humankind, is a laborious and costly procedure resulting in a high seed cost. The team’s work has enabled rice plants to produce seeds that retain all the superior traits of the parent plant through self-pollination, grounded in new insights into developmental biology and genetics. This groundbreaking research improves yields, reduces seed production costs, and advances sustainable global food security.

Sharing his reflections on this year’s honoured works, Prof. Sir. Richard Friend, Chair of the VinFuture Prize Council, said: “The 2025 VinFuture Prize Laureates have made big advances in science that have brought direct benefits to human health and to global sustainable food crop production. From new vaccines and new understanding of genetic susceptibility to disease to new approaches for plant breeding and new protocols for healthy crop growth, these achievements exemplify the power of science driven by compassion and cross-border collaboration - showing that when knowledge serves humanity, it not only deepens our understanding of the world but also strengthens and sustains the very foundations of life itself.”

The VinFuture Prize 2025 received 1,705 nominations from scientists, research institutions, and technology enterprises worldwide, representing an almost threefold increase relative to the inaugural year. These submissions highlight impactful cross-border research efforts focused on protecting public health, advancing next-generation intelligent materials, addressing climate change, accelerating novel energy solutions, and strengthening global food security frameworks.

After five consecutive and widely acclaimed award cycles, the VinFuture Prize has been securing recognition among the world’s most prestigious science and technology awards, receiving 6,132 nominations from nearly 110 countries and territories across five continents and honouring 48 outstanding laureates.

The awarded innovations – spanning clean energy, artificial intelligence, biomedical technologies, and transformative advances in agriculture – are elevating quality of life, strengthening human well-being, and shaping strategic pathways for the future of humanity. — VNS