On Wednesday, June 1, 2022, His Majesty King Philippe of Belgium presided over the Francqui Prizes 2021 and 2022 held at the Palais des Academies in Brussels.

The recipient of the 2021 Francqui Prize, in the field of Exact Sciences, was awarded to Mr. Michaël Gillon, Astrophysicist and FNRS Senior Research Associate at the University of Liège, for his pioneering research in Exoplanetology and Astrobiology, which led in particular to the discovery of the TRAPPIST-1 Exoplanetary system.

The recipient of the 2022 Francqui Prize, in the field of Human Sciences, was awarded to Professor Veerle Rots, Archaeologist and Senior Research Fellow of the F.R.S.-FNRS at the University of Liège, for her pioneering research on prehistoric stone tools and the evolution of human behavior.