Nine CAS researchers received the 2025 Praemium Academiae and Lumina Quaeruntur

Nine outstanding scientists from the Czech Academy of Sciences have been awarded for their contributions across diverse fields of study, with three of them receiving the Academic Award – Praemium Academiae and six the Lumina Quaeruntur Award from CAS President Radomír Pánek at a ceremony held on 29 October 2025. The awards come with financial support for their ongoing research.

A generous financial contribution of tens of millions of crowns will support research into the “holy grail” of imaging techniques, the role of mitochondria in the onset and development of cancer, uncovering the evolutionary drama of the last ice age, but also the development of quantum components, research into the transmission of parasites between primates and humans, and the broader context of the work of nineteenth-century Central European women writers.

The 2025 laureates of the Academic Award – Praemium Academiae and the Lumina Quaeruntur with the CAS President, Radomír Pánek.

“Each of these awards targets a different group of researchers at various stages of their careers. But they have one thing in common – they are the highest form of support that the Czech Academy of Sciences provides,” CAS President Radomír Pánek emphasized. And as he went on to say, high-standard science deserves appropriate support, because research serves the public. “It is thus in our interest to ensure that conditions for research at the Academy are as favorable as possible. Quality science is in fact the hallmark of an advanced society,” he noted.

The Academic Award – Praemium Academiae is granted to experienced, internationally recognized scientists. This year, the Academic Award was presented to Lukáš Palatinus from the Institute of Physics of the CAS, Jiří Neužil from the Institute of Biotechnology of the CAS, and Petr Škrdla from the Institute of Archaeology of the CAS, Brno. Over the next six years, they are eligible to draw up to CZK 30 million to cover research expenses, salaries, and technical equipment.

“Each of the three awarded researchers is among the world’s best in their respective field. The Academic Award will enable them to further develop their potential – for the benefit of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Czech science as a whole,” says Radomír Pánek, CAS President.

Since 2007, the Academic Award has been presented to forty individuals. An overview of the laureates is available here.

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The Lumina Quaeruntur fellowship is intended to award scientists in their mid-career, including those returning to work after parental leave. It is intended to help the laureate establish their own research group, with support of up to CZK 4 million per calendar year for a maximum of five years. At least 20% of the budget is covered by the academic institution where the laureate will work.

This year’s recipients are Filip Křížek from the Institute of Physics of the CAS, Michal Hrbek from the Institute of Mathematics of the CAS, Aniruddha Mitra from the Institute of Biotechnology of the CAS, Barbora Pafčo from the Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the CAS, Jaroslav Bartík from the Institute of Archaeology of the CAS, Brno, and Václav Smyčka from the Institute of Czech Literature of the CAS.

The Lumina Quaeruntur was first bestowed in 2018 and has been awarded to 42 scientists to date. An overview of the laureates can be found on the CAS website here.

Prepared and translated by: Tereza Novická, External Relations Division, CAO of the CAS, drawing on the press release issued by 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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