The Foundation’s oldest prize
The Jacobæus Prize was established in 1939 (awarded for the first time in 1942) in memory of the Swedish professor H.C. Jacobæus and is the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s oldest prize. The prize is awarded annually and aims to strengthen basic biomedical research in Denmark.
The prize is awarded under the auspices of the Committee for Bioscience and Basic Biomedicine under the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
Hans Christian Jacobæus (1879–1937) was a Swedish professor and pioneering clinical researcher who developed a method for exploring the pleural cavity (thoracoscopy) using a cystoscope, which greatly improved the diagnosis and treatment of lung diseases, especially tuberculosis. Hans Christian Jacobæus served on the Board of the Nordisk Insulin Foundation from its inception in 1926 until his death.
The Jacobæus Prize was previously administered by a separate foundation, the H.C Jacobæus Foundation, and known as the H.C. Jacobæus Lecture. From 2025, the focus of the Jacobæus Prize will be on researchers within the basic biomedical research area, anchored at a Danish research institute.
Further information
Cordelia Imig
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