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IUPAC-Richter Prize in Medicinal Chemistry

International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)

The IUPAC–Richter Prize in Medicinal Chemistry has been established in 2005 by a generous gift from the Chemical Works of Gedeon Richter, Plc. (Budapest, Hungary) to acknowledge the key role that medicinal chemistry plays toward improving human health. The prize is to be awarded to an internationally recognized scientist, preferably a medicinal chemist, whose activities or published accounts have made an outstanding contribution to the practice of medicinal chemistry or the discovery of one or more new drugs.

Awarded biannually, the awardee is announced by IUPAC following nominations and the decision of an indepedent international Selection Committee. According to the rules of the prize the awardee is expected to give two lectures, one in Europe and one in the United States, at international symposiums on medicinal chemistry. The lecture in which the prize is awarded occurs alternatively in Europe and in the United States. The awardee receives $ 10 000, which is sponsored by Gedeon Richter Plc, and a plaque, which is presented by IUPAC.

Applicants are received by NOMINATION only, with just one person needing to serve in that capacity, although a total of five (5) individuals should be listed as referees overall. The submission should contain
a complete resume,
a professional autobiography of not more than two pages, and
a one-page summary of what the individual considers to be his/her activities, accomplishments and/or publications that have had the most significant impact upon the field of Medicinal Chemistry.

The material will be forwarded confidentially to an independent selection committee appointed by the IUPAC Subcommittee on Drug Discovery and Development.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

From reviewing IUPAC’s award history and grant-programme criteria, here’s what tends to make an application or nomination competitive:

1. High-Quality, Novel Chemical Research — Especially in Focus Areas

IUPAC prioritizes outstanding chemistry research. Especially strong are proposals in:

Green / sustainable chemistry (waste reduction, sustainable materials, pollution-minimizing syntheses) — via the Green Chemistry for Life programme or CHEMRAWN-linked awards.

Medicinal chemistry and drug-discovery (new molecules, innovative synthetic pathways, biologically relevant chemistry) — relevant for the IUPAC-Richter Prize.

Synthetic organic chemistry and flow chemistry / process chemistry — relevant for the ThalesNano Prize and other synthetic-chemistry awards.

Analytical / environmental / industrial chemistry projects with broad societal or sustainability relevance. IUPAC’s mandate includes global impact through chemistry.

Predictor: Proposals that are scientifically rigorous, innovative, and aligned with global or sustainability-oriented chemical challenges (green, medicinal, environmental) tend to stand out.

2. Young Investigators / Early-Career Researchers for Certain Awards

Many IUPAC grants / awards — especially IUPAC-SOLVAY (young chemists), Green-Chemistry grants, CHEMRAWN prizes — target early-career scientists (recent PhDs, young researchers, < ~40 years in some calls).

For such awards, key predictors of success include:

Recent PhD (thesis defended in the relevant year for SOLVAY) and strong originality in the dissertation.

Clear demonstration of independence, creativity, and promise — not just continuation of the mentor’s work.

Commitment to the chemical sciences globally — possibly including sustainability, green chemistry focus, or cross-discipline novelty (materials, environmental, medicinal, etc.).

Predictor: Early career + strong, original quality work + demonstration of potential leadership in chemistry.

3. Alignment With IUPAC’s Global Standards / Sustainability / Education / Outreach Vision

IUPAC isn’t just about lab chemistry — it’s also about responsible chemistry, standards, education, and global equity.

Hence, applications that:

Embrace green chemistry principles, sustainable development, safer chemistries — especially via the Green Chemistry grants.

Include educational, capacity-building, or outreach components (spreading chemical literacy, safe practices, accessible chemistry for under-represented communities / countries) — resonate well with IUPAC’s mission.

Propose work with global relevance or impact (e.g., environmental remediation, sustainable materials, universal solutions) rather than narrow, purely academic interests

Predictor: Broader societal relevance, sustainability orientation, and outreach or capacity-building emphasis increase competitiveness.

4. Clear, Well-Structured Application / Essay (For Thesis-based Awards)

For awards like the IUPAC-SOLVAY Young Chemists, the application is often based not on a full grant proposal but a short essay (1000 words) describing the PhD thesis and its significance.

Therefore:

Writing clarity, ability to articulate the novelty and impact of your work in concise form, and communicating why your thesis matters globally are critical.

Demonstrating excellence and originality — not just incremental results — helps distinguish top candidates.

Predictor: Strong scientific writing, clarity of vision, and ability to clearly state importance in concise format.

5. Feasibility & Responsible Scope (especially in Grant-based Programs)

For grant-based support (e.g., Green Chemistry grants), IUPAC typically funds modest-scale, high-impact projects — particularly for young scientists.

Thus, proposals that:

Have a focused scope, clear aims, and achievable objectives within the funding timeframe

Demonstrate feasibility (access to facilities, safety planning, resource management)

Reflect clear understanding of sustainability and safety — especially for environmentally sensitive chemistry

Predictor: Realistic, feasible project plans with strong safety / environmental / resource use considerations.

⚠️ Common Pitfalls / What’s Less Likely to Work With IUPAC

Proposals that are purely incremental or trivial — IUPAC seems to favor novelty, clarity, and impact.

Projects disconnected from the broader chemical-science community (e.g., narrow niche without broader applicability or sustainability relevance).

Applications from researchers beyond early-career for early-career awards (e.g., applying for Young Chemists award after many years post-PhD).

Overly ambitious or poorly structured projects under small grant schemes (e.g., expecting large-scale results with minimal funding) — likely to be down-scored.

Lack of clarity, poor writing or inability to clearly articulate significance for succinct, essay-based awards.

🎯 What This Means for You — If You Consider Applying to IUPAC

If you’re an early-career researcher / recent PhD graduate: consider applying for the IUPAC-SOLVAY Young Chemists award — ensure your PhD thesis is novel, impactful, and you can articulate it cleanly in ~1000 words.

If working on green, sustainable, environmental, medicinal, or industrial chemistry: frame your work around global relevance, sustainability, safety, and real-world impact — you may fit IUPAC’s grant or award programmes well.

Tailor your proposal to match IUPAC’s ethos: standardization, global collaboration, sustainability, responsible chemistry — not just pure academic novelty.

For grant-based calls (e.g., Green Chemistry grants): keep the project tight, feasible, safe, resource-efficient — with clear aims/outcomes.

Emphasize broad impact, global relevance, or capacity building, especially if you are from or working in a region under-represented in global chemistry research.

Specialties

Biochemistry

Data Science

Eligibility Requirements

The prize is to be awarded to an internationally recognized scientist, preferably a medicinal chemist, whose activities or published accounts have made an outstanding contribution to the practice of medicinal chemistry or the discovery of one or more new drugs.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: PO BOX 13757 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-3757

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