The 2025 Slovak Academy of Sciences Awards were presented at a ceremony held on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at the Slovak Academy of Sciences Congress Center at Smolenice Castle. These are the oldest awards in the history of the Slovak Academy of Sciences and also the highest form of recognition for the creative work of the Academy’s scientists. The Slovak Academy of Sciences presents them annually for achievements in scientific research, for the popularization of science, and also awards a prize for exceptional international collaboration and a prize for a young scientist. A researcher from the Institute of Experimental Oncology at the Biomedical Center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (BMC SAV), Assoc. Prof. RNDr. Soňa Čierniková, PhD., MPH, received an award for achievements in international scientific and technical cooperation for fostering collaboration in the field of oncology, bridging the gap between translational research and clinical practice, building a comprehensive oncology infrastructure, and strengthening Slovakia’s position in international oncology research.
“The SAS Awards are the most prestigious honors bestowed by the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), as they give us the opportunity to pause, take a look at our scientists, and recognize their work. This is a time when the SAS commemorates the anniversary of its founding, and it is also a very dynamic period,” stated SAS President Martin Venhart in his ceremonial address. According to the President of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, the SAS Awards are the occasion where we can collectively pay tribute to the work of the scientists upon whom the Academy stands or falls.
Associate Professor Soňa Čierniková expressed her gratitude not only on her own behalf: “I deeply appreciate this award and thank you from the bottom of my heart, because it belongs not only to me, but also to all my colleagues and partners at the Biomedical Research Center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, as well as to the oncology institutions with which we collaborate in Slovakia and abroad. I believe that the fight against cancer is not just a scientific challenge, but also a shared responsibility to create the conditions necessary for the latest findings and innovations to reach every patient who needs them. Ultimately, however, this is not about projects or strategies, but above all about people. I see the true success of our work in our ability to improve the lives of cancer patients. We can achieve this only if the patient is at the center of every decision we make.”
In Slovakia, Assoc. Prof. Čierniková co-coordinates several European projects related to the development of comprehensive oncology infrastructure, the European network of comprehensive cancer centers, and the creation of a European network of national nodes for Mission Cancer. She is currently involved in efforts to reduce disparities in cancer research, innovation, and access to high-quality care in Central and Eastern European countries compared to other European countries.
She is actively contributing to the establishment of the first comprehensive cancer center in Slovakia, which would integrate cancer patient care with high-quality cancer research and education, thereby enabling patients to access more effective and innovative treatments through clinical trials.
A significant contribution to reducing disparities in cancer care across Europe is the CCI4EU project under the Horizon Europe Mission on Cancer program, in which Assoc. Prof. Čierniková serves as the principal investigator for the BMC SAS. This project focuses on building capacity in research and innovation in comprehensive cancer care, as well as on supporting EU member states and associated countries in strengthening, developing, and improving comprehensive cancer care infrastructure, which is key to addressing issues related to cancer.
As part of the project, the Slovak institutions participating in the project — the National Cancer Institute, the National Oncology Institute, and the BMC SAS — were able to secure a unique opportunity for targeted interventions known as “Deep Dive interventions.”
As part of these interventions, we received support from a team of nine leading European experts from various fields of oncology, who visited Slovakia on multiple occasions and worked alongside national experts on three key areas: developing a concept for a comprehensive cancer center, building a comprehensive cancer care infrastructure, and developing patient pathways for breast cancer and colorectal cancer. The team was led by renowned expert Simon Oberst, Director of Quality and Accreditation at the OECI.
The results yielded concrete solutions and brought us significantly closer to countries with long-established systems of comprehensive cancer care. In April of this year, Assoc. Prof. Čierniková was invited to speak on this topic at a high-level expert event at the European Parliament in Brussels, where she was the sole representative from among the 10 countries visited by leading oncology experts as part of the CCI4EU project.
Other Awardees:
SAS Award for Scientific Research Achievements
- Ing. Dušan Račko, PhD., from the Institute of Polymers of the Slovak Academy of Sciences for interdisciplinary DNA research using advanced modeling methods, the results of which were presented in two papers published in journals included in the Nature Index database, and for the creation of an elastic DNA model for which an international PCT patent application was filed.
- PhDr. Katarína Haberlandová, PhD., from the Institute of History of the Slovak Academy of Sciences and Mgr. Ľubica Voľanská, PhD., from the Institute of Ethnology and Social Anthropology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, for their scientific publication Avion, a unique contribution that deepens scientific understanding in the fields of 20th-century architectural history and social anthropology.
SAS Award for Scientific Research Achievements
- Mgr. Jakub Šrol, PhD., from the Center for Social and Psychological Sciences of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV), v. v. i., for a body of work focused on the psychological causes and socio-psychological consequences of belief in conspiracy theories.
SAS Awards for the Popularization of Science and the Social Applications of Science
- Ing. Juraj Majtán, DrSc., MBA, FIFST, FRSB, for his extensive outreach work focused on the medicinal and functional potential of honey and the growing problem of honey adulteration
- doc. Mgr. Richard Sťahel, PhD., for his targeted engagement in public discussions and in the media regarding the definition of the Anthropocene and current ecological threats
- RNDr. Lenka Lorencová, PhD., for popularizing science with an emphasis on chemistry and biochemistry, and for her engaging and inspiring approach to making science accessible to all age groups
- The editorial team of QUARK magazine for their systematic, accessible, expert, and engaging presentation of information from a wide range of scientific disciplines
- Andrea Makýšová Volárová for her long-standing efforts to popularize topics and scientific findings in the fields of literary translation and culture through radio broadcasts on Rádio Devín (STVR)
Ľubica Voľanská expressed her gratitude on behalf of the awardees, emphasizing that the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) honors the work of its scientists in this way as well. She also thanked all her colleagues, who often have to defend their findings while overcoming incredible obstacles.
Text: A. Nozdrovická; E. Rybárová, BMC SAV
Photo: M. Bystriansky; archive of S. Čierniková