About the Foundation

In 2015, Celia Milstein conceived the idea of creating a Foundation that would carry forward her commitment to supporting science and art as intertwined means of communicating knowledge, particularly in the field of immunology. The concept grew from her collaboration with her great-niece, filmmaker Ana, with whom she produced Un Fueguito, la historia de César Milstein. Inspired by the success of that film and their shared vision of a sequel exploring César Milstein’s scientific invention, they saw filmmaking as both an adventure and a path toward new horizons. In 2017, Celia invited her lifelong friends Dr Peter Lawrence, Dr Greg Winter, and Dr David Secher, along with Ana Fraile, to join her, as trustees, in establishing a Foundation in both her and César’s name—an institution dedicated to nurturing the union of science and art, the essence of their lives.

After a period of rich exchanges—through conversations, travels, holidays, shared meals, and evenings at the theatre—the guiding principles of the Foundation were established: to support projects anywhere in the world that, at the Trustees’ discretion, serve the public good by fostering greater knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of matters of scientific interest. Writing, creating, publishing, circulating art in any form in relation to science for the promotion of the principle of the foundation aimed at encouraging the public to engage with scientific issues became the core of the future activities of the Foundation. Slow but steady, just like Celia, the foundation was established. In 2020 the pandemic stopped her world and also the plans for the future. Celia passed away on November 19th 2020.