Basic and social sciences, art and music have received support from Leonardo Scholarships for a decade. The BBVA Foundation program seeks to promote the work of researchers and cultural creators who are characterized by an innovative scientific, technological or cultural career at a key moment in their careers, between the ages of 30 and 45. Since its creation in 2014, the program has supported more than 600 projects with 22.5 million euros. The beneficiaries during this decade gathered this Monday at the Teatro Real in Madrid to celebrate the tenth anniversary in an event led by Carlos Torres Vila, president of the Foundation, and Rafael Pardo, its director.
The scholarships are named in honor of the “creative and innovative spirit” of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), the great polymath who combined creation and science, exploiting the passion for knowledge and the value of imagination. Under this inspiration, the aid covers a wide range of areas that includes basic sciences; biology and biomedicine; environmental and earth sciences; engineering; computer science and data science; social Sciences; humanities; plastic arts; music and opera; and literary creation and performing arts.
The profile of a 'Leonardo' is that of a researcher between 30 and 45 years old, with experience in world-renowned centers and institutions, who in a large percentage have not achieved job stability. Therefore, the program offers flexibility in the planning, execution and final presentation of the projects in a range that ranges from 12 to 18 months. During work they can also integrate institutions or collaborators. Thus, they become directors or managers of their projects.
The success of scholarships
Pilar Martín is a biologist and professor of Immunology at the Cardiovascular Research Center. When she was selected for the fellowship in 2016, she dedicated her project to developing a biomarker to diagnose acute myocarditis and, above all, distinguish it from acute myocardial infarction and thus accelerate appropriate treatment. “In the laboratory we worked with animals, but the scholarship allowed me to collaborate with hospitals and start analyzing patients,” she explains. Currently, Martín's team is conducting a clinical trial to validate the use of her invention. It has funding of three million euros and the participation of 61 hospitals from across the National Health System and more than three thousand patients. “It is important to be aware of how basic science discoveries can make improvements in society,” she adds.
Among the scholarship recipients in the technological field is Santiago Mazuelas. In 2018 he obtained the Leonardo scholarship in Information and Communication Technologies and dedicated his project to designing systems in which machines could learn from data of various types. “We can't blindly trust the data, but we can adapt the data to changing scenarios,” he explains of his research. The researcher recognizes that the biggest challenge within his field is competitiveness in the face of the rise of artificial intelligence, which is why the scholarship has helped him significantly. For Mazuelas, the help “goes beyond money,” since being part of the network has also nourished him personally. “It's fantastic to feel like a member of this community,” he notes.
![Santiago Mazuelas Franco, photographed this Monday at the Teatro Real in Madrid.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/ku_Au1S0xVvTjv5SMo_iKM6EqSg=/414x0/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/NZSJQZ5RVZCOPDHKWGPEKYT6TQ.jpg)
Within engineering, the profile of José Miguel Adam Martínez, professor at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, who obtained the scholarship in 2017, stands out. His work focuses on preventing the collapse of critical buildings, such as hospitals or schools, when an earthquake occurs. , a fire or a terrorist attack. “These events have a low probability of occurring, but when they do occur it is very serious,” explains Adam. And he adds: “I try to avoid that when there is an error in one part of a building, it spreads to the rest as a domino effect.” Before entering the program, he explains, he did very applied science, but later he was able to expand his research to more fundamental avenues. “Thanks to this scholarship I was able to set up the current team with 15 people hired from eight different countries and it allowed me to obtain a scholarship funded by the European Research Council of two and a half million euros,” he adds.
![José Miguel Adam Martínez photographed at the Teatro Real in Madrid this Monday.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/Ze5S8jn6p9wDdiavpsOAYGvkD4Y=/414x0/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/MDZRLTBOLFHUJCA4BZSZZTOGCE.jpg)
During the meeting, the results of a survey on the impact of the scholarships on the professional trajectories of the beneficiaries were also presented. They were questioned, with a scale of 0 to 10, about how their experience with the scholarship has contributed in aspects such as job promotion (7.6), publication of articles in scientific journals (7.9), management of a group of research (7) and the development of cultural creation projects (8.1).
Torres Vila has highlighted the importance of financing talent by banking institutions: “Today, more than ever, we must invest in the future by supporting professionals with an innovative, curious, exploratory and learning attitude, who serve as inspiration for future scientists and artists, as well as a guide for decision-making by all citizens.” The meeting also included the participation of members of the Network, leaders of the evaluation commissions and representatives of scientific and cultural organizations.
10 years after the first edition, the Leonardo Scholarships have materialized in 630 scientific articles, nearly 150 books, more than 800 presentations at national and international conferences, nine patents and 130 artistic works, among other artistic expressions such as films, musical compositions and concerts.
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