An award dedicated to young scientists for their research work, the cicCartuja–Ebro Foods Award 2024, has been granted to Pedro Florido from the Subtropical and Mediterranean Horticulture Institute La Mayora. Lucía Jiménez from the Institute of Plant Biochemistry and Photosynthesis received the first runner-up prize, while the second runner-up was shared by María Dolores Requena from the Institute of Sustainable Agriculture and Blanca Baños from the Institute of Chemical Research.
The Isla de la Cartuja Scientific Research Center (cicCartuja)—a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the University of Seville, and the Regional Government of Andalusia—held the cicCartuja–Ebro Foods 2024 Awards ceremony on Friday, October 31. This was the fifteenth edition of the award and a special one, as it inaugurates the agri-food category, opening the competition to all young scientific researchers from CSIC centers in Andalusia working in this field.
The event was attended by the President of Ebro Foods, Antonio Hernández; the Director of the Secretariat for Research Centers, Institutes and Services, Jesús Cintas; the Deputy Mayor of Seville, Álvaro Pimentel; the Director General for Research Planning in Andalusia, Loreto del Valle; and the CSIC Institutional Delegate in Andalusia and Extremadura, Margarita Paneque. The Director of cicCartuja and of the Institute of Chemical Research, Noureddine Khiar, highlighted in his speech the importance of the fifteenth anniversary of the awards, as it marks the opening of this prize to scientific and research talent in Andalusia.
The first prize was awarded to Pedro Florido Moreno, a young researcher at the Subtropical and Mediterranean Horticulture Institute La Mayora in Málaga, becoming the first winner in this new category. Pedro Florido combines his PhD studies with teaching at a secondary school, while maintaining his research profile. His work promotes a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based plastics—especially single-use plastics—through the development of bioplastics based on cellulose with beeswax additives for the production of safe and sustainable food packaging, improving their properties.
Lucía Jiménez received the first runner-up prize for her contribution to the field of agricultural biotechnology and sustainable crop management, particularly cotton. Her research highlights the role of cyanobacteria as biofertilizers, promoting cotton growth through nitrogen fixation and the production of phytohormones.
The second runner-up prize was awarded to Blanca Baños for a study identifying a new modification of the HuR protein that regulates its localization within the cell; this change in localization plays a key role in its involvement in cancer progression. María Dolores Requena, also a second runner-up, contributes through her research to improving the nutritional and commercial quality of durum wheat during storage, with a positive impact on health, as her work helps prevent the loss of micronutrients crucial to quality; its consumption is also associated with the prevention of chronic diseases and vitamin A deficiency malnutrition.
The cicCartuja–Ebro Foods Awards recognize the work of researchers under 31 years of age who have published articles in high-impact international journals. The social impact and relevance of the research are also taken into account in the evaluation. The first prize is endowed with €15,000, while each runner-up receives €5,000, amounts donated by the company Ebro Foods.