The Otto Loewi Award

The Otto Loewi Award is a prestigious award for neuroscience research in Austria provided biannually by the Austrian Neuroscience Association (ANA). It is named after the Austrian-American Pharmacologist and Physiologist Otto Loewi, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology in 1936 for the discovery of chemical neurotransmission.

The aim of Otto Loewi Award is the promotion of neuroscience research in Austria by awarding this prize for outstanding scientific contributions in an active field of neuroscience. The particular intention is to honor research achieved in Austria. The awared is offered biannually.

The Otto-Loewi-Award is endowed with € 5.300,- sponsored by the Peter und Traudl Engelhorn-Stiftung for which we are tremendously thankful. 

Neuroscientists working (or having worked) in Austria who are not older than 40 years are invited to apply  (for 2025 and onwards, the cut-off date for the age requirement is the first day of the ANA conference in the Award year, parental leave will be considered) and should be ANA members in good standing. The proposals are reviewed and decided on by a prize committee consisting of five qualified proponents chaired by the president of the ANA. The awards are presented during the biannual ANA Meetings.

The Application window for 2025 is currently open and will close on the 15th of June 2025

HOW TO APPLY:

Send the following documents by email to: secretary_at_austrian-neuroscience.at

-Your CV (including a list of publications)

-An Endorsement letter by your P.I. and/or by a senior member of the Austrian Neuroscience Association

WHEN TO APPLY:

The award is bestowed every other year in coincidence with the ANA meeting. Please watch out for announcements or contact the secretary. 

Award committee

The price is awarded by a committee consisting of 5 persons:

• the president of the ANA
• a representative of the sponsor, out of its international scientific staff
• two members of the ANA to be nominated by the ANA Executive Board
• one foreign scientist nominated by the ANA Executive Board

The award committee may solicit reviews from experts. Decisions consider the recommendations written down in the San Francisco Declaration

Otto Loewi Awardee 2025

We proudly announce the winner of the Otto Loewi Award 2025: Nadine J. Ortner, outstanding Neuroscientist and Group Leader of the University of Innsbruck, Austria.

During her Master’s studies in molecular biology at the University of Vienna, Nadine Ortner discovered her passion for neuroscience and molecular medicine. Complemented by her PhD in pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Innsbruck, she now leads a research group that investigates the pathophysiology of a rare neurodevelopmental disorder caused by genetic CACNA1D variants, with the aim of developing tailored therapeutic approaches. Beyond her research, she considers public outreach and communication an essential part of science, especially in times of increasing scientific skepticism.

Find out more about Nadine and her exciting research on Neuro(patho)physiology & Molecular Pharmacology of Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels. 

Know more about the prestigious Otto Lewi Award, distributed by ANA and graciously supported by the Peter und Traudl Engelhorn Stiftung.

Links to past Otto Loewi Awardees:

Past Otto-Loewi Awardees