Facebook and Google set aside rivalry to create huge ‘new Nobel prize’ for science worth $15million
Worldwide, Daily news | ankakh | February 21, 2013 23:44
Google and Facebook founders and their spouses have set aside their rivalries to create the most lucrative prize in science history – more than double the value of the Nobel prize.
Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, and Google co-founder Sergey Brin and his wife Anne Wojcicki have joined forces to launch the Breakthrough in Life Sciences Award, worth $3million (£2 million).
They were asked to create the award by venture capitalist Yuri Milner, who modelled the prize on a physics award he set up last year.
Despite the occasionally tense relations between Google and Facebook, the board of directors will be made up of Zuckerberg and Chan, Brin and Wojcicki.
Mr Zuckerberg told France 24: ‘Priscilla and I are honoured to be part of this.
The board for the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences will be headed by Apple chairman Art Levinson, in the first alliance of its kind inSiliconeValley.
In the first group of commendations 11 scientists have been awarded a total of $33million, but in future there will be five winners per year.
The prize of $3million is more than double the $1.1million given by theRoyalSwedishAcademyof Science to Nobel Prize winners.
There will be no awards ceremony but this year’s winners, who are from the U.S, Italy, Japan and the Netherlands, will select future award candidates and will be expected to give talks and interviews throughout 2013.
Each year those who have won the prize will join an ever-increasing selection committee who will vote secretly on future winners.
There will be no limit to how many people can share an award, unlike a Nobel Prize which is limited to three shared winners.
Facebook
Tweet This
RSS Feed
Email This Post
Loading ...
