YouCliN Awards

YouCliN

Awards

The YouCliN Thesis Award rewards the best “Neuroscience Theses” and supports young academics at the beginning of their postgraduate training.

The YouCliN Education Award supports young academics during their postgraduate training and allows them to achieve special skills. The award covers the fee for an educational course, workshop, or conference on a neuroscientific topic.

The best published neuroscientific paper and oral presentation by junior clinical neuroscientists at the SFCNS Congress are recognized with the YouCliN Research Award. It honors excellent research activities of young Swiss academics during their postgraduate training.

 

3 prizes per year for the best neuroscientific thesis

YouCliN Thesis Award

Guidelines for Application

  • The YouCliN Thesis Award will highlight the best neuroscience thesis already submitted and accepted or defended at a Swiss university in 2024/25. The total prize money is CHF 2000 (first prize CHF 1000 and two second prizes of CHF 500 each).
  • Neuroscientific Master's (MSc) or Doctoral (Dr. med.) theses submitted in 2024/25 by medical/psychological students or medical residents are also eligible. PhD theses are not eligible.
  • Candidates can directly apply via our website from now until 30.06.2025 (see “application” below).
  • Applicants are requested to complete the online application form and submit a CV, a digital copy of the thesis, a motivation letter in English (less than 300 words describing why the thesis should win the award), and a letter of recommendation from the thesis supervisor.
  • The winners will be selected by a jury (2 YouCliN members and 1 senior member) based on the following criteria: novelty, scientific methodology, relevance, motivation, and diversity.
  • The award ceremony will take place during the 6th SFCNS Congress in Lausanne (29.10. to 31.10.2025).

Submission

 

2024
  • 1st place:  M. Etter (Basel)
  • 2nd place: P. Lipps (Basel)
  • 3rd place: J. Kaufmann (Basel) and K. Catalano (Aarau)

2023
  • 1st place: L. Šinka Lucia. (Zurich)
  • 2nd place: J. van der Linde. (Basel)
  • 3rd place: O. Zanier. Machine learning-based clinical outcome prediction in surgery for acromegaly. (Zurich)
2022
  • 1st place: M. Pistor. Immunotherapies and COVID-19 mortality: a multidisciplinary open data analysis based on FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System (Bern).
  • 2nd place: J. Müller. Choroid Plexus Volume in Multiple Sclerosis vs. Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (Basel).
  • 3rd place: L. Meya. Anticoagulants in Atrial Fibrillation Patients with Recent Stroke who are Dependent on the Daily Help of Others (Basel).
2023
  • 1st place: K. Prautsch: Ex-vivo stimulation of adipose stem cells by growth factors and fibrinhydrogel assisted stem cells delivery strategies for treating nerve gap-injuries (Bern).
  • 2nd place: P. Schmassmann: Combating Glioblastoma - Activation of Microglia by targeting CD47 and Siglecs (Basel).
  • 3rd place: C. Jenny: Change in cross-sectional area of the median nerve with age in neonates, infants and children analyzed by high-resolution ultrasound imaging (St. Gallen).
3 prizes per year for education funding

YouCliN Education Award

Guidelines for Application

  • The YouCliN Education Award covers the registration fee for an upcoming neuroscience or education course or conference in 2025.
  • The total amount of the award is CHF 3'000, which will be distributed among the awardees according to the amount of funding requested.
  • Neuropsychologists or medical doctors (neurology, psychiatry, neuroradiology, neuropathology, neurosurgery) in training or within the first 2 years after specialization are eligible to apply. Individuals outside the 2-year window are encouraged to apply if they can provide explicit justification for an extended eligibility window (e.g. maternity/paternity leave, military service/research periods).
  • Candidates can apply directly via our website from now until 30.06.2025 (see “application” below).
  • Applicants are asked to complete the online application form and submit a CV, an official course or conference description or programme, and a motivational letter in English (less than 300 words describing why the course or conference is career-enhancing).
  • The winners will be selected by a jury (2 YouCliN members and 1 senior member).
  • The award ceremony will take place during the 6th SFCNS Congress in Lausanne (29.10. to 31.10.2025).

Submission

2024
  • S. Hösli (Zurich)
  • V. Schulze-Zachau (Basel)
2023
  • C. Friedrichs-Maeder (Bern)
  • B. Bandhauer (Aarau)
  • F. Stengel (St. Gallen)
  • M. Schubert (Zurich)
2022
  • R. Terziev: 14th European Epilepsy Congress (Zürich).
2021
  • M. Ziga: AO Spine Principles Level Specimen and Simulation Course - From Freehand to Navigation (St. Gallen).
for best independent, neuroscientific, clinical research publication

YouCliN Research Award

Guidelines for Application

  • The YouCliN Research Award prizes are awarded for the best independent, neuroscientific, clinical research papers. The total prize fund is CHF 3,000 (1st prize CHF 2,000 / 2nd and 3rd prize CHF 500).
  • Any neuroscientific paper published in 2023-25, either in Switzerland or by members of a Swiss institution during a research period abroad, is eligible to be considered for a prize. Invited lectures do not qualify for an award.
  • First authors, who are medical residents in neurology, neuropediatrics, neuropathology, neuroradiology, neurosurgery, psychiatry (medical neuroscience), neuropsychologists, and specialists up to 2 years after the end of training in medical neuroscience or achieving specialization of any age working in Switzerland or being a member of a Swiss institution during a research period abroad, may be considered for a prize. At least 50% of their work should be clinical, alongside research. Established scientists (post-doctoral or professors) do not qualify. Only lead authors will be named as winners. However, co-authors will be mentioned on the award certificate and in surrounding publicity.
  • Candidates can directly apply through our website until 15.05.2025.
  • Applicants are requested to fill in the application online form and submit a CV, a motivational letter in English with less than 300 words, and the neuroscientific paper itself.
  • The shortlist of papers will be drawn up by a nominated jury (2 YouCliN members and 1 senior member). The jury will first select the most interesting papers for the YouCliN Award Session, which will comprise 6 presentations (8 mins. presentation, 2 mins. discussion). Both the scientific and the linguistic quality of each abstract will be taken into account. Abstracts that are not chosen for presentations will be considered for selection as E-poster presentations.
  • At the YouCliN Award Session at the upcoming SFCNS Congress (29.10. to 31.10.2025, Lausanne), the jury will judge entries using the following quality criteria: originality, scientific methodology, relevance, and presentation style.
  • The award ceremony will take place during the 6th SFCNS Congress in Lausanne.

Submission

2022
  • 1st place: K. Akeret: Anatomical phenotyping and staging of brain tumours (Brain, 2022), Zürich.
  • 2nd place: J. Müller: On the association between the choroid plexus volume and disease characteristics in multiple sclerosis (Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroinflamm, 2022), Basel.
  • 3rd place: A. Polymeris: Oral Anticoagulants in the Oldest Old with Recent Stroke and Atrial Fibrillation (Ann Neurol, 2022), Basel.
2019
  • 1st place: A. Papadopoulou: Damage of the lateral geniculate nucleus in MS: assessing the missing node of the visual pathway (Basel).
  • 2nd place: VE Staartjes: Development and external validation of a machine learning-based prediction model for functional impairment after intracranial tumor surgery (Zürich).
  • 3rd place: TR Meinel: Endovascular stroke treatment and risk of intracranial haemorrhage and mortality in patients taking DOAC vs. VKA - Multicenter Registry, Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Bern).