{"id":370,"date":"2022-12-12T17:08:24","date_gmt":"2022-12-12T16:08:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/award.syva.es\/home_draft\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T11:55:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T09:55:26","slug":"home","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/award.syva.es\/en\/","title":{"rendered":"home"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Research, young talent and animal health as the protagonists of the 29th edition of the SYVA International Award<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\"\" Celebrating, in partnership with University of Le\u00f3n, the award ceremony for the 29th edition of the SYVA Award International for the best doctoral thesis in animal health<\/strong>, we shared a day defined by science, knowledge exchange and recognition of the work carried out by young researchers committed to the future of Animal Health<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

Researchers, representatives from academia, members of the international jury, PhD supervisors, SYVA collaborators and the families of the award winners came together for an event that, over the years, has become a meeting point between universities<\/strong>, veterinary research and industry<\/strong>.<\/mark><\/p>\n\n

The day began with a visit to SYVA\u2019s production facilities, where guests had the opportunity to gain first-hand insight into the company\u2019s activities and its longstanding commitment to research and development in animal health.<\/strong><\/mark><\/p>\n\n

This was followed by the official award ceremony, held in a scientific yet warm and deeply human atmosphere, shaped by contributions from representatives of SYVA, the University of Le\u00f3n and the award winners themselves, who presented their research projects.<\/mark><\/p>\n\n

In his opening speech, Javier Sanz underlined the importance of supporting new generations of researchers at a time when health, environmental and food-related challenges are becoming increasingly interconnected.<\/mark><\/p>\n\n

\u201cAnimal health needs research<\/strong>, it needs young talent, and it needs people capable of asking new questions and turning knowledge into solutions that benefit society.\u201d<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n

He also stressed that current challenges such as Bluetongue<\/strong>, Epizootic Haemorrhagic Disease <\/strong>and African Swine Fever <\/strong>require responses grounded in science, collaboration and innovation.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWithout science there can be no effective prevention. Without research there are no new tools and no real progress.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n

This year, 31 doctoral theses from 15 universities across 7 different countries were submitted. Mar\u00eda Luisa de Arriba Mart\u00edn, secretary of the jury, highlighted the exceptionally high standard of the projects presented and the difficulty involved in reaching the final decision. <\/p>\n\n

The main prize of this 29th edition was awarded to Dr Gerard Badia Bringu\u00e9 for his thesis on Bovine Paratuberculosis<\/strong>, carried out at NEIKER and defended at the University of the Basque Country.<\/p>\n\n

The jury particularly praised the innovative nature of the work, which explores new approaches to improving the early diagnosis of the disease and the selection of genetically resistant animals.<\/p>\n\n

Two runners-up awards were also presented.<\/p>\n\n

The first, the Professor Valent\u00edn P\u00e9rez P\u00e9rez runners-up award, was granted to Dr Judith Guitar Matas for her thesis, defended at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, focusing on the use of multi-omics <\/strong>technologies to study Antimicrobial Resistance<\/strong> in post-weaning diarrhoea in piglets.<\/p>\n\n

The jury particularly valued the combination of state-of-the-art bioinformatics techniques with classical experimental work, as well as the project\u2019s direct relevance to public health<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

The second runners-up award, the Agn\u00e8s Hildegard Sj\u00f6berg award, was presented to Dr Enrique Riera Ferrer for his research into a blood-feeding parasite affecting gilthead seabream in Aquaculture<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

The jury described the thesis as an outstanding example of applied scientific research<\/strong>, laying the foundations for future control tools against this parasitic disease, which has a significant economic impact on the aquaculture sector.<\/p>\n\n

Following the ceremony, the three award winners presented their work and shared their personal experiences throughout their PhDs, the challenges they faced during their research and the future perspectives opened up by their findings. These presentations highlighted not only the scientific excellence of the awarded theses, but also the commitment, passion and perseverance required in animal health research<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

In the closing remarks, Santiago Guti\u00e9rrez Mart\u00edn, Vice-Rector for Research at the University of Le\u00f3n, emphasised the fundamental role of scientific research<\/strong> as a driver of progress for society and the strategic importance of the One Health concept<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cResearch in this field is research into global health.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n

He also addressed a particularly inspiring message to the young researchers attending the event:<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe young researchers of today will, in 10 or 15 years\u2019 time, be leading change through knowledge.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Our thanks go to everyone who contributed to making this day dedicated to science, innovation and the future of animal health<\/strong> possible.<\/p>\n\n

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The application form is no longer available and will reopen for the next edition.<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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The Syva experience: more than just an award<\/strong> – Discover the winners’ day during the awards ceremony.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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