October 1st, 2020
1. The KNCV Medicinal Chemistry & Chemical Biology Prize, consisting of certificate, a work of art, and a EUR 1,000 cash prize, will be awarded by the Board of the KNCV Division MCCB, based on the recommendations of an ad hoc Assessment Committee (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Committee’). The winner shall be invited to present his/her work at a scientific event organized by the Division.
2. The cash prize is made available by sponsor Symeres.
3. The aforementioned board has the right to either accept or reject the recommendation of the Committee. In case of rejection, the prize shall not be awarded.
4. The dissertation on a medicinal chemistry-related topic* or comparable scientific publication voted best by the panel of judges is awarded the prize. The dissertation must have been successfully defended at a Dutch university in the two years prior to the closing of the submission deadline.
5. Medicinal chemistry* is taken to mean the complex of activities resulting in the synthesis or isolation of substances with biological activity, their analysis and structural interpretation, the identification of (agro) pharmacological, toxicological and other biological activities, their mechanistic interpretation at the molecular level, and the identification of quantitative relationships between structure and biological activity. The aim is to enhance the desirable properties and minimize the undesirable properties of compounds.
6. Dutch candidates, as well as non-Dutch candidates who carried out their dissertation-related research mainly in the Netherlands, are eligible for the award.
7. Promotors and/or staff members involved in the direct supervision of PhD students (co-promoters) shall be invited to nominate candidates for the award in a timely fashion through announcements by KNCV-MCBB. Promotors are advised to nominate only their best candidate. Letters of recommendation are not required but are recommended and will be taken into consideration. Individuals are also allowed to nominate themselves.
8. Nominations must be submitted to the KNCV-MCBB Secretary, Peter Molenveld, Symeres, Kerkenbos 1013, 6546 BB Nijmegen, peter.molenveld@mercachem.com. It is preferred to send 5 hardcopies of the thesis and a pdf.
9. The Committee consists of a chairman (board member of the Division) and at least two external members (preferably three, of which one from abroad), to be appointed by the Board.
10. The Committee members shall make use of an Excel-based decision matrix made available to them for the purpose of assessing the dissertation. The final decision shall be made jointly by the Committee, based on the decision matrix completed by all members of the Committee and a verbal, plenary meeting or telephone conference call to be held no later than early February.
11. The Committee shall be appointed by the Division Medicinal Chemistry & Chemical Biology of the KNCV no later than 31 December of the year prior to the awards ceremony and propose its recommendation to the Board in writing immediately after the meeting in which the winner is chosen. The preamble on which this recommendation is based, formulated by the chairman of the Committee and approved by all Committee members, must be provided within one month of the recommendation.
12. The prize will be presented by the chairman of the Division Medicinal Chemistry & Chemical Biology during its scientific spring session. The awards ceremony shall be appropriately promoted by the Division.
13. Cases not provided for by these Rules and Regulations will be decided by the KNCV Division Medicinal Chemistry & Chemical Biology.
*See also EFMC Position Paper What is Medicinal Chemistry at https://www.efmc.info/position-paper-medicinal-chemistry
