SSB+RM Awards

RMS Research Award

To honor excellent scientific work in the area of Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine, the SSB+RM will present one Research Award a year, for either an outstanding PhD thesis or an outstanding MD/DDS thesis. The awards will be given based on originality and impact of the work. The research award consists of CHF 1000.- and a certificate.

Rules

• To qualify for the Research Award, the candidate must have completed and defended her/his PhD/MD/DDS thesis during the last 12 months at a Swiss university.
• The topic of the research must be related to the scope of the society.
• The author of the thesis may nominate him- or herself.
• The candidate must have at least one accepted paper as first author in a peer-reviewed journal.
• The candidate must submit:
  • A cover letter (max. 1 page)
  • CV
  • pdf of the thesis
  • pdf of the accepted paper
• Send your application to awards@ssbrm.ch.
• The Award Committee is composed of active members of the Executive Committee of the SSB+RM who will evaluate the applications. Their decision is final.
• The winners are expected to present their work during an online or on-site event hosted by SSB+RM.
• Deadline for submission: 15.07.2025
• The winner will be notified in early August.

Annual Meeting Student Awards

Student awards were originally established in the SSB+RM meetings in order to give young scientists recognition of their scientific performance, which could be documented in their curriculum vitae, and to encourage them to continue their research career in the field of biomaterials.

During the SSB+RM Annual Meeting, the Best Oral, Rapid Fire, and Poster Awards are kindly supported by Exabone GmbH and presented for amounts of CHF 400, 300, and 200, respectively.

For the oral presentation, we strongly advise students to read our guidelines before starting to prepare the presentation.

Rules

To qualify for the student award the candidate must be under 30 years of age, a registered student at a University (Letter from Dept. head required) at undergraduate or postgraduate level. Not included are applicants carrying a Dr. degree and studying for a second Dr. title or applicants studying for an MBA after completion of a first degree. The student must be first-listed and presenting author. For posters they must be present at the official poster presentation time. The submission must clearly be the work of the applicant and not that of any co-author.

Reviewers will assess presentations of all the eligible candidates and independently judge their performance. Evaluation criteria will include

• quality and presentation of material in the abstract;
• the contribution of the presented work to the field;
• the clarity and the informative aspects of the presentation;
• the appropriate use of visual aids;
• the ability to interact with the audience during the discussion period including the presenter’s knowledge of the research field and involvement in the entire project.

Awards may be won for poster or oral presentation.

David Wendt Memorial Award

Dr. David J. Wendt was a brilliant scientist, a thoughtful mentor, and the co-founder of Cellec Biotek AG. After earning his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering with a focus on tissue engineering, he joined the Tissue Engineering Lab at the University Hospital Basel in 2001, where he established the Bioreactor Program, a cornerstone of the lab. David pioneered advanced tools for 3D cell and tissue culture, laying the foundation for academic and industrial collaborations across Europe and the U.S., and securing major national and international research funding.

His innovative work led to the creation of the U-CUP bioreactor and the founding of Cellec Biotek AG. David passed away in April 2024 at the age of 53. He is deeply missed and fondly remembered.

In his honor, the SSB-RM, in collaboration with Cellec Biotek AG, presents the David Wendt Memorial Award to recognize outstanding contributions in the field of biomaterials for 3D culture and tissue engineering.

Two prizes will be awarded:
– CHF 700 for the best oral presentation (first-listed presenting author)
– CHF 300 for the best poster presentation

To ensure the award’s continued relevance and distinction, each category requires a minimum of four eligible abstracts.