President of the Republic Awards Professor António Coutinho and Dr. Henrique Nabais

During this year’s António Champalimaud Vision Award ceremony, where Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) and the SightFirst Program, the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), and the Fred Hollows Foundation were recognised, the President of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, honoured two professionals from the Champalimaud Foundation for their outstanding contributions to the scientific and medical community.

Professor António Coutinho received the rank of the Grand Cross of the Military Order of Santiago da Espada, in recognition of his academic career and leadership in institutions such as the Pasteur Institute, the Gulbenkian Institute of Science, and the Champalimaud Foundation. Dr. Henrique Nabais was posthumously awarded the rank of Grand Officer of the Order of Merit, highlighting his dedication and the legacy of hope and inspiration he left for colleagues, patients, and their families.

These distinctions recognise not only their individual contributions to strengthening and advancing science and healthcare, as well as the collective value of the work they did for the community/society. In the words of the President of the Republic, honor the efforts “of hundreds, if not thousands, of people who have made the Champalimaud Foundation a living symbol of Portugal.”