Italy—Indena has awarded three young researchers the “Indena—Biagio Alberto Della Beffa” prize, dedicated to the memory of the company’s founder, Colonel Biagio Alberto Della Beffa, according to a press release.

“This initiative further testifies to Indena’s commitment to invest in young researchers as managers and sources of innovation for the future,” said Francesca De Rensis, Marketing Director at Indena S.p.A., in the press release.

Indena is instituting this biennial prize in honor of its 100thanniversary. This first award was celebrated on July 8 2021, during the closing ceremony of the International Summer School on Natural Products (ISSNP). Indena is partnering with ISSNP to identify the most talented scientists in natural product chemistry and select the best applicants, in the spirit of a fruitful collaboration between industry and academia.

“We’re very happy for the success of our initiative,” said Pietro Allegrini, R&D Director at Indena S.p.A., in the press release. “Many young talented researchers applied from different Italian and international Universities, showing that the interest for Natural Product Chemistry is high among our graduated young people. We’re proud to give such opportunities to students from all over the world, in the memory of our founder Biagio Alberto Della Beffa and of his pioneering vision.”

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The three winners include:
  • A Ph.D. student at the University of Pavia. She has worked in nature-aided drug discovery, developing experience in bio-guided fractionation, isolation, structural elucidation, and chemical derivation of active metabolites.
  • A Ph.D. candidate at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. She has worked in food and food ingredients analytical chemistry, developing significant experience in advanced metabolomics techniques.
  • A Ph.D. student at the University of Naples Federico II. She is developing experience in the structural elucidation of complex molecular entities, in particular through high field nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry.
“The three winners have been selected among 24 distinguished candidates with high-level competencies, strong determination for scientific career, and passion for natural products,” said Indena’s Gabriele Fontana, Business & Innovation Intelligence Director. “Moreover, it is very important to highlight that one of the salient features of the winners is given by their different areas of competence which, in a virtual circle, will in turn nourish the knowledge of Indena.”

The winners have been awarded a monetary prize, an internship at Indena’s R&D center, and managerial training at a prestigious Italian university. The winners will give a presentation during the Scientific Congress that Indena will hold on November 8, 2021, to celebrate its Centennial. The Congress will celebrate successful people in Indena’s history, while celebrating and supporting the talent of the future, the press release says.