8 June 2026 From Idea to Stage: The 2025 Research Awards Jesús Serra Ceremony
The 2025 edition of the Research Awards Jesús Serra marked a major turning point. These awards, which recognize scientific excellence in food, nutrition, and health, reached historic milestones this year—ranging from a record number of applications to the introduction of the Special Awards, an accessit award focused on science communication.
At UbiK media, we have been supporting Fundación Occident across the entire project journey since 2022, getting involved in every single phase: from attracting and managing submissions to evaluation, resolution, and the design and execution of the award ceremony. This comprehensive approach allows us to shape awards that continue to evolve to meet a shared ambition: connecting research with society.
Here is how we did it.
Our work began long before the auditorium lights went up. From attracting entries to coordinating the evaluation process and the winners’ resolution, every phase was designed with a clear goal in mind: to contribute to the global recognition of scientific research and its communication.
As a new feature for 2025, the Special Awards for Scientific Communication Federico Halpern were added to the call. This award expands the initiative’s reach by recognizing those who make scientific knowledge accessible: journalists, disseminators, and researchers working to transfer evidence-based science to society. At UbiK media, we worked on its conceptualization, format definition, and jury setup.
Seated are the winners of the 1st edition of the Special Awards for Scientific Communication Federico Halpern; from left to right: Beatriz Robles and Laura Caorsi, winners in the New Formats category, and Cristina Sáez, winner in the Traditional Media category. Standing are the winners of the 7th edition of the Research Awards Jesús Serra; from left to right: Jordi Mayneris-Perxachs, winner in the Basic Research category, and Ana Belén Crujeiras, winner in the Clinical Research category.
A Record-Breaking Edition
The call for the Research Awards Jesús Serra received an exceptionally positive response, reaching a record participation of 58 submissions (a 46% increase compared to the previous year), with representation across practically all autonomous communities and a female majority. The Special Awards for Scientific Communication Federico Halpern received 20 nominations in its inaugural edition, showing a balanced gender representation.
The evaluation committee worked with the aim of identifying not only scientific and communicative excellence, but also the potential impact and knowledge-transfer capacity of each profile.
Once the winners were selected, the countdown to the big day began.
Conceptualizing a New Ceremony Format
The challenge for this edition was not just to produce an event, but to integrate a brand-new award into an already established experience while maintaining the overall narrative coherence.
The ceremony, which brought together over 120 attendees, was designed as a continuous narrative: an award presentation followed by a debate on food and communication, moderated by Jorge Fernández and featuring the five award winners. In this space, science was not just celebrated; it was shared and projected outward into society.
Within this framework, our responsibilities spanned from invitations and guest management, script development and content selection, to visual identity, event directing, media and press relations, and the production of digital materials and assets. Every single element followed the same logic: building a smooth, seamless, and coherent experience.
The ceremony of the 7th edition of the Research Awards Jesús Serra, featuring host Jorge Fernández Madinabeitia.
A Pre-Ceremony Workshop to Connect Research with its Beneficiaries
This approach was complemented by a preliminary workshop, a format well-established since 2023 as part of the project. This smaller, more intimate space is aimed at connecting winners, experts, and attendees around a trending topic in science. This year, the focus was on microbiota, featuring over 30 participants and moderated by science journalist Patricia Fernández de Lis. At UbiK media, we conceived this format as a bridge between research and its practical application.
Pre-ceremony workshop moderated by Patricia Fernández de Lis.
Building a Lasting Narrative
For us, each edition of the Research Awards Jesús Serra is an opportunity to fine-tune the balance between strategy, content, and experience, to keep building a format that not only celebrates excellence but actively contributes to its dissemination.
Because our work is not just about organizing events. It is about ensuring that strategic ideas find the right way to be heard.
Summary video of the 7th Research Awards Jesús Serra ceremony.
