The Dream Biology Award 2026 (the “Contest”) is a scientific competition organized by Ústav organické chemie a biochemie AV ČR v.v.i. (Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, herein as “IOCB Prague” and/or the “Organizer”).
The Contest is governed by these Terms & Conditions. By submitting an application, all participants confirm that they have read, understood, and agreed to comply with these Terms & Conditions.
All submissions and official communication within the Contest shall be conducted in English.
The Contest aims to recognize and award an outstanding young scientist for proposing an original, ambitious, and visionary scientific concept addressing a fundamental challenge in biology, life sciences, or related interdisciplinary fields (the “Project”).
The financial prize is awarded as a personal scientific distinction and is not intended to fund or directly support the implementation of the proposed Project.
The Contest is organized and administered by Ústav organické chemie a biochemie AV ČR v.v.i. (Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, herein as “IOCB Prague” and/or the “Organizer”)., Flemingovo náměstí 542/2, 160 00, Prague, Czech Republic.
The Organizer shall:
The Organizer will appoint a Scientific Committee composed of internationally recognized experts in biology, life sciences, and related disciplines.
The Scientific Committee is responsible for the evaluation of Applications, selection of Finalists, and determination of the Winner. The Scientific Committee shall consist of no fewer than 10 members.
The decisions of the Scientific Committee are final and not subject to appeal.
The Contest is open to researchers of all nationalities who meet the following eligibility criteria at the time of submission:
Applications that do not meet the eligibility criteria will be rejected without further evaluation.
5.1 Announcement
The Contest will be officially announced in March 2026 via the Contest website https://www.dreambiologyaward.org/ and other academic communication channels.
5.2 Submission
Each Candidate’s participation must be preceded by a formal application submitted electronically through the official application platform (https://dream.uochb.cas.cz/dba/forms/index.php/Insert/Can) by the stated deadline, July 31, 2026.
The application must include:
Incomplete,late, or non-compliant applications may be excluded from the evaluation at the discretion of the Organizer.
5.3 Evaluation Criteria and Selection Process
Applications will be evaluated by the Scientific Committee based on the following criteria:
Both the Project proposal and the Candidate’s scientific achievements will be taken into account. The evaluation of the Projects and the ranking of the Candidates by the Scientific Committee will be completed by the end of October 2026.
5.4 Finalist Participation and Final Event
Following the evaluation, a shortlist of 5 top-ranked Candidates will be selected as Finalists (the “Finalists”). The list of Finalists will be published on the official Contest website without delay.
Five selected Finalists will be invited to present their Project in a 30-minute presentation to the Scientific Committee in person. The presentation should include a short popular introduction, intended for a general audience, and the remainder of the presentation will be dedicated to explaining the dream project thoroughly. Each presentation will be followed by a 15-minute discussion, during which back-up slides may be used. Presentations of the Finalists will be held at IOCB Prague, on December 3, 2026.
The Scientific Committee will select the Contest Winner (the "Winner"). The decision of the Scientific Committee is final and incontestable.
The Winner will deliver a 45-minute talk on the results of their current research on December 4, 2026. The name of the Winner of the Contest will be announced on the Contest website.
The Organizer will cover reasonable travel and accommodation expenses for invited Finalists, subject to:
Reimbursement procedures and conditions will be communicated individually to the Finalists.
The Winner of the Contest will receive the Dream Biology Award (the “Prize”), which will include:
Other Finalists selected by the Scientific Committee will receive a "Dream Biology Top 5" prize, which will include:
The Prize is honorary in nature and awarded in recognition of scientific excellence and vision.
Applicants retain full intellectual property rights to their submitted proposals and supporting materials.
By participating in the Contest, Applicants grant the Organizer a non-exclusive, royalty-free right to use submitted materials for:
Confidential scientific information will be treated with professional discretion and shared only with the Scientific Committee and authorized reviewers. Any and all persons who come into contact with confidential information or personal data will be duly informed about the processing and protection of all data, also (not only) in accordance with the GDPR.
All participants are expected to adhere to the highest standards of scientific integrity and academic ethics.
The Organizer reserves the right to disqualify any Application that:
Eligibility and credentials of Applicants may be verified at any stage of the Contest.
