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Ben Barres Spotlight Awards

eLife celebrates diversity in science by supporting visionary researchers with flexible funding.

The eLife's Ben Barres Spotlight Awards support pioneering researchers from underrepresented groups in biology and medicine or based in regions with limited research funding. Eligible authors of Reviewed Preprints and eLife articles can apply by telling us how an award would significantly impact their research, career or community.

Illustration by Riko Sapto Dimo

Next call for applications

Applications for the next round of awards are not yet open. Sign-up to our community newsletter to be alerted when this changes.

Highlighting past winners

Here’s what recipients of Ben Barres Spotlight Awards have to say:

“I was honoured to receive a Ben Barres Spotlight Award to enable me to visit a collaborator in Belgium. Together, we explored new ways to use the extensive genomic datasets generated by my lab in Kenya.”

- Charles Agoti (2022 winner)

“I feel proud that my award will make women’s contributions to the field more visible and hopefully offer unique insights that will narrow the gender gap in my research community.”

- Sol Fittipaldi (2023 runner-up)

Learn more about the other awardees from previous years: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Hear what past winners think of their award

Watch the 2024 award ceremony here showcasing winners and highlighting how they will use their award.

Honouring Ben Barres

Named in memory of our late colleague, transgender researcher, and fervent advocate for equality in science, the Ben Barres Spotlight Awards stand as a testament to the enduring legacy of Ben Barres. Through the awards we aim to embody his vision of a more inclusive and equitable scientific community.

Image courtesy of Stanford University School of Medicine
  1. Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  2. Wellcome Trust
  3. Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
  4. Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation