17-03-2025

PREMIOS-RAZON-ABIERTA-scaled The deadline for submitting projects to the 7th Annual Razón Abierta Awards, organized by Francisco de Vitoria University and the Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation, has been extended | UFV Study at the Universidad Privada Madrid

Introduction

The Francisco de Vitoria University (UFV) and the Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation have extended the deadline for submitting projects for the 7th edition of the Open Reason Awards. This prestigious international award, which promotes research and academic innovation from the perspective of the “open reason” proposed by Benedict XVI, will accept submissions until April 4, 2025.

The primary aim of the award is to foster interdisciplinary dialogue among the sciences, philosophy, and theology, addressing fundamental issues such as anthropological, epistemological, ethical, and existential questions that go beyond the scope of empirical science.

To date, the Razón Abierta Awards, organized by the UFV, have recognized the work of more than 30 projects from 15 countries and 51 renowned educators and researchers.

According to Daniel Sada, president of UFV, “this award aims to create a space that fosters research and teaching that make a difference in the comprehensive understanding of humanity and the world, as proposed by Benedict XVI’s concept of ‘open reason’.”

3fc95f22-d71c-7878-1a78-c8f7e45fd2fb-1-300x300 The deadline for submitting projects to the 7th Annual Razón Abierta Awards, organized by Francisco de Vitoria University and the Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation, has been extended | UFV Study at the Universidad Privada Madrid

Official poster for the Razón Abierta Awards

An award with global impact

The UFV’s Razón Abierta Institute, a renowned promoter of dialogue between science, philosophy, and theology, received submissions for its latest edition from 15 countries, 63 institutions and/or universities, with entries in four languages. The awards, which recognized “academic quality, originality, and especially the contribution to interdisciplinary dialogue between various fields of knowledge and the humanities,” as explained by María Lacalle, director of the Institute, were presented at a ceremony held in the Old Synod Hall at the Vatican.

Among the winners from last year's edition are:

Research Category:- Anna Rowlands, professor at Durham University, for her work “Towards a Politics of Communion: Catholic Social Teaching in Dark Times”.

- [**Dr. Simon Maria Kopf**](<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://razonabierta.org/ganadores-de-la-sexta-edicion-de-los-premios-razon-abierta/__;!!D9dNQwwGXtA!R03DBPOt50H_phScvU47tSA3ze5KuKk7IsEsPydVNJ9cDoSqEMxFlLtFSokHvbUjZKTuPNj8qqA9GRtnuTCE$> "https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://razonabierta.org/ganadores-de-la-sexta-edicion-de-los-premios-razon-abierta/__;!!D9dNQwwGXtA!R03DBPOt50H_phScvU47tSA3ze5KuKk7IsEsPydVNJ9cDoSqEMxFlLtFSokHvbUjZKTuPNj8qqA9GRtnuTCE$"), a researcher at the University of Oxford, for his work “Reframing Providence: New Perspectives from Aquinas on the Divine Action Debate”.

Teaching Category:- Juan Serrano Vicente and Carola Díaz de Lope-Díaz Molins, from Francisco de Vitoria University, for their project “University Leadership School.”

- [**Giuseppe-Tanzella Nitti** and **Stefano Oliva**](<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://razonabierta.org/ganadores-de-la-sexta-edicion-de-los-premios-razon-abierta/__;!!D9dNQwwGXtA!R03DBPOt50H_phScvU47tSA3ze5KuKk7IsEsPydVNJ9cDoSqEMxFlLtFSokHvbUjZKTuPNj8qqA9GRtnuTCE$> "https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://razonabierta.org/ganadores-de-la-sexta-edicion-de-los-premios-razon-abierta/__;!!D9dNQwwGXtA!R03DBPOt50H_phScvU47tSA3ze5KuKk7IsEsPydVNJ9cDoSqEMxFlLtFSokHvbUjZKTuPNj8qqA9GRtnuTCE$"), from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, for their project “DISF Educational Platform”.

Honorable Mention:- Elizabeth Newman, professor of theology at Union Presbyterian Seminary and Duke Divinity School, for her work “Divine Abundance”.

Details about these projects and their contributions to interdisciplinary dialogue can be found on the official Razón Abierta Awards website.

Who is eligible to participate?

The award is international in scope and consists of 100,000 euros divided into four prizes of 25,000 euros each, distributed between the Teaching and Research categories.

Participants can enter in two categories:

Research: through scientific publications that take on the challenge of addressing anthropological, epistemological, and ethical questions, as well as questions regarding the meaning of their particular science or discipline.

Teaching: through academic programs that provide a detailed explanation of how anthropological, epistemological, ethical, and meaning-related questions are integrated into the teaching of a particular science or discipline.

How to participate

The call for submissions guidelines and requirements are available on the Instituto Razón Abierta’s official website. Submissions must be made through the designated platform by April 4, 2025.

A unique recognition

With their focus on “open reason,” the Open Reason Awards stand out as a unique initiative that recognizes academic efforts to push the boundaries of conventional scientific knowledge, promoting an inclusive dialogue that places human beings and their fundamental questions at the center.

Open Reason and the UFV

Open Reason, as proposed by Benedict XVI, represents a comprehensive perspective on knowledge that seeks to encompass the entirety of reality, integrating science with philosophy and theology. It is an invitation to transcend reductionism, to broaden the horizons of knowledge toward fundamental questions about the meaning of life, the dignity of the human person, and their relationship with the world.

Francisco de Vitoria University bases its educational and pedagogical model on the concept of “open reason,” viewing it as a human revolution in which every student and faculty member is committed not only to academic excellence but also to an education that shapes individuals capable of transforming society through a profound understanding of the human condition. In this context, the Open Reason Awards reflect this mission, as they celebrate and promote projects that connect knowledge with truth, ethical commitment, and a sense of the transcendent—fundamental pillars for building a truly human future.

More information:www.ufv.es/instituto-razon-abierta