Science stands out in Bilbao as a compass for the future in an uncertain present.

The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards have now been held for seventeen years. These awards recognize pioneers in fields of scientific knowledge such as biomedicine, artificial intelligence, climate change, and artistic creation. Champions of the transformative power of knowledge in all its forms. But this year, despite the event once again taking place yesterday at the Euskalduna Palace in Bilbao, it is not just another year: with an uncertain political landscape in general that affects the scientific field in particular, one name hovered among the words of this year's 20 award winners, but it was never mentioned: Donald Trump . Because the current president of the United States, the country where many of them were born, resided, or still live, now denies many of their discoveries and the importance of their work, which is vital to understanding the past, present, and future of our world.

"In a highly complex international context, the contributions of highly innovative individuals like the award winners allow us to chart a course for making the best decisions, both individually and collectively, in the service of the general interest and the preservation of the diversity of life on Earth," said Carlos Torres Vila , President of the BBVA Foundation, at the opening of the ceremony. He was present at the ceremony alongside the President of the Spanish National Research Council, Eloísa del Pino ; the Mayor of Bilbao, Juan María Aburto ; and the Basque National Assembly, Imanol Pradales . "This ceremony is a celebration of what defines us as a species: our ability to generate knowledge and use it for the benefit of all."

The awards ceremony began with the Basic Sciences category, which recognized American John Hartwig , German Helmut Schwarz, and Spaniard Avelino Corma for their advances in catalysis, essential for the production of everything from medicines to fuels. Hartwig, speaking on behalf of the three awardees, clarified that catalysts act as "matchmakers" between molecules, enabling chemical reactions that would otherwise not occur.

The researcher, currently working at the University of California, Berkeley, took the opportunity to express his concern "about the short-term future": "Like all of us who are part of a university in the United States, our research and our students and postdocs depend on financial support from federal funds. There are about 25 people in my group, and I don't know if I'll be able to continue supporting all 25 or just 10, or none at all. And this uncertainty is not due to any doubt about the quality of our scientific research, but to the measures adopted by the federal government and the decisions that the courts will make in the future."

In the biomedicine category, the following were recognized: Macedonian-American Svetlana Mojsov , Canadian Daniel Drucker , American Joel Habener , and Danish Jens Juul Holst . They are the creators of the famous drug Ozempic , which, although created against diabetes, has also proven to be an effective remedy against obesity. Their work on the hormone GLP-1, produced in the intestine, has transformed the treatment of these pathologies. Drucker emphasized that this discovery "is the most important in the field of metabolic diseases since insulin." Mojsov also highlighted that the benefits of GLP-1 extend to cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, and even substance use disorders.

The awards also focus on emerging technologies. Americans Michael I. Jordan and Anil Jain were recognized in the Information and Communications Technologies category for their work in machine learning and biometrics. Jain has revolutionized facial and fingerprint recognition, taking the way computers "see" and interpret images to the next level.

For his part, Jordan has been instrumental in developing models that support systems like ChatGPT . "AI isn't magic," Jordan recalled, "it's science and engineering based on data and human decisions."

The vindictive tone returned with the award winner in the Climate Change category, one of the sectors most affected by the new Trump era. American Camille Parmesan (who emigrated a decade ago from her native Texas to the United Kingdom and from there, "expelled" by Brexit, to the French Pyrenees, where she currently resides) was recognized for documenting how global warming alters the geographic distribution of thousands of animal and plant species, starting with the tiny Edith butterfly, to which she has dedicated her life, and moving on to mammals.

“I grew up in Texas and belong to the Star Trek generation. It was the era of the first moon landings, and scientific discoveries were constantly making headlines. For young people, the world seemed to be moving in a favorable direction, promising better lives for all and a future filled with hope, peace, and discovery,” Parmesan claimed. “This award is especially pertinent now, in light of the growing misinformation not only about climate change, but about science in general (...) The attacks on science, not only in the United States, but around the world, come at a time of climate emergency when international cooperation is essential. Climate science should not be politicized.”

The Social Sciences award was shared by five leading figures in the study of attitudes: Argentina's Dolores Albarracín , Poland's Icek Ajzen , India's Mahzarin Banaji , and Americans Anthony Greenwald and Richard Petty . Albarracín emphasized that understanding how attitudes form and change is essential for predicting behavior. "This award reminds us that we must persist even when social science is under attack," Albarracín concluded.

In the Economics, Finance, and Management category, Frenchman Olivier Blanchard , Spaniard Jordi Galí, and American Michael Woodford were honored for developing New Keynesian Economics. This approach incorporates price rigidities, rational expectations, and market power to explain why supply and demand do not adjust automatically.

In the Humanities category, the award went to British philosopher Philip Kitcher , a proponent of an integrative approach between science and philosophy. His career has been marked by reflection on ethical progress and the role of the humanities in major contemporary debates. Kitcher, who warned of the danger of the Human Genome Project being relegated merely to a power struggle for control of biomedicine, warned of the erosion of ethical commitment in politics and called for a restoration of the ideal of a society oriented toward the common good, where science plays a central and transversal role.

Finally, the Music and Opera Award recognized Japanese composer Toshio Hosokawa for a work that fuses Western aesthetics with Japanese tradition. His music, inspired by nature and spirituality, has been described by him as a way of "transcribing the sounds of the collective unconscious."

The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards, established in 2008, recognize outstanding contributions that reflect the landscape of 21st-century knowledge. Supported by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), they award €400,000 in each category and are considered a precursor to the Nobel Prizes. Not surprisingly, 31 of the scientists recognized with the BBVA Foundation awards later received the Swedish Academy's award.

In the words of Carlos Torres Vila, the event was an invitation to "commit to a society based on evidence and creativity, capable of addressing global challenges with sustainable and shared solutions." The ceremony not only celebrated its key figures, but also offered a clear message: knowledge remains the best compass for navigating the challenges of the present and the future.