Reconnect Research to Meaning
Over €700,000 Awarded To Academics Worldwide
Join a global community where scientists, philosophers, and educators explore truth together through razón abierta,
reason open to the fullness of reality
Connect with scholars across 30+ countries restoring reason to its full horizon
Specialization has propelled academic progress, but it has also fractured knowledge.
Your field lacks meaningful dialogue with philosophy and ethics, limiting its capacity for deeper insights. Through your teaching or publishing, you are committed to breaking these barriers in service of the common good.
You’re not alone.
Scholars worldwide feel the effects of fragmentation—when the sciences are severed from philosophy, theology, and ethics, they lose sight of humanity’s most profound questions:
Who are we? What is right? Why do we seek to know?
Through seven editions, the Expanded Reason Institute has honored forty-six distinguished scholars who confront this fragmentation—academics who courageously unite science, philosophy, and theology in pursuit of the common good.
An initiative of Francisco de Vitoria University, supported by the Vatican Foundation Joseph Ratzinger—Benedict XVI, ERI is leading a renaissance of expanded reason, restoring academia to its highest purpose: the flourishing of humanity, illuminated by the light of Truth.
Now, the Awards have grown into a living community where interdisciplinary dialogue continues year-round.
What You Gain in the Expanded Reason Community
01
Monthly Newsletter
Receive a thoughtfully crafted letter each month that distills one big idea at the crossroads of science, philosophy, and theology and invites you into a conversation worth having. Read in minutes. Think about it all week.
02
Webinars & Events
Be part of the conversations most academics will never hear. Participate in real-time dialogues with past and present Expanded Reason laureates, the world’s leading voices on science, philosophy, and theology. Gain private access to world-class conferences, dialogues, and seminars.
03
Insider Access
Be first to know when the next €100,000 Expanded Reason Awards open. Get ahead of thousands of applicants. Community members receive early announcements, behind-the-scenes updates from past jurors, and practical tips to strengthen future submissions.
04
Community
Join a worldwide circle of scholars committed to restoring the unity of knowledge. Whether you’re in a lab, classroom, or lecture hall, you’ll find peers who share your conviction that reason and faith belong together, as well as friendships that outlast any single project.
Meet the voices shaping this movement
“When we free ourselves from tiny academic boxes, we discover far richer paths of research.”
— Robert Enright, Ph.D., Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Expanded Reason is for every academic, not just theologians or philosophers.
Professors. Researchers. Psychologists. Economists. Lawyers. Biologists.
Anyone uniting science, philosophy, and theology for the greater good.
“Expanded reason means thinking more holistically about stuff… It’s not just about making money, but about making the world a better place—socially and ecologically.”
Bruno Dyck
Management Theorist
"We are convinced that ethics is not the brake, but the real engine of technological progress. So, our values drive us to keep searching for the truth, a truth that none of us have 'in our pocket.'"
Gonzalo Génova
Computer Engineer
"To reverse the excess of specialization and make room for cross-enrichment, we must migrate towards a collaborative project of social cognition that demands intellectual virtues."
Claudia Vanney
Physicist
"The lack of a humane philosophy has fragmented the academy and divided our society. We must reclaim what Gilson called 'the unity of philosophical experience.'“
William Simpson
Assistant Professor
“If we want philosophers and scientists talking to each other, the students should see that happen—actually see them come in and argue with each other in front of the students.”
Therese Lysaught
Healthcare Professor
“Modern man is always actively searching, and we have to learn, first of all, how to be receptive to reality.”
Michael Taylor
Teaching Fellow
Scholars across disciplines are rediscovering that every field,
when open to truth,
contributes to the same horizon.
Join the thinkers who still believe truth matters.
“A purely scientific understanding is not enough.”
— Maureen Condic, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Neurobiology, University of Utah School of Medicine
Celebrating the 2025 Expanded Reason Laureates
When Science, Philosophy, and Faith Share the Same Stage
Angela Franks, Ph.D. — University of Notre Dame
Body and Identity: A History of the Empty Self
Integrating theology, philosophy, and social sciences to re-humanize the concept of identity.
David Thunder, Ph.D. — University of Navarra
The Polycentric Republic: A Theory of Civil Order for Free and Diverse Societies
Proposing a moral and political framework that reconciles freedom, pluralism, and the common good.
Juan Eduardo Carreño, M.D., Ph.D. — Universidad de los Andes
Thomistic Philosophy in the Face of the Fact of Evolution
Re-examining Aquinas’s metaphysics in dialogue with evolutionary science.
Pablo López Raso, Ph.D. — Universidad Francisco de Vitoria
Insolent Beauty: A Proposal for Appreciating Contemporary Art
Revealing transcendence through modern aesthetics.
José María Torralba, Ph.D. — University of Navarra
Great Books Program
Forming students through the classics to recover a unified, humane vision of knowledge.
Santiago Bellomo, Ph.D. — Universidad Austral (Argentina)
Augmented Education: Challenges of Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Restoring the human center of learning in the era of AI.
The 2025 Awards Ceremony — Casina Pio IV, Vatican City
Upcoming Events
Francisco de Vitoria: Light for an Uncertain World
When: June 8 – 10, 2026
Where: Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Madrid
Join scholars in Madrid and take part in the dialogue shaping the future of faith and reason.
Marking the 5th centenary of Francisco de Vitoria’s teaching at Salamanca, this three-day international conference gathers scholars from Europe and Latin America to explore how Vitoria’s vision can guide today’s crossroads.
Panels and lectures will address themes such as the unity of truth in the university, natural law and human rights, civil power and citizenship, war and peace, and the challenges of education in the age of AI.
Highlights:
Opening lecture by Marie Monnet O.P., Rector of Domuni Universitas (Toulouse)
Keynotes and panels featuring leading researchers from Spain, Chile, Argentina, France, Portugal, and Italy
Hosted by María Lacalle, Vice-Rector and Director of the Expanded Reason Institute
Fall 2026:
TBD
Winter 2026:
TBD
Curious about the next Awards?
Here’s what you need:
Abstract
A concise 500-word summary.
01
Explanatory Document
A 3,000–8,000-word in-depth guide detailing your methodology, interdisciplinary approach, and how your work advances the Award’s “Expanded Reason” ethos.
02
Curriculum Vitae
For all contributing authors.
03
Your Work
Papers or projects in Spanish, English, Italian, or French.
04
Your Contribution
ERI welcomes submissions from academics whose work embodies the Expanded Reason perspective in:
Research
Published or unpublished books, journal articles, or studies written after 2019, addressing critical questions through an interdisciplinary lens.
Teaching
University programs, curricula, or methodologies that promote holistic academic formation and integrate faith and reason.
FAQs
-
No, we are open to scholars from all backgrounds and institutions. Faith affiliation is not required—what matters is that your work engages with fundamental human questions in an interdisciplinary and thought-provoking manner.
-
Yes, emeritus and retired professors are eligible. The award recognizes impactful scholarship, regardless of career stage.
-
Yes, co-authored works are welcome, but all co-authors must approve the submission. If selected, they will also be invited to participate in the Rome symposium. If a co-author has passed away, permission should be obtained from whoever holds the intellectual property rights.
-
No, both published and unpublished works are eligible. Acceptable formats include books, research papers, dissertations, conference papers, working papers, journal articles, and essays.
-
Yes, you can submit a standalone piece, but if the larger work offers a more substantial contribution, it may be beneficial to submit the full project.
-
The document should justify why your work matters, explaining:
Why it is meaningful
How it contributes to humanity
How it integrates multiple disciplines in an Expanded Reason approach
-
While the Expanded Reason Institute is based in Madrid, the Vatican Foundation hosts the award ceremony and symposium in Rome, providing a prestigious platform for scholars.
-
The institute carefully selects scholars based on their work’s alignment with the Expanded Reason approach. While outreach is broad, invitations are intentional, identifying impactful research that bridges disciplines.
Be Part of the Renaissance of Truth - Join the Community Today!
Your research matters. At ERI, we’ve awarded over €700,000 and publicly recognized academics who bridge disciplines to advance human flourishing.
Don’t let your ideas go unnoticed. By submitting your work, you join a growing international movement that highlights deserving research and shares it across our network.
The ERI community needs your voice—don’t wait to make your impact.
Join Us
As a scholar, you know the frustration of seeing knowledge reduced to utility, detached from its deeper purpose.
The Expanded Reason Institute honors those who dare to reunite faith, science, and philosophy to illuminate humanity’s most profound questions. Submit your application today to join a community dedicated to advancing Truth and human flourishing.