Guido Venosta and AIRC – The Great Initiatives: the “Biennial Award for New Therapeutic Approaches to Neoplasms”

In 1982, Guido Venosta, President of AIRC, promoted alongside the Association the Italian Foundation for Cancer Research (FIRC) as an asset-holding entity designed to secure a guaranteed flow of funds for oncological research over time. Once a certain asset solidity was achieved, FIRC began to support, among other systematic projects of great scope and significance, initiatives that transcended traditional research funding.

Among these was the establishment in 1996 of a biennial award “aimed at recognizing the outstanding merit of researchers who have translated the achievements of scientific knowledge into therapeutic intervention tools—that is, into techniques and systems to more effectively combat the disease, significantly enhancing both the chances of cure and the quality of life for patients today.” (VENOSTA, Dal profit al nonprofit, p. 19).

The award consists not only of a prestigious recognition of the work performed, but also of a cash prize of 50,000 euros, representing the practical component alongside the ideal one—an essential combination to achieve one’s goals successfully, according to Guido Venosta’s teachings.

After his death in 1998, the award was renamed in his memory as the Guido Venosta Award, and it continues to be presented today by the AIRC Foundation through a ceremony at the Quirinale, during the National Cancer Research Day celebrations.

Bibliography:
G. VENOSTA, Dal profit al nonprofit. Storia di un’esperienza, Milan, 1997.