Nominees for Descartes Prize announced
The build-up to the EU's 2007 Descartes Prize for research has begun with the announcement of the 13 pioneering projects that will be competing for the €1 million in prize money, as well as for the distinction of becoming a Descartes Prize winner. The shortlist of 13 was selected from 65 nominations. The project teams represent 20 countries between them. The winners will be selected by a grand jury chaired by Claudie Haigneré, a former minister in France and a former astronaut. The final 13 fall into five categories: basic sciences; life sciences; socio-economic sciences; engineering; and information sciences. The basic science projects address such diverse subjects as carbon nanotubes, quantum magnetic deflagration (burning), using dyes to make molecules visible, quantum mechanics for information processing, and a high energy stereoscopic system. The projects nominated in the life sciences field have addressed treatments for cancer and AIDS using apoptosis (programmed cell death), detecting multi-protein complexes in a cell nucleus, and identifying genetic mutations that may cause osteoporosis and other bone diseases. The shortlisted socio-economic science projects have looked at constitution-building in the European Union, and the impact of globalisation on individual life courses and careers. Under engineering, just one project has been selected. The HYDROSOL team has developed a solar thermo-chemical reactor for the production of hydrogen from water splitting. Two information science projects complete the list of nominees. The first has developed an alternative writing scheme for non-volatile magnetic memories (MRAM) that overcome the limitations of standard MRAM technology. The second has produced a new tool for verifying the security properties that protocol designers are working on. The winners will be announced on 7 March.