BBVA Foundation

BBVA Foundation | Knowledge, innovation and society

Knowledge, Innovation and Society

2009 AWARD WINNERS

Contemporary Music

Cristóbal Halftter (Unai P. Azaldegui) Spanish composer and conductor Cristóbal Halffter wins the award for a body of work that has contributed to the idea of a European contemporary music, through its coherence and continuity of commitment. Halffter has also played an instrumental role in reintroducing Spanish music into the mainstream of contemporary music.

OTHER WINNERS

Development Cooperation

The award has been granted to the Development Research Institute at New York University for its contribution to the analysis of foreign aid efficiency, and its challenge to the conventional wisdom in development assistance.

Ecology and Conservation Biology

Ecologist Peter B. Reich (New York, 1953) receives the award for work that radically improves our understanding of and ability to predict the response of terrestrial ecosystems to global environmental changes, including climate change and biodiversity loss.

Biomedicine

The award goes to Prof. Robert J. Lefkowitz (New York, 1943) for identifying the receptors targeted by around half of today’s prescription drugs. His research has enabled the development of new treatments for neurological and cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

Basic Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics)

Physicist and chemist Richard N. Zare and physicist Michael E. Fisher share the award for their independent, fundamental contributions to describing the world at the molecular scale. Their work has rendered molecules visible and allowed us to analyze their collective behavior.

Information and Communication Technologies

The award goes to Prof. Thomas Kailath for developing knowledge with a transformative impact on the information and communication technologies that permeate everyday life. These pioneering developments have served to break through the barrier of chip miniaturization, among numerous other applications.

Climate Change

The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Climate Change category goes in this second edition to German physicist and mathematician Klaus Hasselmann (Hamburg, 1931) for developing methods which established that recent global warming trends are primarily attributable to human activities.

Upcoming Award Announcements

Economics, Finance and Management

Economy and SocietyEconomy and Society

International survey on immigration


Citizens in both Europe and North America are concerned about illegal immigration, according to public opinion survey Transatlantic Trends: Immigration supported by the BBVA Foundation. However, a majority believe that legal immigrants who come to the country to work should have the opportunity to remain permanently.

Key Findings

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Perceptions of the Economic Model and Views on the Current Crisis


According to a survey by the BBVA Foundation’s Department of Social Studies and Public Opinion, Spaniards share a very positive view of the welfare state and support government controls in areas like prices, wages or profits. They are aware of the severity of the current crisis, feel themselves directly affected and have made moves to rein in their spending.
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Value of the housing stock in Spain


A BBVA Foundation-Ivie study analyzes the increase in value of Spanish housing properties between 1990 and 2007, including the land on which they are built. Itemized information is provided by territorial unit, distance from the coast and the age of dwellings.
EnvironmentEnvironment

Protecting marine resources


Researchers at a colloquium held in the BBVA Foundation call for international legislation to safeguard the oceans and the services they provide as carbon sinks, a storehouse of food and genetic resources, and a shield against coastal erosion and flooding
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Digital Encyclopedia of Spanish Birdlife


The BBVA Foundation and SEO/BirdLife present a fully comprehensive digital encyclopedia on birds, their habits and their conservation. A full version is available online: www.enciclopediadelasaves.es
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2009 Biodiversity Conservation Awards


These awards recognize the work done by conservationist organizations, institutions and professionals to protect and preserve our natural heritage.
Biomedicine and HealthBiomedicine and Health

Neurobiology of the retina


The BBVA Foundation grants one of its Biomedicine Chairs to research on retinal diseases, which number among the main causes of vision loss in developed countries.
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Preventing sudden death in athletes


The BBVA Foundation and Hospital Clínico San Carlos embark on a new project to test for genetic alterations associated with sudden cardiac death in sports.
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Cancer Biology Research Program


The BBVA Foundation has concluded a collaboration agreement with the Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO) enabling the incorporation of 60 researchers to a new Cancer Cell Biology Program looking at tumor growth in organs and tissues.
Basic Sciences and TechnologyBasic Sciences and Technology

Science in School


This program for schools, a first in Spain, brings scientist and teachers together to promote science teaching in the early education classroom.
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Benasque Summer School


The BBVA Foundation collaborates with the Centro de Ciencias de Benasque Pedro Pascual, an advanced research institute that organizes summer encounters for researchers from all over the world.
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FBBVA Foundation-UPM Chairs


The BBVA Foundation and the Technical University of Madrid (UPM) found three innovative chairs in biomedical engineering and nanotechnology.
Arts and HumanitiesArts and Humanities

International Composition Contest


Composers Dongghoon Shin (Korea, 1983) and Stefan Lienenkämper (Germany, 1963) share the first prize in the National Music Auditorium-BBVA Foundation International Composition Contest, with the second and third prizes going to Spaniards Jesús Navarro and Eneko Vadillo respectively.
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Stride la Vampa!


Starting from the most celebrated aria in Il trovatore, which lends it its title, this book takes the history of Vizcaya’s industrial development and relates it to the staging of the Verdi opera with the help of stunning images of both processes.
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Spanish and Latin American Contemporary Music


The BBVA Foundation presents the collection Compositores españoles y latinoamericanos de música actual, an ambitious music publishing project promoted by the Foundation and released on record label Verso.

BBVA Foundation Newsletter

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