The International Prize – Arrigo Recordati

apply

how to apply

Application

Apply until

January 31, 2026

Before starting your application

Before submitting your work, please read first the Regulations and the Eligibility Criteria carefully. They will provide you with the necessary information to verify if your project meets the requirements and if you can proceed with submission.

Explore the prize regulations

Application Timeline

step 1 | 21 October, 2025 / 31 January, 2026

Initial Proposal Submission

Project Pre-selection

step 2 | 15 March, 2026 / 30 June, 2026

Full Application

Final Judging

Initial Proposal Submission

Project Pre-selection

Full Application

Final Judging

step 1 - preselection | 21 October, 2025 / 14 APRIL, 2026

step 2 - full application | 15 APRIL, 2026 / 31 July, 2026

step 1 | October 21, 2025 / April 14, 2026

1. Initial Proposal Submission

Initial proposals in English must be submitted via email ( recordatiprize2026@recordati.com ) in the preselection period (check dates here) and should include:

1) Application Form
2) CV
3) Letter of Intent
4) Project Summary Page 

Applicants who submit an initial proposal will receive an email confirming receipt. Incomplete applications and those received after the deadline (email receipt date) will not be considered.

The Review Committee will evaluate all initial proposals to determine which applicants will be invited to submit a Full Research Project Application. Projects eligible for Full Research Project Application will be communicated to the Applicant by April 14th, 2026.

Only applicants that have received an invitation to submit a Full Research Project Application can proceed to the second step of the application procedure.

Application Form

Download and complete the application form available here. The application form must be submitted, duly signed and in PDF format along with the CV, the letter of support from the institution and the project summary page.

download template
CV

Applicants must submit a recent CV in English (maximum 3 pages) detailing their highest degree, current title and institutional affiliation. The CV must highlight relevant research experience, publications, collaborations, current grant support and pending grant applications (specifying grant period).

Letter of Intent

The Letter of Intent (maximum 2 pages) is an endorsement of the Principal Investigator and the proposed project by an administrative official of the Applicant’s medical school, hospital, or research institute.

Project Summary Page

In 1200 words (plus one page for figures and/or tables) not including references, succinctly describe the proposed project. Applicants should feel free to add any additional information/supportive data, as needed within the 1200 words limit.

1. Background, unmet needs, and significance of the project;
2. Specific aims, objectives, or hypothesis;
3. Preliminary studies and data relevant to the proposed project;
4. Experimental design: description of methods and analyses to be performed for basic and translational research projects. If a clinical trial is proposed, present the trial design, with primary & secondary endpoints, as well as a statistical plan;
5. Expected results and expected timeframe for completing the project.

step 2 | April 15, 2026 / June 15, 2026

2. Full Application

Applicants of the selected initials proposals will be invited to submit a Full Research Project Application for competitive review.

Full Applications must be accompanied by the Submission Agreement and submitted in the full selection period. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered. The Full Research Project Application should be submitted by June 15th, 2026, at 23:59 CET via email: recordatiprize2026@recordati.com.

Please also note that Full Applications that are incomplete, use a different format, exceed length limitations and/or are not accompanied by the completed and signed Submission Agreement will not be considered.

The Review Committee will assess and select the winning project based on the quality of the proposed research.

The Review Committee will follow the “code of conduct” guidance to ensure that reviews are conducted in a fair and equitable manner. The members of the Review Committee are bound by the confidentiality rules generally applicable to such committees.

The Review Commitee’s decision is final and there is no appeal mechanism.

Structure of the Full Application​

The Full Application shall be structured as follows:
1. Abstract of the proposed project
2. Specific aims (project’s specific objectives, goals, etc.)
3. Preliminary studies and progress to date
4. Research Design and Methods
5. References
6. Budget
7. CV of the Principal Investigator
8. Other relevant documents

1. The word limit is 6,000 words (including the abstract).
2. Please use one-sided single-spaced pages and a Times New Roman 12 or Arial 11 font, all margins 0.5 inches / 12.7 mm.
3. Cover page, references, budget, curriculum vitae, figures and other documentation are not included in the word count.
4. Figures should be limited to a maximum of 6 and can be in a smaller font (min 10-point)
5. Please indicate the word count on the cover page.
6. The Full Application needs to be digitally signed.

full application template
Submission Agreement

The Submission Agreement is a formal representation by an authorised representative of the Institution, confirming the accuracy of the submitted project information, the acceptance of the Review Committee’s final decision, and the agreement to allocate the grant exclusively to the performance of the awarded project.

The Submission Agreement must be duly completed and signed by the Principal Investigator and the appropriate Institutional Representative, and submitted together with the Full Application.

Download Submission Agreement

Where research receives recognition

This young investigator award is granted every two years to a scientist in recognition for outstanding work in a particular area of research.
apply now
contact us

Prof Sandra Strauss, MD PhD FRCP

Sandra Strauss is Professor of Medical and Teenage Young Adult (TYA) Oncology and a Consultant Medical Oncologist. She specialises in the systemic treatment of bone and soft tissue sarcoma and leads the clinical service at University College London Hospital, part of the London Sarcoma Service, one of the largest sarcoma services in Europe.

Her academic post is based within University College London and is focused on translational and clinical research to develop novel therapies for sarcoma patients. She has over 15 years’ experience as a chief and principal investigator for international and national clinical trials. She chairs the executive committee of the EuroEwing consortium (EEC), a pan-European collaboration that has brought together clinicians, scientists and patient advocates to improve outcome for patients with Ewing sarcoma, conducting practice-changing clinical trials with focused translational research. She chairs the UK NCRI Sarcoma Clinical Studies Group Bone Subgroup and is the current sarcoma track chair of European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO).

She is an executive Committee member of FOSTER (Fight Osteosarcoma through European Research), a scientific committee member of SIOPE, the European Society of paediatric oncology, and ESMO rare cancer and sarcoma annual meeting.

She is an executive member of the Hibiscus Harmonization International Bone Sarcoma Consortium (HIBiSCus), a member of European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and Innovative Therapies for Children with Cancer (ITCC) consortium.

Dr. Alice L. Yu, M.D., Ph.D

Alice L. Yu, M.D., Ph.D. is an Academician of Academia Sinica in Taiwan. She has been a Distinguished Chair Professor of the Institute of Stem Cell & Translational Cancer Research at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital & Chang Gung University since 2013 and Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at the University of California in San Diego.

From 2003 to May 2013, Dr. Yu served as a Distinguished Research Fellow and Associate Director at the Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, in Taiwan. Prior to this, she was the Chief of Pediatric Hematology Oncology at the University of California in San Diego. She has been a long-time member of the Children’s Oncology Group in the United States, serving on the Steering Committee of Neuroblastoma. She is also a member of various scientific committees and associations.

As a pioneer in cancer immunotherapy, Dr. Yu has taken an anti-GD2 monoclonal antibody (Dinutuximab) from preclinical to phase III clinical trial, culminating in its FDA approval for the treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma in 2015. This marks the first immunotherapeutic agent to target carbohydrate antigen. Treatment with anti-GD2 has since become standard of care for high risk neuroblastoma. For another prevalent tumor-associated glycan, Globo H, her group has demonstrated the adverse impact of its expression on the clinical outcome of patients with hepatoma, cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder cancer. She has also uncovered the roles of Globo H in cancer as an immune checkpoint molecule and an angiogenic factors, providing rationales for the development of Globo H-targeted immunotherapeutics.

She received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Advances in Neuroblastoma Research Association in 2025, Pediatric Oncology Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in 2020, Excellence in Technology Transfer Award from Federal Laboratory Consortium, USA in 2016, The 55th Academic Award from the Ministry of Education, The 19th Wang Min-Ning Memorial Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Development Medical Science and Technology, National Health and Society, Year 2000 “Key to Life” Award from Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, USA, etc.

Prof. Robert J. Desnick

Dean for Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Professor and Chairman Emeritus of the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, NY, USA.

Robert J. Desnick is Dean for Genetic and Genomic Medicine and Professor and Chairman Emeritus of the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

In 1977, he joined the Mount Sinai faculty as the Arthur J. and Nellie Z. Cohen Professor of Pediatrics and Genetics, and Chief of Medical and Molecular Genetics. From 1993-2011, he was the first Chairman of the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences at Mount Sinai. In 2011 he became the Dean for Genetics and Genomic Medicine.

Dr. Desnick’s research interests include lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) and the inborn errors of heme biosynthesis, the porphyrias, and in particular, their treatment.

His research efforts led to the Federal Drugs Administration (FDA) – and European Medicine Agency (EMA) – approval of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) for Fabry disease (Fabrazyme) and on-going ERT clinical trials (FDA “Breakthrough” status) for Niemann- Pick B disease, both in partnership with Genzyme. In addition, he was a scientific founder of Amicus Therapeutics (NASDAQ; FOLD), which is developing oral pharmacologic chaperone therapy for Fabry disease (EMA-approved in 2016), Pompe disease, and other disorders. Currently, his laboratory is using gene editing technology to engineer gene therapy in the mouse model of Fabry disease with Sangamo Therapeutics.

Arrigo Recordati

Arrigo Recordati believed research was the most powerful asset for the pharmaceutical industry. He became head of the family business in 1951, at the age of 23, and transformed the family pharmaceutical laboratory employing 325 people into an international company listed since 1984 on the Italian Stock Exchange.

Arrigo Recordati’s remarkable life came to a premature end at the age of 71, in 1999.

Under his direction, in 1953 the company’s headquarters and pharmaceutical plant moved from Correggio, a small town in the Emilia region of Italy, to Milan, the capital of Italian business. During this time Arrigo Recordati provided the company with a stronger competitive advantage by updating its research facilities with advanced pharmacological laboratories.

In the 1950s and 60s, Arrigo Recordati relied on two strong beliefs: scientific research and internationalization. To maximize the results of Recordati research, he established subsidiaries in Brazil and Mexico. Arrigo Recordati also fostered a close relationship with the United States, signing among other things a strategic partnership agreement with Syntex Corporation (acquired by Roche Corporation in 1990) – at that time a company involved in cutting-edge research on the synthesis of steroid hormones.

Arrigo Recordati strongly believed in the power of scientific research to drive the growth of the pharmaceutical industry and provide products beneficial to public health and individual well-being. Efloxate (1955), a coronary vasodilator for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, was the first compound to originate from Recordati’s research laboratories during Arrigo Recordati’s leadership. Other original molecules developed and marketed during his leadership include: dimefline (1958), a respiratory analeptic, flavoxate (1957), a urinary antispasmodic, tibezonium iodide (1971), an oral antiseptic, fenticonazole (1978), an antimycotic and lercanidipine (1984), a calcium channel blocker for the treatment of hypertension. In particular, flavoxate was the first original New Chemical Entity developed by an Italian company to be approved by FDA (Federal Drug Administration) in the United States.

Arrigo Recordati also believed that even small companies – if managed with vigor and imagination – can compete effectively in the pharmaceutical arena. In 1984 Recordati was listed on the Italian Stock Exchange, completing its transformation from a small, family-run operation to a modern, professional, publicly listed company.

After 48 years of intense and challenging leadership, Arrigo Recordati passed away, leaving a solid, international business projected into the future.