The innovation award for boosting innovative ideas

The AmSIA is the Amsterdam competition for research-based ideas and impactful innovations that could positively impact tomorrow’s world. Participants have a chance to win one of the three prizes of each € 10.000, that will be awarded in the categories: Society, Health, and Environment & Climate. These categories are based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

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For whom

The Innovation Award is open to researchers, PhD’s, staff and students from all Amsterdam universities, universities of applied sciences, university medical centers and NWO research institutes. It welcomes ideas from all research disciplines and domains: from natural sciences and engineering, to the red and green life sciences, to the arts, humanities and social sciences.

Timeline

In the week of 11 March we will announce the pre-finalists. Then after assessment by an expert jury and the outcome of the public voting campaign, we will announce the nine finalists on 20 May.
Followed by the exiting finale on 17 June 2025, at the NERMO Science Museum. There the finalists will pitch their ideas in front of the jury and audience after which three winners will receive the Amsterdam Science & Innovation Award 2025.

Videos AmSIA alumni

Where are AmSIA-Alumni now? We have interviewed alumni of the Amsterdam Science & Innovation award. Watch their stories to see how the AmSIA has supported their exciting journey.

Wound healing implants
Zeliha Guler (Amsterdam UMC)
AmSIA winner 2023, Zeliha Guler, developed a groundbreaking biodegradable implant tot mimic natural tissue and promote healing. A safer, more effective solution for women’s health!
Alumni videos
Sustainable nanomaterials
Olivier Lugier (UVA)
AmSIA winner 2023, Olivier Lugier, introduced an innovative approach to green synthesis of hybrid core-shell nanoparticles through his project — now start-up— called Nano Hybrids.
Alumni videos
Innovating agriculture for more sustainability
Arnon Lesage (UvA)
Scientist Arnon Lesage, AmSIA winner in 2021, is now CEO of start-up SolarFoil that develops a new type of nano foil that converts sunlight into optimal light for more efficient agriculture and horticulture.
Alumni videos
Revolutionizing early cancer diagnosis
Imran Avci (VU)
In 2021,researcher Imran Avci pitched a game-changing idea at AmSIA to revolutionize early cancer diagnosis. Her innovation, based on a powerful photonic microchip, could make early detection affordable, accessible, and part of routine healthcare—saving countless lives worldwide.
Alumni videos