The European Commission’s Marie Curie Research programme has held its first annual contest to award young European scientists for their contribution to European research.

The award ceremony took place on November 5 in Nicosia, where three scientists were handed their awards in the categories of Communicating Science, Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Promising Research Talent by European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, Androulla Vassiliou.

Gkikas Magiorkinis has won the Promising Research Talent prize for "his exceptional work tracing the spread of Hepatitis C virus around the globe, which was until now, uncharted territory."

Magiorkinis is a Marie Curie Research Fellow at the University of Oxford and an honorary lecturer at the University of Athens.

Dr. Claire M. Belcher was named winner in the "Communicating Science" category, while Dr. Sarit Sivan was the Innovation and Entrepreneurship prize-winner.