The team behind the development of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has been awarded the Royal Society’s Copley Medal – the first time in the award’s nearly 300-year history that it has been awarded to a whole team rather than an individual.
Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert DBE, said: “It is wonderful to receive this recognition for the team,” as she accepted the award on behalf of the researchers, technicians, students and support staff who together achieved the rapid development and deployment of the vaccine.
"When work started on the vaccine in 2020, we needed to bring together people with complementary expertise to allow us to move quickly and plan many stages ahead. Many people worked extremely hard for a very long time, and winning this prize lets the whole team know how much their dedication is appreciated,” continued Professor Gilbert.
Other recipients of the Society’s prizes this year for their involvement in the COVID-19 pandemic include Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, who was awarded the David Attenborough Award and Lecture for his public engagement work, and Professor Graham Medley OBE, who was awarded the Gabor Medal in recognition of his team’s epidemiological modelling.
Sir Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society said:
On behalf of the Royal Society, I offer my congratulations to the outstanding researchers, individuals and teams whose contributions to our collective scientific endeavour have helped further our understanding of the world around us.
Science has always been a team game, and I’m proud to see such a wide array of skills and specialisms reflected in this year’s medals and awards.
From the original ideas that open up new fields, to the team effort that delivered the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, or the vital work of technicians and those opening doors for the next generation of talented researchers – I am proud that we can celebrate outstanding scientific contributions in all their forms.
Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group said:
It is a huge honour for the Oxford COVID-19 team to be awarded the Copley Medal for our work on the life-saving Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, and it is a shining inspiration for us to continue our efforts to improve human health through immunisation and protect the world from future pandemic threats.
Professor Sir Menelas Pangalos, Executive Vice President BioPharmaceuticals R&D at AstraZeneca said:
Thank you to the Royal Society for honouring the AstraZeneca/Oxford team with the Copley Medal in recognition for the discovery, development and manufacturing of its COVID-19 vaccine at an unprecedented scale and impact. Our vaccine has saved over 6.3 million lives with the highest impact of any COVID-19 vaccine in low and lower middle-income countries. It is a phenomenal achievement and testament to the dedication, ingenuity and passion of our teams to do the right thing.