The RSE Mary Somerville Medal recognizes exceptional achievement in research in teamwork and collaborative endeavour within Scottish Higher Education Institute (HEI), between Scottish HEI and other institutions/businesses, and within other institutions, nationally and internationally.
The Drug Discovery Unit was awarded for their research work as the largest academic drug discovery team in the World. It demonstrates that multi-disciplinary, tightly coordinated, and large-scale translational research with real-world impact is both possible and highly impactful: 6 drugs in clinical trials, 6 spin-outs enabled, 9 licences to Pharmaceutical Companies. The team works extensively in neglected infectious disease, such as malaria, leishmaniasis, Chagas’ disease, and tuberculosis, and is a preferred partner for Wellcome and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in achieving their missions in disease elimination. This impactful work appears in journals such as Nature, Science and PNAS, bringing international reputation to Scotland.