Załącznik do ZW 106/2021

Stanisław Lem European Research Prize (Lem Prize)

2021 rules and regulations

Article 1. Prize

The Stanisław Lem European Research Prize (the Lem Prize) has been established to commemorate the 100th birthday of the great Polish visionary and science fiction novelist, Stanisław Lem, awarded doctorate honoris causa of Wroclaw University of Science and Technology (Wroclaw Tech) in 1981. The essential elements of Lem’s literary legacy: people, science, technology, progress and future – are also the core elements defining the mission and aspirations of Wroclaw Tech.

The Lem Prize is awarded annually to one young researcher whose creative recent work in science or engineering has potential for positive impact on the future of civilization increasingly filled with technology.

The Lem Prize is administered and financed by Wroclaw Tech.

Article 2. Committee

The Lem Prize Committee consists of 12 regular members appointed by the Rector of Wroclaw Tech, including at least 3 persons from each of the following groups:

distinguished scientists from outside of Wroclaw Tech;

professores magni (the title of professor magnus is awarded to the most accomplished professors of Wroclaw Tech);

members of Academia Iuvenum (Academia Iuvenum is composed of the outstanding young scientists at Wroclaw Tech).

The Chairman of the Committee is a member of the Committee from outside of Wroclaw Tech.

Additionally, the Committee may include honorary members.

Article 3. Candidates

Applications or nominations to the Prize may be submitted by (or on behalf of) the candidates meeting all of the following requirements:

they have not reached the age of 40 by the end of the year preceding a given edition of the Prize (e.g., in the 2021 edition: they were born on 1 January 1981 or later);

they are affiliated with an academic or research institution in a European Union member state or an associated country participating in Horizon Europe;



they have made in the last 3 years (e.g., in the 2021 edition: from 1 January 2018 until the submission) a discovery or significant achievement in broadly understood fields of science and engineering, with strong elements of technology, interdisciplinarity, creativity and vision.

Candidates affiliated with Wroclaw Tech for the last 3 years (e.g., in the 2021 edition: from 1 January 2018 until the submission) are excluded from participation in the competition.

Article 4. Criteria

The Committee evaluates the applications/nominations based on the following criteria:

excellence of the conducted research and originality of the idea or method;

immediate and long-term impact on the particular discipline or research field or beyond, benefits to the global society, and relevance to the major current civilizational challenges;

scientific, technological, and interdisciplinary aspects of the research or discovery.

The decision of the Committee is final and cannot be challenged.

Article 5. Procedure

Candidates must submit the following documents in English:

application form – in the form specified in Annex 1;

up to 3 publications confirming the discovery or achievement (books, articles, patents or patent applications, etc.);

2 or 3 recommendation letters, including at most one by a person affiliated in the same country; recommendations ought to be addressed to the Lem Prize Committee and include the name, title, function, affiliation and signature of the recommending person and the date of the recommendation.

Documents in electronic form (preferably in PDF) should be sent to the Science Office of Wroclaw Tech, to the address: lemprize@pwr.edu.pl, not later than 15 October 2021 at 23:59. Applications which are incomplete or have arrived after the deadline will not be considered. All of the documents must be secured with the same password. The password should be sent in a separate e-mail or via SMS to the phone number +48 661 531 020 according to the following format: first name, last name, e-mail address from which the documents were sent, password.

The Prize Committee will select and inform the winner by e-mail by 8 November 2021.

The announcement of the results to the public will take place on 15 November 2021, during the annual celebrations of Wroclaw Tech’s anniversary.

Article 6. Reward

The Lem Prize winner will receive a monetary reward in the amount of 100 000 PLN (or the equivalent in EUR) and a certificate. The prize is subject to taxation in accordance with the applicable regulations.

The reward will be paid by 15 December 2021. To receive the payment, the winner shall provide the original documents according to Annexes 2-5 to the following address:



Science Office
Wroclaw University of Science and Technology

Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland

Article 7. Winner’s obligations

The winner will present the “Lem Lecture” to the open public as well as additional lectures to the fellow specialists and meet with Academia Iuvenum and student organizations at Wrocław Tech within the following year.

The winner’s travel and accommodation costs related to the performance of the obligations set out in point 1 above are covered entirely by Wroclaw Tech.

Article 8. Processing of personal data

Wroclaw Tech is the controller of the competition participants’ personal data.

Wroclaw Tech (as a Data Controller) processes personal data for the purpose of conducting the competition, including awarding the Prize, in accordance with the Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union 2016/679 of April 27, 2016, on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data. Contacting a Controller’s representative is possible by writing a letter to the address of the Controller’s registered seat or using the contact form on the webpage https://pwr.edu.pl/contact. The Controller has appointed a Data Protection Officer who can be contacted at: iod@pwr.edu.pl. The Controller ensures that the data subjects whose data it processes have the rights as set out in the GDPR to access, correct, erase, restrict the processing of, transfer, rectify as well as object to the processing of their data. Most of the rights are not absolute – detailed explanations can be found in the privacy policy: https://pwr.edu.pl/en/privacy-policy.

Providing data, including personal data, for the purpose of the competition is voluntary, but necessary to participate in the competition.

Article 9. Contact

Any questions about the Lem Prize competition should be sent to: lemprize@pwr.edu.pl.

Further information about the competition is also available at: https://lemprize.pwr.edu.pl.