Asa Gudmundsdottir Wright Award Presented as Plans for New Icelandic Academy of Science & Innovation Announced
14.2.2025 17:35:00 CET | Business Wire | Press release
Recognizing Contributions to Science and Innovation
Iceland’s President, Halla Tomasdottir, presented the Asa Gudmundsdottir Wright Award at a ceremony at the presidential residence. This year’s recipients are G. Fertram Sigurjonsson, Founder and CEO of Kerecis, and Jon Atli Benediktsson, Rector of the University of Iceland. The award honors individuals who have made significant contributions to science and innovation in Iceland.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250214199674/en/
President Halla Tomasdottir and Kerecis Founder and CEO Fertram Sigurjonsson (Photo: Business Wire)
During the ceremony, plans were also announced for the establishment of the Icelandic Academy of Science & Innovation, into which the award recipients will be inducted as members. The academy will provide a platform for collaboration between researchers, entrepreneurs, industry representatives, and academia. It will uphold the tradition of the Asa Fund by granting annual awards and aims to foster dialogue, recognize achievements in science and technology, and contribute to policy discussions in these fields.
Modeled on similar institutions in the Nordic countries, the UK, and the US, the academy will include past and future Asa Award recipients as members. Its focus will be on strengthening connections between science and industry, supporting research and innovation, and advocating for policies that advance scientific and technological development.
As one of Iceland’s most prolific inventors G. Fertram Sigurjonsson was recognized for his work in medical technology and biotechnology, including for his role in developing intact fish-skin technology for wound repair and tissue regeneration at Kerecis.
Jon Atli Benediktsson was honored for his contributions to higher education and research, fostering collaboration between academia and industry. He has been recognized on Clarivate’s list of the world’s most influential researchers for seven consecutive years.
The Asa Gudmundsdottir Wright Fund was established in 1968 in connection with the 50th anniversary of the Icelandic Science Society. Since its inception, the fund has awarded honorary prizes to 56 individuals for significant scientific achievements in Iceland or on behalf of Iceland. While it continues to recognize excellence in science, it now also acknowledges achievements in innovation.
The fund is supported by sponsors including HS Orka, Orkuveita Reykjavíkur, and Oculis, whose contributions are greatly appreciated by the board.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250214199674/en/
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Lehman Brothers Treasury Considers Sale and Final Wind-Down3.8.2026 15:30:00 CEST | Press release
Lehman Brothers Treasury Co. B.V. in liquidation (“LBT”) today, through its U.S. counsel Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer (USA) LLP, announced that LBT is considering a final wind-down of its estate. In connection therewith, LBT has retained Seaport Loan Products LLC as its exclusive placement agent in connection with the potential sale of LBT’s principal remaining asset – a $19.6 billion Class 4A allowed claim against Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (the “LBHI Claim”). LBT expects the sale to occur, if at all, in August 2026. To the extent the LBHI Claim is sold, LBT expects to make a final distribution to the holders of its existing notes and thereafter facilitate the cancellation of those notes and the final wind down of its estate in September 2026. The foregoing is subject to further consents and authorizations and LBT retains sole discretion to abandon or otherwise discontinue any sale process at any time. Accordingly, there can be no assurances that the sale process will be conducte
ClickHouse Launches ClickHouse Labs With Andy Pavlo as VP of Database Research3.8.2026 15:30:00 CEST | Press release
Renowned database researcher will lead a new group dedicated to advancing foundational database technology and sharing its work openly with the broader community ClickHouse today announced the launch of ClickHouse Labs, a new research group led by Andy Pavlo, one of the database industry’s most prominent researchers. Dr. Pavlo joins ClickHouse as Vice President of Database Research and will build a team dedicated to advancing the state of the art in database systems. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260803890510/en/ Andy Pavlo, VP of Database Research, ClickHouse Pavlo is an award-winning database researcher and professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Computer Science Department. He is known throughout the database community for his work on autonomous databases, transaction processing, and large-scale data analytics. At ClickHouse, he will bring that expertise to some of the most ambitious and consequential c
EuroTeleSites Strengthens Operations One Year into Sitetracker Partnership3.8.2026 15:00:00 CEST | Press release
EuroTeleSites, one of Central and Eastern Europe's leading independent tower companies, today announced the results of its first year in partnership with Sitetracker, the leading global Asset Lifecycle Management platform. One year into the deployment, EuroTeleSites reports meaningful progress in its digital transformation, with measurable improvements in operational efficiency, cross-market transparency, and project coordination across its six-country footprint. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260727009809/en/ EuroTeleSites Strengthens Operations One Year into Sitetracker Partnership Driving Efficiency in a Complex, High-Investment Environment EuroTeleSites invests approximately 25% of its revenue into capital expenditures in 2026, funding the construction and upgrade of tower infrastructure across Central and Eastern European markets. Managing this level of scale and complexity demands robust digital support
Visa to Acquire BioCatch3.8.2026 14:30:00 CEST | Press release
BioCatch’s behavioral and device intelligence expertise expected to help detect scams, account takeovers and digital fraud before they happen Visa (NYSE: V) today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire BioCatch, a leading provider of behavioral-first, multi-signal fraud intelligence, from funds advised by Permira and other shareholders for $2.4 billion in cash. The acquisition of BioCatch complements Visa’s existing cyber, fraud, risk and security solutions and is expected to help clients better protect themselves and their customers from the growing threat of account takeovers, scams, money mules and application fraud. Since its inception, BioCatch has developed innovative AI and machine learning-based solutions that analyze thousands of application, behavioral, device, and network signals—such as keystrokes, touch gestures, and device handling—to detect fraud and distinguish legitimate users from fraudsters in real time. BioCatch protects 1.8 billion devices and 76
U.S. Bank Investment Services enhances investor and client onboarding experience for alternative investments3.8.2026 14:16:00 CEST | Press release
U.S. Bank Investment Services today announced it has gone live with a new client lifecycle management (CLM) platform, providing a comprehensive onboarding solution for alternative investment clients and the investors in their funds. The implementation is a key milestone in Investment Services’ multi-phased technology transformation strategy, aimed at modernizing processes, workflows and reporting across the private funds space. U.S. Bank leverages CLM provider Fenergo and its Fen-X platform. Fen-X automates many of the manual processes traditionally associated with underlying investors and direct client relationships and accelerates account setup while maintaining regulatory requirements. The enhanced onboarding experience provides investors and clients with more transparency throughout the process and enables integration with other solutions providers involved in the investor journey, such as screening and tax reporting. The investor experience has been further enhanced with an invest
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom