On 4 May, the Palau de Pedralbes hosted the presentation ceremony for the 2025 National Research Awards, granted by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. Among the awardees, Dr Josep Dalmau, group leader at CaixaResearch Institute and at the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS), received the award in the field of Medicine and Health Sciences, in recognition of a career that has profoundly transformed the understanding and treatment of autoimmune neurological diseases. The award also highlights a career shaped by the close connection between research and clinical practice, an approach that has made it possible to bring scientific advances into patient care.

During his time at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr Dalmau discovered anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, a finding that marked a turning point in clinical neuroimmunology. For the first time, it was shown how an antibody targeting a neuronal receptor could cause symptoms such as psychosis, memory and behavioural disturbances, abnormal movements, epilepsy or even coma.

This breakthrough made it possible to identify and understand a group of conditions that had until then remained largely unknown: autoimmune encephalitis, disorders in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the brain and which, for years, were often diagnosed as psychiatric illnesses. Since that discovery, his group has contributed to the identification of a significant proportion of the autoimmune encephalitis cases known today and has developed diagnostic tools and clinical guidelines that are now used worldwide.

The National Research Award recognises precisely this way of doing science: an approach in which clinical observation and experimental research reinforce one another, making it possible not only to advance knowledge but also to improve patient outcomes. As Dr Dalmau himself has pointed out, bringing his knowledge into clinical practice is one of his main motivations as a researcher. This recognition highlights that way of working and also represents an honour, as it welcomes him into a leading scientific community alongside researchers who have shaped the development of their respective disciplines.

Barcelona, a leading European scientific hub

The ceremony also served to highlight Barcelona’s role as a first-rate scientific hub. In his speech, His Majesty the King described the city as “a benchmark in Spain and in Europe, where science, culture and industry engage with one another, with a clear international outlook”, and recalled that a few days earlier he had presided over the inauguration of CaixaResearch Institute, which he described as a leading biomedical research centre specialising in immunology, as a concrete example of this commitment to generating knowledge in the service of health.

At CaixaResearch Institute, we congratulate Dr Dalmau and all the awardees in this year’s edition. Having researchers of this calibre and recognition among us is, for us, both a privilege and an encouragement to continue working with the same level of rigour and scientific ambition.