To encourage reflection on the impact of medical development on society and inspire new vocations, the Brocher Foundation awards the Brocher Maturité Prize each year to 4th-year students at the Collège de Genève.
This prize is awarded for a Maturité thesis on an ethical, legal or social issue related to medical and scientific innovations. For example, cloning, artificial intelligence or medically assisted reproduction.
The award ceremony takes place every November at the Fondation Brocher. The prizewinners spend the afternoon there, taking part in a workshop led by a bioethicist and a journalist, and learning how to communicate their research to the general public. Their work is then presented at the ceremony, which also includes a lecture by an invited expert on a theme related to the Foundation's mission.
The Brocher Prize represents a mark of distinction for the winner, and enables him or her to join the Brocher Laureates' Club, a community of past winners.
Through this initiative, the Foundation aims to encourage young people to think critically about the ethical and social dimensions of science, and to take an active part in the public debate on health and innovation issues.
