The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet is the independent body responsible for selecting the recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. It consists of 50 professors at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden’s medical university. Although closely connected with the university through its membership, the Assembly is organizationally independent of it and makes the final award decision by vote. (nobelprizemedicine.org)
Origins and institutional status
The Assembly’s authority derives from the will of Alfred Nobel, signed on 27 November 1895, which assigned responsibility for the physiology or medicine prize to Karolinska Institutet. The first award was made in 1901. Before the creation of a separate organization, the university’s professors collectively decided the recipients. (nobelprize.org)
The Nobel Assembly was instituted as an independent organization in 1977. Its establishment addressed two developments: university reforms that would enlarge the faculty involved in decision-making, and public-access requirements affecting documents held by state institutions. A separate body allowed the prize-selection process to retain its confidential deliberations and a manageable structure for scientific discussion. The Assembly is legally and financially independent of both Karolinska Institutet and the Swedish state; its funding comes from the Nobel Foundation. (nobelprize.org)
Membership and the Nobel Committee
Assembly members must be professors at Karolinska Institutet and remain members while serving on its faculty. When a seat becomes vacant, the Assembly elects a replacement. It meets five times annually to discuss nominations, elect its committee, and decide the award. (nobelprizemedicine.org)
The Assembly appoints the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine, a Nobel Committee serving as its working body. The committee consists of five members and the Assembly’s secretary-general. Committee members are elected for three-year terms, and ten associate members are elected annually for a term running from March to October. The committee evaluates nominations and identifies leading candidates; the final decision belongs to the Assembly, not the committee. (nobelprizemedicine.org)
Selection of laureates
Nominations are sought from scientists internationally. Evaluation includes written assessments of candidates and their discoveries, prepared by Assembly members and external experts. Scientific work may be examined over several years and by different reviewers before an award is made. The Assembly and committee discuss the candidates and the significance of their discoveries before the final ballot. (nobelprize.org)
The Assembly normally decides the prize on the first Monday in October. Its mandate is to recognize a discovery in physiology or medicine, rather than a scientist’s lifetime achievements or scientific leadership. Up to three individuals may share the award. The scope is interpreted broadly enough to include fundamental biological discoveries as well as clinical advances. (nobelprizemedicine.org)
Confidentiality
Nominations, evaluations, and other documents connected with prize selection remain confidential for 50 years under the Nobel Foundation’s rules. This restriction separates the public announcement of the award from the confidential evidence and deliberations underlying the decision. Historical nomination records may subsequently become available, although the publicly searchable archive is incomplete and publication can lag beyond the confidentiality period. (nobelprize.org)
References
- The Nobel Assemblynobelprizemedicine.org
- The Nobel Committeenobelprizemedicine.org
- Awarding the Nobel prizenobelprizemedicine.org
- The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1901-2000nobelprize.org
- Urban Lendahl resigns from the Nobel Assembly – here he explains whynews.ki.se
- The Nobel Foundation annual review 2024nobelprize.org
- Nomination archivenobelprize.org