Thessaloniki Became the Epicentre of Europe Honoring Dr Uğur Şahin and Dr Özlem Türeci, the Scientists Who Turned Fear into Hope

Focusing on the critical role science serves in society and its contribution to the Common Good, the Award Ceremony for this year’s Empress Theophano Prize was completed on Wednesday, 13^th of October at the emblematic Rotunda monument in Thessaloniki, in the presence of HE the President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou. In an atmosphere permeated by strong emotion and heartfelt respect, the couple who developed the first vaccine against the novel coronavirus was honoured – Dr Uğur Şahin and Dr Özlem Türeci, the two scientists whose unwavering efforts to solve an unprecedented health crisis led them to a discovery that turned fear into hope not only in Europe but all across Humanity.

Referring to those values of the prize recipients that contribute to the promotion of scientific knowledge, HE the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, spoke of “Two great individuals who, after their triumphant success, were quick to state that the fruit of their research was a victory for innovation, science and global collaborative effort”.

The President of the Governing Committee of the Theophano Institution, Stavros Andreadis, expressed the awe with which he faces the recipients and noted that “Their work brings before us a series of important truths, the first being the critical role science plays in human wellbeing. The unfathomable power of the human spirit can and must serve the Common Good”. 

The President of the Advisory Committee, Herman Count Van Rompuy, spoke about the laureates’ achievement, saying that, “Both have done what many of us societally aspire to do: they have turned fear into hope”, and underscored the necessity of collaboration, of which they are an example: “We are not safe in the world until all are safe. The problem is global but the policy is not global. More than ever we need global cooperation instead of global confrontation”.

Upon receiving the prize, Dr Özlem Türeci stressed the contribution of several generations of researchers to understanding mRNA technology, thanked the BioNTech team for this race to the vaccine that they named Project Lightspeed, as well as their close partner Albert Bourla, with whom they set everyone’s safety as their collaboration’s main commitment. Concluding, she said that “Science can – indeed – make a difference at global scale. But let’s not wait for the next global problem, the next big crisis, to create a sense of urgency”. Referring to mRNA technology as the new revolution in medicine, Dr Uğur Şahin noted, “Let us be brave and optimistic – The limits of the application of mRNA are the limits of biology. The world is in a phase right now where our knowledge of biology and disease is evolving dramatically. […] Let us understand our historical responsibility and think at a global scale […] We are very grateful to be here today and we can’t wait to contribute to a better tomorrow – together with trusted partners in the fields of science, economics and politics”.

The event was framed in particularly potent symbolism by the world debut of the innovative international MakeMusiCovit! Education Programme, in an original hybrid concert of Pan-European music collaboration which was designed amidst the pandemic under the direction of George Emmanuel Lazaridis (composer) and Safira Antzus Ramos (conductor). During the music performance, state-of-the-art technology and projection mapping techniques were used to project images of the Rotunda’s unique mosaics onto the monument’s three large arched openings.

The Award Ceremony honoured with their presence leading personalities from Europe, such as Mary McAleese, former President of Ireland; Tarja Halonen, former President of Finland; Rita Süssmuth, former President of the German Bundestag. Also attending were Deputy Minister for Macedonia and Thrace, Stavros Kalafatis; the Mayor of Thessaloniki, Konstantinos Zervas; the Chairman and CEO of Pfizer, Albert Bourla, while presenting the Award Ceremony was journalist and Executive Editor of Kathimerini newspaper Alexis Papahelas.

Award Ceremony sponsor for the second year was Eurobank, whose CEO, Fokion Karavias, stated, about this year’s award: “It is an achievement fully aligned with the values championed by the Prize, which was established with the aim to honour and promote people and institutions that contribute to the common good and improve everyone’s lives. Eurobank actively identifies with the values highlighted by this new institution and consistently seeks, both in its day-to-day business practices and a multifaceted matrix of Corporate Social Responsibility actions, to be useful to the societies in the countries where it has presence”.

The Empress Theophano Prize is awarded each year by the institution of the same name, the Theophano Foundation, as a distinction and without a monetary prize, through a process of evaluating candidates by the Foundation’s two main bodies: the Advisory and the Governing Committee.

INFORMATION: Vicky Papadimitriou, Project Coordination | E: info@theophano.eu | T: +30 6937 229858