Profectus Academy wins Vesalius Innovation Award
The startup Profectus Academy, which has developed AI tools to help researchers craft better grant proposals, won first place at the VIA Award ceremony in London.
This is the sixth time that Karger Publishers has presented its Vesalius Innovation Award. The award honours internationally active startups that offer innovative solutions for the rapidly changing needs of the health sciences ecosystem. This year’s competition focused on the responsible use of artificial intelligence, research integrity, and sustainable knowledge transfer.
The award was presented today as a part of the STM Innovation & Integrity Days in London. The following five finalists pitched their innovative ideas to the jury: Safespace Research, AuthentiSci, Profectus Academy, Thesify, and Scitility. The winning startup Profectus Academy provides AI tools for researchers to craft more powerful grant proposals.
At thr ceremony, Profectus Academy received the 15,000 USD award from Daniel Ebneter, CEO of Karger, who emphasised the growing role such innovations play in the field of health sciences and publishing. In addition, he thanked the seven-member jury, the VIA team, and the participating startups for their outstanding dedication to advancing scientific research in new ways.
“The competition this year was particularly tough. As the winner of the 2025 Vesalius Innovation Award, Profectus Academy fulfilled all the rigorous criteria with its successful application,” explained Ebneter. “The company’s smart and ethical use of AI tools to enhance researchers’ grant opportunities is well-aligned with Karger’s mission to democratise science and access to funding for the researchers who conduct it.”
Runner-up prizes were awarded to two startups: Safespace Research, which provides AI-driven mental health support through science and peer networks, and Thesify, which offers an AI-based writing assistant for structured reviews, semantic literature search, and paper digests.
You can find more information about the Vesalius Innovation Award at karger.com/via