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ArcelorMittal Honors Important Contributions in Science
01/10/2011 - ArcelorMittal acknowledged the recent bestowing of the "Sidmar Foundation of the President" on Professor Eric Legius from the Catholic University of Louvain in recognition for his contributions for the period of 2007-2010.
ArcelorMittal acknowledged the recent bestowing of the "Sidmar Foundation of the President" on Professor Eric Legius from the Catholic University of Louvain in recognition for his contributions for the period of 2007-2010. The award was given for his research on neurofibromatosis - a genetically-inherited disease in which the nerve tissue grows tumors that may cause serious damage by compressing nerves and other tissues.
Awarded once every three years, the "Sidmar Foundation of the President" was established in 1989 as a tribute to the exceptional merits of the late René Brück, former CEO and Honorary President of Sidmar NV (today ArcelorMittal Belgium).
In September 1992, the Foundation made a donation to the Royal Belgian Academy of Medicine with a view to award a prize to researchers who made an important contribution to the fundamental or clinical knowledge of chronic diseases which cause serious invalidity and are considered to be incurable.
Since its creation, the Sidmar prize has been awarded 6 times. Past winners have included:
· 1993-95: H. Mielants and E. Veys (University of Ghent) - research on chronic rheumatism
· 1995-98: M. Mareel and F. Van Roy (University of Ghent) - research on cancer
· 1998-01: G. Opdenakker and J. Van Damme (Rega Institute Catholic University of Louvain) - research on immunity
· 2001-04: H. Deckmyn (Catholic University of Louvain) - research on thrombosis
· 2004-07: F. Gorus (University of Brussels) - research on diabetes
· 2007-10: E. Legius (Catholic University of Louvain) - research on neurofibromatosis
In the spirit of the founders, the prize should be awarded preferably to research concerning diseases that might also strike ArcelorMittal's population. The Royal Belgian Academy of Medicine selects members of the jury that is charged with selecting a winner from among the nominated researchers.
The Sidmar prize fits well with ArcelorMittal's Corporate Responsibility policies, as the company aims at operating without accidents and protecting the health and safety of its employees.
