Awards

Awards

The IFMBE maintains an awards program to recognise (every three years, on the occasion of the World Congress) individuals for their contributions to Biomedical Engineering.

The awards are:

Vladimir K. Zworykin Award

The Vladimir K. Zworykin Award is given to a Biomedical Engineer for outstanding research contributions in the field of medical and biological engineering.

The criteria for nominations include innovation and outstanding research contributions to medical and biological engineering. Nominees must be members of an IFMBE affiliated organization. The awardee will receive travel funds to attend the next World Congress where the award will be presented.

Otto Schmitt Award

The Otto Schmitt Award is given to a Biomedical Engineer for exceptional contributions to the advancement of the field of medical and biological engineering.

The criteria for nominations include innovation, leadership, and seminal contributions to medical and biological engineering. Nominees must be members of an IFMBE affiliated organization. The awardee will receive travel funds to attend the next World Congress where the award will be presented.

John A. Hopps Distinguished Service Award

The John A. Hopps Distinguished Service Award winner is given to a Biomedical Engineer who has made significant contributions to the professional, technical, promotional, educational and/or scientific activities of the IFMBE, or of a regional organization of societies affiliated to the IFMBE. The awardee will receive prize money of 2500 euros as well as travel funds to attend the World Congress where the award will be presented. The awardee will be required to make a presentation on the awardee’s contributions to IFMBE and BME at the World Congress.

Nominations may be made by IFMBE entities, affiliated member societies, or a group of at least five distinguished IFMBE members. Nominees must be members of an IFMBE affiliated organization. A Curriculum Vitae is to be submitted together with a half-page biography, a photo, and a one-page write-up on the significant contributions made in relation to the criteria stated above.

Laura Bassi Award

The Laura Bassi Award for Outstanding Female Researcher in Medical and Biological Engineering is presented by IFMBE every three years at the World Congress. The Laura Bassi award will be given to a senior female biomedical engineer for outstanding research contributions in the field of medical and biological engineering.

The criteria for nominations include innovation and outstanding research contributions to medical and biological engineering. The awardee will receive prize money of 3,000 euros to attend the next World Congress  where the award will be presented. The awardee will be required to make a scientific presentation in the area of the awardee’s expertise at the World Congress.

Nominations may be made by IFMBE entities, affiliated member societies, or any individual member of the constituent societies. Nominees must be members of an IFMBE affiliated organization. Confirmed nominees will submit a Curriculum Vitae that includes a brief (half-page maximum) biography and a photo. Nominators will provide a maximum one-page write-up on the significant contributions of the nominee made in conformance with the criteria stated above.

IUPESM Awards of Merit

In addition to its own awards program, IFMBE participates in the IUPESM awards program. IUPESM honours individuals with its IUPESM Awards of Merit which recognise every three years a Medical Physicist and a Biomedical Engineer who have established distinguished careers in Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, respectively. IFMBE is, through its Awards Committee that incorporates the “IFMBE Subcommittee to the IUPESM Awards Committee”, responsible for the selection of the Biomedical Engineer to be awarded.

IFMBE Honorary Life Members

The title of IFMBE Honorary Life Member is bestowed on individuals who have rendered exceptional service to the Federation. Honorary Life members can be nominated at any time. A total of 10 recipients of the IFMBE Honorary Life Member Award are inducted every 3 years during each World Congress. Election for Honorary Members shall be conducted by members of the General Assembly at least 3 months before the IUPESM World Congress.

Other Awards

James Zimmerman Prize

The IFMBE James Zimmerman Prize (JZP) was established in 2009 by the IFMBE Administrative Council in the honour of James Edward Zimmerman, engineer who co-invented SQUID and pioneered applications of SQUID technologies in heart and brain research. The first JZP was awarded in 2010 in Dubrovnik, Croatia during BIOMAG2010 on the occation of the 40th anniversary of the publication of the first magnetocardiographic measurements using SQUID technology. More details about the work of James Zimmerman can be found at:

http://www.nist.gov/manuscript-publication-search.cfm?pub_id=13183

The Prize is presented biannually at the IFMBE endorsed series of International conferences on biomagnetism – BIOMAG and consists of a plaque and a monetary award of 1,000 EUR. The primary criterion for the JZ Prize is an exceptional contribution to novel SQUID-based method developments and applications in the field of biomagnetism.

The James Zimmermann Prize Agreement (Agreement on the cooperation between the IFMBE and IAB of the BIOMAG conferences) was signed in Zagreb, Croatia, on 15th September, in year 2011.

Nightingale Award

The Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM), UK, has established the Nightingale Award. Nightingale was a founder member of the British Biomedical Engineering Society which was later absorbed into IPEM. IPEM will fund and organize the award but it will be on the basis of the best paper published by the IFMBE journal, MBEC, during a particular year. The award will be: The IPEM Nightingale Prize in association with MBEC and IFMBE.

The MBEC Editorial Board will be responsible for the selection of the author to be awarded.

IFMBE/IAMBE Early Career Award

The new IFMBE/IAMBE Early Career Award (ECA) highlights the commitment of the IFMBE to support and encourage promising young researchers at an early stage in their career.

The Award consists of a certificate and a monetary award. Awards are given at each IFMBE World Congress to one individual from each of the following four geographic regions: North America, Central & South America, Europe & Africa, Asia-Pacific. Particular emphasis is given to countries with a low economic background, and to geographical diversity.

Details of the award, eligibility, and application requirements