Not Verified

Warren Alpert Foundation Prize

Warren Alpert Foundation

The prize was established in 1987 by the late philanthropist and businessman, Warren Alpert and the Warren Alpert Foundation. The Warren Alpert Prize is given internationally and since its inception, sixteen Nobel Prize winners have received the award. The prize is administered in concert with Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts and the Warren Alpert Foundation, located in Providence, Rhode Island. An annual scientific symposium is held at Harvard Medical School each fall in honor of the recipient(s).

Prize Value

The value of the prize is U.S. $500,000 (to be split equally if more than one recipient is selected). A special scientific symposium in honor of the recipient(s) is held each October at Harvard Medical School.

Selection Process

Prize recipients are selected by the Foundation's Scientific Advisory Committee, comprising internationally renowned biomedical scientists and chaired by the Dean of Harvard Medical School.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Demonstrated Impact on Human Disease Prevention, Treatment or Cure

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Critical

This is the clearest defining criterion.

The Foundation's mission for the Prize is to recognize scientific achievements that have led to the prevention, cure or treatment of human disorders, or seminal research that holds great promise to change the ability to treat disease.

A highly competitive nominee therefore has evidence connecting scientific discovery to:

Disease prevention
New treatment
Disease cure
Major improvement in clinical care
A transformative therapeutic technology
A new therapeutic mechanism
A major change in disease management

The strongest case is not simply:

"Important scientific discovery."

It is:

"Scientific discovery → validated mechanism → therapeutic development → meaningful human-health consequence."

2. Transformative / Breakthrough Nature of the Discovery

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Critical

The Prize is intended for breakthroughs in biomedicine, rather than routine incremental research. The Foundation describes its awardees as scientists recognized for breakthroughs that changed the understanding, prevention or treatment of human disease.

Recent recipients illustrate this emphasis:

2026: discoveries enabling gene-editing therapies for sickle-cell disease and beta-thalassemia.
2025: discoveries culminating in lenacapavir for HIV treatment and prevention.
2024: discoveries leading to CAR-T-cell therapy.
2023: pioneering mRNA biology and technologies leading to mRNA vaccines and therapies.

This suggests that a strong nomination should demonstrate a field-changing scientific contribution, not merely a highly cited publication.

3. Clear Translation From Discovery to Therapeutic Application

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Critical

A recurring characteristic of recent recipients is movement from fundamental science toward actual therapeutic intervention.

For example, the 2026 recipients' work connected:

fetal hemoglobin biology → molecular understanding → gene editing → stem-cell treatment → approved therapies for sickle-cell disease and beta-thalassemia.

Likewise, the 2025 award recognized work progressing from understanding the HIV capsid to development of lenacapavir, the first approved drug targeting the viral capsid.

Thus, strong nominations should document the complete translational chain wherever possible.

4. Seminal Scientific Contribution

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High

The Foundation explicitly recognizes seminal research capable of changing the ability to treat disease.

Evidence may include:

Discovery of a previously unknown mechanism.
Identification of a new disease target.
Creation of a new therapeutic platform.
Development of a new technology.
Establishment of a new biological principle.
Work that enabled subsequent clinical breakthroughs.

The important question is:

What changed because of this scientist's work?

A nomination becomes much stronger when it can answer that question concretely.

5. Evidence of Real-World Clinical or Public-Health Significance

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High

The Foundation's history demonstrates a strong preference for work that ultimately affects patients.

The 2026 Prize, for example, recognized research that contributed to curative genetic therapies for major inherited blood disorders affecting millions of people.

Similarly, the 2025 Prize recognized a treatment that can both treat and prevent HIV infection.

Strong nominations should quantify impact when possible:

Number of patients affected.
Disease burden addressed.
New treatment options created.
Survival or quality-of-life improvement.
Prevention potential.
Global health implications.
Adoption in clinical practice.

6. Sustained Body of Work Rather Than a Single Isolated Result

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

The Foundation's recent selections frequently recognize long scientific trajectories rather than a single experiment.

The 2026 award, for example, highlighted approximately two decades of work leading from biological discovery to therapeutic implementation.

Similarly, the 2025 award recognized multiple scientists whose complementary discoveries collectively enabled a new therapeutic approach.

A strong nomination should therefore establish:

Discovery → subsequent validation → development → clinical translation → impact.

7. Strong Evidence of International Scientific Significance

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

The Prize is explicitly international. The Foundation recognizes scientists throughout the world and has received nominations from scientific leaders globally.

The nomination should therefore establish significance beyond one institution or laboratory.

Useful evidence includes:

Adoption by researchers internationally.
Broad scientific influence.
Major clinical adoption.
International collaborations.
Global patient impact.
Influence on an entire research field.

8. Exceptional Scientific Leadership and Recognition

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

Recipients are selected by a Scientific Advisory Committee composed of internationally renowned biomedical scientists and chaired by the Dean of Harvard Medical School.

The nomination should therefore make the nominee's leadership contribution clear:

What did the nominee personally discover?
What part of the breakthrough depended on their work?
Did they establish a new research direction?
Did they lead translational development?
Did they build a field or technology platform?

External recognition can provide supporting evidence, although it is not itself the purpose of the Prize.

9. Clear Individual Contribution Within Collaborative Work

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

The Prize permits nominations of up to five co-nominees, reflecting the possibility that major biomedical breakthroughs result from collaborative work.

However, the nomination must make the contribution of each individual understandable.

For a team nomination, explain:

Contributor	Distinct contribution
Basic scientist	Foundational mechanism
Translational scientist	Preclinical validation
Clinician	Clinical development
Technology developer	Therapeutic platform
Trial investigator	Clinical implementation

The Foundation's nomination form specifically asks nominators to explain individual contributions when sharing the Prize.

10. Exceptional Nomination Evidence and Independent Support

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

The nomination itself needs to make an unusually strong case.

The current nomination requirements include:

Description of the nominee's research.
Five key bibliographic references.
Suggested citation/reason for the award.
Explanation of why the nominee merits recognition compared with other major contributors.
Two letters of support.
CV.

This means a successful nomination needs more than an impressive CV. It needs a persuasive evidence package showing why the discovery meets the Foundation's unusually high threshold for transformative biomedical achievement.

Specialties

Others

Eligibility Requirements

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Warren Alpert Foundation

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 90 Elm Street, Suite 2, Providence, RI 02903

Legal & Affiliation Disclaimer

Affiliation Disclaimer: Trialect operates independently and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by any sponsors or organizations posting on the GrantsBoard platform. As an independent aggregator of publicly available funding opportunities, Trialect provides equal access to information for all users without endorsing any specific funding source, content, organization, or sponsor. Trialect assumes no responsibility for the content posted by sponsors or third parties.

Subscription Disclaimer: Upon logging into Trialect, you may choose to SUBSCRIBE to GrantsBoard for timely notifications of funding opportunities and to access exclusive benefits, such as priority alerts, reminders, personalized recommendations, and additional application support. However, users are advised to contact sponsors directly for any questions and are not required to subscribe to engage with funding opportunities.

Content Ownership and Copyright Disclaimer: Trialect respects the intellectual property rights of all organizations and individuals. All content posted on GrantsBoard is provided solely for informational purposes and remains the property of the original owners. Trialect does not claim ownership of, nor does it have any proprietary interest in, content provided by third-party sponsors. Users are encouraged to verify content and ownership directly with the posting sponsor.

Fair Use Disclaimer: The information and content available on GrantsBoard are compiled from publicly accessible sources in alignment with fair use principles under U.S. copyright law. Trialect serves as an aggregator of this content, offering it to users in good faith and with the understanding that it is available for public dissemination. Any organization or individual who believes their intellectual property rights have been violated is encouraged to contact us for prompt resolution.

Third-Party Posting Responsibility Disclaimer: Trialect is a neutral platform that allows third-party sponsors to post funding opportunities for informational purposes only. Sponsors are solely responsible for ensuring that their postings comply with copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. Trialect assumes no liability for any copyright or intellectual property infringements in third-party content and will take appropriate action to address any substantiated claims.

Accuracy and Verification Disclaimer: Trialect makes no warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information provided by sponsors. Users are advised to verify the details of any funding opportunity directly with the sponsor before taking action. Trialect cannot be held liable for any discrepancies, omissions, or inaccuracies in third-party postings.

Notice and Takedown Policy: Trialect is committed to upholding copyright law and protecting the rights of intellectual property owners. If you believe that content on GrantsBoard infringes your copyright or intellectual property rights, please contact us with detailed information about the claim. Upon receipt of a valid notice, Trialect will promptly investigate and, where appropriate, remove or disable access to the infringing content.

View Funding Opportunity