The Sir Hans Krebs Lecture and Medal

The Sir Hans Krebs Lecture and Medal was endowed by a general gift from the Lord Rank Centre for Research and is awarded for outstanding achievements in biochemistry and molecular biology or related sciences. Sir Hans Krebs was a German-born British biochemist, well known for his work in identifying the urea cycle and citric acid cycle, and he played a key role in many ways during the early days of FEBS.

The awardee, who should be active in European research, presents one of the plenary lectures at the FEBS Congress. The awardee receives a silver medal, and is awarded travel and accommodation expenses for the Congress. It is customary for the awardee to contribute a review article related to the lecture topic for publication in The FEBS Journal.

In 2026, the Krebs medal was awarded to Peter Ratcliffe (University of Oxford, United Kingdom), who spoke on ‘Elucidation of cellular oxygen pathways in human and animal cells’ at the 50th FEBS Congress.

For a complete list of previous recipients of the Sir Hans Krebs Lecture and Medal, please consult the historical awardees document. 

The Datta Lecture and Medal

The Datta Lecture and Medal is awarded for outstanding achievement in the field of biochemistry and molecular biology or a related area, and is normally given at each Congress of FEBS to one of the plenary lecturers. The lecturer should normally be from a FEBS country. The awardee receives a silver medal, and is awarded travel and accommodation expenses for the Congress. It is customary for the awardee to contribute a review article related to the lecture topic for publication in FEBS Letters.

S. Prakash Datta was the first Managing Editor of FEBS Letters (1968–1985) and Treasurer of FEBS (1964–1990). The Datta Lecture and Medal was initiated by capital gifts from Elsevier Science Publishers in recognition of his many contributions, and from 1986 to 2015 the medal was provided by Elsevier. From 2016, when the publishing partner for FEBS Letters changed, the award will be fully funded by FEBS.

In 2026, the Datta medal was awarded to Nektarios Tavernarakis (Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Greece), who delivered the lecture ‘Autophagic pathways in ageing and neurodegeneration’ at the 50th FEBS Congress.

For a complete list of previous recipients of the Datta Lecture and Medal, please consult the historical awardees document.

The Theodor Bücher Lecture and Medal

The Theodor Bücher Lecture and Medal was endowed by a generous capital gift from Frau Ingrid Bücher to the Gesellschaft für Biochemie und Molekularbiologie (GBM) and is awarded for outstanding achievements in biochemistry and molecular biology or related sciences. Theodor Bücher was a visionary German biochemist who played a key role in the early development of FEBS by arranging the acquisition of Biochemische Zeitschrift, which became the European Journal of Biochemistry and later FEBS Journal.

The awardee, who is normally expected to be active in European research, presents one of the plenary lectures at the FEBS Congress. The awardee receives a silver medal, and is awarded travel and accommodation expenses for the Congress. Following the Congress, it is customary for the awardee to contribute a review article related to the lecture topic for publication in The FEBS Journal.

In 2026, the Bücher medal was awarded to Ivan Đikić (Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany), who presented the lecture ‘Guardians of cellular homeostasis – ubiquitin and autophagy networks’ at the 50th FEBS Congress.

For a complete list of previous recipients of the Theodor Bücher Lecture and Medal, please consult the historical awardees document.

THE RITA LEVI-MONTALCINI LECTURE AND MEDAL

The Rita Levi-Montalcini Lecture and Medal was initiated by FEBS for the 50th FEBS Congress in 2026, and is awarded for outstanding achievements in biochemistry and molecular biology or related areas, with an emphasis on work on the molecular basis of disease or treatment. Rita Levi-Montalcini was a renowned Italian neurobiologist and Nobel laureate known for the discovery of nerve growth factor, and in later life for furthering research facilities and supporting young scientists, including from under-represented groups.

The awardee, who should be active in European research, presents one of the plenary lectures at the FEBS Congress. The awardee receives a silver medal, and is awarded travel and accommodation expenses for the Congress.

In 2026, the first Rita Levi-Montalcini medal was awarded to Emmanuelle Charpentier (Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens, Germany), who delivered a plenary lecture at the 50th FEBS Congress on ‘Transforming life sciences through the power of microbiology’.

All FEBS medals can be awarded to scientists of any gender.