The celebrations set off on 19th July 2011 (precisely 50 years to the day of the Calouste Gulbenkian Board of Trustees' decision to set up the IGC) with a visit by the President of the Republic Aníbal Cavaco Silvia to the IGC and a public lecture at the Gulbenkian Foundation, by Jorge Calado (Professor, Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon).
Highlights:
- the IGC was awarded an Honorary Membership of the Ordem de Sant'Iago da Espada by the President of the Republic.
- The four longest-serving FCG staff members, at the IGC, were awarded medals (and a warm ovation) in recognition of their dedication to the IGC: Júlia Lobato (39 years), Rosa Maria Santos (42 years); António Sousa (38 years); João Nunes (46 years).
Captions:
António Coutinho (IGC Director) and Rui Vilar (FCG President) receiving the Ordem de Sant'Iago da Espada from the President of the Republic, Aníbal Cavaco Silva.
Monica Bettencourt-Dias (IGC Group Leader) guided the President of the Republic on a tour of IGC laboratories.
João Nunes (left) and António Sousa (right), two of the awarded four IGC staff members, showing off their medals.