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The Next Frontier: Consciousness & UAP: $100,000 Research Prize Winner Announced

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The Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) has announced the winner of the 2026 Linda G. O’Bryant Noetic Sciences Research Prize, a $100,000 award that will fund a study of consciousness-associated Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP, formerly known as UFOs).

NOVATO, Calif., Nov. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — The winning study, selected from more than 80 qualifying proposals, comes from a multidisciplinary team of six. Peter Skafish, PhD, a sociocultural anthropologist and Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Sol Foundation, leads the team as Principal Investigator. Brian Lord, PhD, a cognitive neuroscientist and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Arizona, serves as Co-Principal Investigator, and David Dominguez Hooper, engineer and Founder and CEO of ELDAEON Inc., is Co-Investigator. Collaborators are Damon Abraham, PhD (experimental psychologist, Entangled Labs); Jacob Haqq-Misra, PhD (astrobiologist, Blue Marble Space); and Garry Nolan, PhD (immunologist, Stanford University School of Medicine). For the first time in the prize’s four-year history, a single team will receive the full $100,000.

“IONS proved itself to be over the horizon of even heterodox thinking in their decision to fund a scientific inquiry not only into UAP but also into one of the most enigmatic questions the phenomena raise: what is their relationship to human consciousness?”–Peter Skafish

The team will organize a group of experienced practitioners to apply meditation and conscious intention to invite contact with UAP at a remote site in the American Southwest. Practitioners’ experiences will be recorded alongside physiological measures and instrumental records of the sky and the physical environment. Using preregistered methodology, the study will analyze the data to test whether deliberate contact practice generates changes in reported experiences and in independently recorded events in the sky and environment. De-identified data and methods will be shared openly, and null results will be released on the same schedule as positive ones.

According to IONS leadership, this year’s prize was created to bring UAP into open, consciousness-inclusive science, and to carry forward a question with profound implications for humanity that its founder, Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell, pursued for decades: whether consciousness and contact are connected.

“The Sol Foundation couldn’t be more happy to receive the recognition of IONS for our research,” said Peter Skafish. “IONS proved itself to be over the horizon of even heterodox thinking in their decision to fund a scientific inquiry not only into UAP but also into one of the most enigmatic questions the phenomena raise: what is their relationship to human consciousness?”

This year, distinguished external experts, including Daniel P. Sheehan, Jessica Utts, Adam Curry, Sean Esbjörn-Hargens, Richard Dolan, and J.J. Hurtak, joined members of the IONS science team on the judging panel, chaired by Arnaud Delorme. The panel’s selection was then ratified by the IONS Board of Directors.

IONS researchers will collaborate with the winning team on the study, which is expected to begin in December and run for one year, with results to be shared in 2028. The winning team was announced on October 30 during a live event, which can be watched here.

More About IONS & the Linda G. O’Bryant Noetic Sciences Research Prize

The Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) is a nonprofit scientific research center whose mission is to reveal the interconnected nature of reality through scientific exploration and personal discovery. Founded in 1973 by Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell, IONS investigates consciousness, interconnectedness, and extended human capacities to help foster a more compassionate and thriving world. The Linda G. O’Bryant Noetic Sciences Research Prize, now in its fourth year, is funded through an endowment created by Linda G. O’Bryant, member of the IONS Board of Directors, and overseen by the Board. To arrange an interview with Peter Skafish or IONS leadership, contact communications@noetic.org. More details about the prize and winners can be found here.

Media Contact

Leslie G. Lovejoy, Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS), 1 707-775-3500, communications@noetic.org, www.noetic.org

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SOURCE Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS)

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HiTHIUM Partners with the University of Cambridge to Advance International Industry-Academia Collaboration in Long-Duration Energy Storage

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XIAMEN, China, Nov. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On November 12, the Global Energy Storage Colloquium was held in Xiamen. During the colloquium, HiTHIUM and the University of Cambridge signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), establishing a strategic partnership. The two parties will collaborate on frontier scientific research, key technology innovation and industrial applications in battery energy storage, bringing academic research into closer alignment with industry needs and exploring new models for international industry-academia collaboration. The partnership aims to contribute to the advancement of global energy storage technology and the industry.

The UK has a strong track record in the development of modern battery technologies and fundamental research. The University of Cambridge is one of the world’s leading universities, with internationally recognized expertise in engineering, materials science and fundamental research. As a leading global energy storage technology company, HiTHIUM has long focused on energy storage technology development and commercialization. It continues to advance integrated research and innovation across the value chain, from high-capacity energy storage cells to long-duration energy storage systems and grid integration technologies.

The collaboration is intended to bring internationally leading academic research into closer engagement with innovation across China’s energy storage industry. The University of Cambridge’s strengths in fundamental science, materials research and engineering will offer new perspectives and approaches to key scientific questions and emerging technologies in energy storage. HiTHIUM will bring its experience in long-duration energy storage (LDES), product development and large-scale deployment, connecting research with real industry needs and application scenarios, and supporting the engineering validation and commercialization of research outcomes. By drawing on the strengths of both research and industry, the partnership will strengthen the links between frontier innovation and practical applications.

Under the cooperation plan, the two parties will establish joint management and research collaboration mechanisms, bringing together academic resources and corporate R&D capabilities. They will work together to plan research projects, facilitate scientific exchange and support the translation of research outcomes, strengthening connections between fundamental research, technology development and industrial applications so that innovation in energy storage can better serve industry needs.

The partnership also marks an important step in HiTHIUM’s efforts to expand its international innovation network. Building on this collaboration with the University of Cambridge, HiTHIUM will further strengthen academic exchanges and research partnerships with leading universities and research institutions around the world. By bringing together international research resources and talent, the company aims to encourage collaboration across disciplines and technology fields, explore the development of technologies such as LDES from a global perspective, and bring technical challenges and application needs from the front lines of industry into research and innovation. This will help research and industrial practice reinforce one another.

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The NYSE Welcomes vVARDIS as a Publicly Listed Company

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NEW YORK, Nov. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — vVARDIS (NYSE: VVVV) co-founders Dr. Haley Abivardi and Dr. Goly Abivardi aim to reshape the future of dental care with a drill-free treatment for the world’s #1 non-communicable disease: cavities.

vVARDIS Solves a Problem that Millions FaceTooth decay affects billions of people worldwide, and dental anxiety keeps millions from getting the care they need.vVARDIS is a Swiss dental technology company focused on changing the way early tooth decay is treated.vVARDIS has introduced a new approach that aims to treat decay earlier and more comfortably for patients.Its flagship product, Curodont® Repair Fluoride Plus, uses proprietary peptide technology to help repair early-stage tooth decay by supporting the natural remineralization of enamel — simply put No drill, No needle, or No filling.Tooth Decay is One of the Most Common Health Issues in the World2.5 billion people globally live with untreated tooth decay.Nearly 90% of U.S. adults have experienced tooth decay.Nearly 73% of U.S. adults report dental fear.21% avoid the dentist because of anxiety.The Story that Helped Shape vVARDISFor decades, treating early tooth decay often meant waiting until it worsened or getting a filling. The founders spent 25 years developing Curodont® Repair Fluoride Plus, a treatment that helps repair early tooth decay before it becomes a cavity.Curodont® gives dentists a way to treat early decay while making the experience easier and less intimidating for patients.The technology has already treated more than 2.5 million teethAvailable in more than 20% of U.S. dental practices

Click Here to Learn More about vVARDIS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1p9hUR5Glk

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SOURCE New York Stock Exchange

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Innovative Immunology Biotech Windward Bio Lists on Nasdaq

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SHANGHAI, Nov. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Windward Bio, a portfolio company of Qiming Venture Partners and a clinical-stage biotechnology company, successfully listed on Nasdaq on November 13, 2026. Windward Bio (Nasdaq: WWB) priced its IPO at $17.00 per share. Its shares closed at $28.50 on the first trading day, up 68% from the IPO price, giving the company a market capitalization of approximately $1.69 billion. This is Qiming Venture Partners’ 11th IPO in 2026.

Qiming Venture Partners invested in Windward Bio’s inaugural Series A financing in 2025 and continued to support the company in its Series B financing in 2026. Qiming also participated in this IPO financing round.

Windward Bio was founded in 2024 with a mission to transform the treatment paradigm for patients living with chronic inflammatory diseases through the development of differentiated biologic therapies targeting clinically validated disease pathways. Led by a team with extensive expertise across discovery, development, and commercialization, Windward Bio is advancing a pipeline of ultra-long-acting antibody medicines to improve clinical outcomes, reduce treatment burden and expand treatment options for patients with serious respiratory and dermatologic diseases, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and atopic dermatitis.

Windward Bio’s lead program, WIN378, is a potentially novel anti-TSLP monoclonal antibody engineered for improved potency and extended half-life. WIN378 is currently being evaluated in POLARIS-1, a Phase 2/3 study in severe uncontrolled asthma, and SIRIUS, a Phase 2 study in COPD. The company’s pipeline also includes WIN027, a clinical-stage, long-acting bispecific antibody targeting TSLP and IL-13 with potential applications across multiple inflammatory and immunological diseases. Windward Bio holds exclusive global rights (excluding Greater China and certain Asian countries) to WIN378 through a licensing agreement with Kelun-Biotech and Harbour BioMed, and has separately licensed WIN027 from Qyuns Therapeutics.

“Qiming Venture Partners invests in differentiated, globally competitive biotech innovation designed to address significant unmet needs for patients, and Windward Bio exemplifies this approach. We believe novel, long-acting biologics will reshape the treatment of severe chronic respiratory and skin diseases, and that WIN378 and WIN027 have the potential to expand and meaningfully improve the treatment options available to patients. In the hands of Luca and his team, with their expertise and proven track record, Windward is well-positioned to deliver on this potential, and we look forward to supporting the company through its next phase of growth,” said Alexander Sinclair Wilson, Principal at Qiming Venture Partners.

About Qiming Venture Partners

Qiming Venture Partners was founded in 2006. Currently, Qiming Venture Partners manages eleven US Dollar funds and seven RMB funds with $9.5 billion in capital raised. Since our establishment, we have invested in outstanding companies in the Technology and Healthcare industries at the early and growth stages.

Since our debut, we have backed over 630 fast-growing and innovative companies. Over 290 of our portfolio companies have achieved exits through IPOs at the NYSE, NASDAQ, HKEX, Shanghai Stock Exchange, or Shenzhen Stock Exchange, or through M&A or other means. There are also over 110 portfolio companies that have achieved unicorn or super unicorn status.

Many of our portfolio companies are today’s most influential firms in their respective sectors, including Xiaomi, Meituan, Bilibili, Zhihu, Roborock, Hesai Technology, UBTech, WeRide, HyperStrong, Insta360, Unisound, Biren Technology, Z.AI, Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals, Tigermed, Zai Lab, CanSino Biologics, Schrödinger, APT Medical, Sanyou Medical, AmoyDx, SinocellTech, Insilico Medicine, AusperBio, Yuanxin Technology, Medilink Therapeutics, LaNova Medicines, StepFun, among many others.

 

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SOURCE Qiming Venture Partners

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