Graeme Clark, Erwin Hochmair, Ingeborg Hochmair, Blake Wilson, John Donoghue, Alim Louis Benabid, Pierre Pollak, Jocelyne Bloch and Grégoire Courtine were announced the winners of the prestigious award yesterday evening (3 February) at the Science Museum in London.
“This year’s laureates have delivered pioneering achievements in neuroengineering, demonstrating the extraordinary power of engineering to overcome physical limitations. Their work enables technology to interact directly with the brain and nervous system to restore abilities such as hearing, movement and communication for people affected by sensory loss, paralysis and neurological disease,” a QEPrize announcement said.
“Together, these advances mark a new frontier in neuroprosthetics, where engineering and medicine converge to restore capabilities once thought lost forever. Spanning several decades of research and clinical translation, the laureates’ contributions have transformed complex neuroscience into practical technologies that have restored independence and improved quality of life for growing numbers of people worldwide.”
Modern neural interfaces encompass a range of technologies that connect engineered systems with the nervous system to restore function. Among the most established of these are cochlear implants, which convert sound into electrical signals that directly stimulate the auditory nerve, enabling people who are severely to profoundly deaf to regain functional hearing.
The prize foundation recognised Clark, Erwin Hochmair, Ingeborg Hochmair and Wilson for their collective contributions to the development of cochlear implants, including advances in electrical stimulation, multichannel systems, miniaturisation and sound processing. Their work has transformed cochlear implants from experimental devices into reliable neural prostheses used by over a million people around the world.
“My work in auditory brain science began with the aim of restoring hearing for people with severe deafness, inspired in part by my own family’s experience,” said Clark.
“Over time, this research showed that multichannel stimulation of the auditory nerve could restore elements of hearing, opening the door to an entirely new field of medical engineering. I am honoured to be recognised alongside my colleagues by the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, and proud to see how this field has grown to help people with a wide range of neurological conditions.”
Cochlear implants “were once considered impossible by many”, said Ingeborg Hochmair, but today “they demonstrate what can be achieved when engineers, clinicians and users work together with a shared purpose”.
Donoghue was recognised for his “foundational leadership” in advancing brain-computer interfaces, creating systems that decode neural activity from the motor cortex to restore movement and communication. His work demonstrated that neural signals could be translated into commands for external devices, establishing core engineering principles that underpin the field.
Modern deep brain stimulation (DBS) pioneers Benabid and Pollak received awards for their work on therapy that uses targeted electrical stimulation to alleviate symptoms of neurological movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease. Their engineering contributions to electrode design and programmable stimulation systems have “revolutionised” treatment for thousands of patients, the announcement said.
“As a doctor, I have always been fascinated by the idea of contributing to the discovery of new therapies for disabling disorders, particularly neurological ones,” Pollak said.
“As a researcher, I have tried to understand the mechanisms at the origin of symptoms or those generated by pharmacological or engineering therapies through the brain-machine interface. Multidisciplinary teamwork has made the discovery and development of DBS possible, but much research remains to be done to understand and modulate the extraordinary complexity of neural language.”
Bloch and Courtine were recognised for their development of electronic spinal stimulation technology, which reactivates neural circuits controlling locomotion. By combining targeted electrical stimulation with advanced rehabilitation approaches, their work has enabled individuals with spinal cord injuries to regain voluntary movement.
“Our collective effort to build a world in which paralysis is no longer a life sentence has been neither swift nor easy,” said Courtine. “This prize does not mark the end of the journey, but the responsibility – and the encouragement – to continue the fight against paralysis. Onward!”
Taken together, “these innovative achievements have redefined what engineering can achieve in medicine. Through decades of sustained innovation, their work highlights the role of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing some of the most complex challenges in healthcare,” the announcement said.
Engineering is “central to the government’s mission to drive innovation for all our benefit,” said science minister Liz Kendall. “Nowhere is this more apparent than in the phenomenal advances made by this year’s Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering laureates, whose work is giving hope to people who’ve suffered injuries and illnesses that profoundly impact their everyday lives.”
Lord Patrick Vallance, chair of the QEPrize Foundation, said: “Through decades of sustained innovation, this year’s laureates have shown how engineering working alongside medicine can address loss of function and improve quality of life.
“By honouring these achievements, the prize celebrates engineering at its very best – innovation driven by purpose, collaboration across disciplines, and a commitment to meeting real human need. We are proud to recognise these engineers and their outstanding contribution to society.”
The laureates will share the £500,000 prize and be formally honoured at a QEPrize Presentation Ceremony at a later date, where they will receive a trophy designed by 2026 ‘Create the Trophy’ winner Kayla Taqiya, age 21, from Indonesia.
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