The European Grand Prize for Research 2026 was awarded to Prof. Michael Heneka by the Alzheimer Research Foundation on 17 March during the opening ceremony of this year’s AD/PD(TM) International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases and related neurological disorders , an international scientific conference hosted in Copenhagen. This prestigious prize rewards a researcher known in the scientific community for his scientific contributions and impact in the field of Alzheimer disease research. The award comes with a grant that will further support research on the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) at the University of Luxembourg.
The Alzheimer Research Foundation is the leading funder of research on Alzheimer’s and related diseases in France. It supports projects that combine innovation and scientific excellence, led by French and European researchers, focusing its efforts on preclinical and clinical research to improve prevention and diagnosis and pave the way for effective treatments.
Prof. Bruno Dubois, the co-founder of the foundation, and Prof. Giovanni Frisoni, head of its European Scientific Committee, presented the award to Prof. Michael Heneka emphasising his work on the interplay between the nervous and the immune system, now one of the main scientific directions in the field of neurodegenerative diseases.
Credits for top photo: Alzheimer Research Foundation