This year, three researchers from the BIST Community are recognised with the Rei Jaume I Awards: Prof. Lluís Torner (ICFO), in the Basic Research category; Prof. Samuel Sánchez (IBEC), in the New Technologies category; and Prof. Ben Lehner (CRG) for Biomedical Research.
From left to right: Lluís Torner (ICFO), Samuel Sánchez (IBEC), Ben Lehner (CRG)
Last week, the juries selected the winners of the seven categories in which the prizes awarded by the Valencian Foundation Rei Jaume I Awards are divided. Among the winners of this 38th edition are Lluís Torner, Head of the Nonlinear Optical Phenomena Group at ICFO; Samuel Sánchez, ICREA research professor at IBEC, where he leads the Smart-Nano-Bio-Devices group; and ICREA Prof. Ben Lehner at CRG, who heads the Genetic Systems lab.
These awards, which aim to bring science and business closer together in order to promote research, scientific development and entrepreneurship in Spain, recognise people whose work is of great importance and has largely been developed in the country. The winners receive a cash prize of 100,000 euros with the commitment to reinvest part of it in research and entrepreneurship in Spain.
Lluís Torner
Lluís Torner has been recognised with the Rei Jaume I prize in Basic Research for his world-leading discoveries in photonics.
Torner holds a Ph.D. in Physics and heads the Nonlinar Optical Phenomena group at ICFO, studying nonlinear optical processes where light acts on itself inside suitable materials. Applications of this work include all-optical photonic devices and advanced imaging and sensing.
He has served as president of ICFO (2002–2024) and has been elected a fellow of the Optical Society of America, the European Optical Society, and the European Physical Society, among numerous other awards.
Learn more about Lluís Torner’s work here.
Samuel Sánchez
Samuel Sánchez’s work has opened up a new technological avenue at the intersection of nanotechnology, robotics, and medicine. This has enabled biological barriers to be overcome and improved the targeted delivery of treatments for complex diseases.
One of his most notable contributions is the development of therapeutic nanorobots for treating bladder cancer. These nanorobots can deliver drugs or radionuclides directly to tumours. His work has achieved reductions in tumour volume of over 90% in experimental models, representing a decisive step towards new precision medicine strategies.
This research led to the establishment of Nanobots Therapeutics, a spin-off company from IBEC and ICREA founded by Sánchez, who now serves as its CSO. The company is translating this technology into real-world clinical applications through its MotionTx platform.
Learn more about Samuel Sánchez’s work here.
Ben Lehner
Ben Lehner has been awarded the 2026 Premio Rei Jaume I for Biomedical Research, one of Spain’s most prestigious honours for scientific excellence.
The jury recognised Lehner for addressing fundamental biological questions through highly original approaches. Combining work in model organisms and human genetics with techniques ranging from large-scale mutagenesis to artificial intelligence, his research has revealed new principles governing how genetic variation shapes biological systems and influences health and disease.
Among his most notable achievements, Lehner developed the first comprehensive map of allosteric regulation in proteins, providing unprecedented insight into how changes at one site in a protein can influence its function elsewhere. His research also demonstrated how disease-causing mutations can trigger protein instability, helping explain the molecular basis of many genetic disorders.
Learn more about Ben Lehner’s work here.
The Rei Jaume I Awards were announced on June 2nd in a formal ceremony at the Palau de la Generalitat, presided over by the President of the Consell, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, and attended by the Executive President, Javier Quesada, and the President of the Rei Jaume I Awards Foundation, Vicente Boluda. The event was attended by the board of trustees of the Fundación Valenciana Premios Rei Jaume I, the juries of the seven prizes and representatives of the collaborators.
The other award winners were: Nagore Iriberri Etxebeste, Economics category; Alfonso Sáiz-López, Environmental Protection category; Borja Vázquez Piñero, Emerging Entrepreneur category; and Borja Ibáñez Cabeza, Clinical Research and Public Health category.
The official presentation of the Rei Jaume I Awards will take place in November at a ceremony in Valencia.
