Milan, 21 april 2021 – Gianni Bonadonna was the father of Italian medical oncology and a leading figure in the international panorama of oncological medicine. His research and discoveries have rewritten the way we now treat breast cancer and some types of lymphoma and have inspired and influenced the approach to cancer therapy of entire generations of doctors in Italy and around the world.

The fellowships named for him, intended to finance a period of study abroad, are reserved for physicians enrolled in the last two years of graduate programs specializing in medical oncology or hematology, and for neo-specialists within two years of receiving their degree.

Fondazione Gianni Bonadonna, with the support of the Prada Group, and Fondazione AIRC firmly believe that promoting the training of new generations of medical researchers in oncology in international centers of excellence is a key aspect of progress in cancer treatment, in keeping with the spirit of Gianni Bonadonna’s tradition of innovation. With this shared view, they are sponsoring this call for applications for study-abroad fellowships, so that a new generation of medical researchers will be optimally equipped for the study and treatment of cancer. For those candidates who win the fellowship, the study period is scheduled to start in 2022.

The call for applications will be posted on the websites of AIRC and Gianni Bonadonna Foundations www.direzionescientifica.airc.it/funding-for-research/fellowship/ and www.fondazionebonadonna.org as of 21 April, 2021.

“During his outstanding career, Gianni Bonadonna trained generations of oncologists in Italy and abroad” – says Luca Gianni, President of Gianni Bonadonna Foundation. “Inspired from attitude of mentorship, Fondazione Gianni Bonadonna pursues the education of young doctors willing to get involved in therapeutic innovation in oncology. Gianni Bonadonna Fellowship aims to be an effective contribution to train a new generation of physician-scientists in oncology. At Fondazione Gianni Bonadonna we strongly believe that the ability of knowing the language of basic science and of clinical research is key to translate new research findings into better therapies for cancer patients”.

“AIRC’s mission”, explains Federico Caligaris Cappio, Scientific Director of Fondazione AIRC, “is to find, through research, the cure for all types of cancer and to develop increasingly targeted and less toxic therapies. To understand and address the complexity of cancer, research must innovate relentlessly, it must be creative and explore sophisticated new technologies. It is necessary to support the growth and training paths of young people to ensure the generational turnover of researchers. Equally important it is to continue to promote high-profile partnerships in order to expand the network of collaborations, to quickly bring the discoveries of basic research to the patient’s bedside”.

“Prada has always been interested in supporting culture, research and education of new generations. When Luca Gianni became President of Fondazione Gianni Bonadonna and proposed us to support it, we immediately said yes because of the importance of Gianni Bonadonna himself and because of the kind of activities and projects they wanted to develop. Today, this fellowship is another step of our commitment to the Fondazione and AIRC”, declared Miuccia Prada, Prada Group Co-CEO.