Robert King Merton was one of the leading sociologists of the 20th century.

In 1966, R.K. Merton became one of the founders, organizer and the first President of the Research Committee on the Sociology of Science (RC23) of the International Sociological Association.

Merton’s activity in this position was in many ways decisive for theoretical and institutional development of the sociology of science worldwide.

In honor and memory of Robert King Merton, the RC23 Committee has established The Robert K. Merton Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Sociology of Science and Technology.

The Executive Committee of ISA approved the award in May, 2016 and it is intended to recognize and showcase the outstanding, long-term achievement of an individual researcher to the field rather than the excellence of an individual book or single idea.

RC23 produced the Silver Medal with a special design.

The first Lifetime Achievement Award was granted to Professor Francisco Sagasti, a notable Peruvian social scientist, during the Special Session “In Memory of First RC23 President Robert K. Merton” at the XIX World Congress in Toronto (July 18, 2018).

It should be noted that Harriet Zuckerman, Professor Emerita at Columbia University, and the wife of Robert Merton, participated in this ceremony.

In 2019, RC23 published the Special Issue of the Newsletter with the historical details of the ceremony in Canada.

Please find the Newsletter 2019 by link (First Award, the Ceremony in Canada, 2018):

https://www.isa-sociology.org/frontend/web/uploads/files/rc23-newsletter-May-2019.pdf

In 2020, RC23 ISA announced the Call for the Nomination for the next Award and there was produced the second copy of Silver Medal.

The Award Committee was announced the winner of The Robert K Merton Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Sociology of Science and Technology in 2023. In its second edition, the 2023 Award was granted to Professor Charles Crothers, Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand.

With a considerable reputation as a Merton scholar, Professor Crothers’s contribution to Mertonian scholarship range across a diverse range of theoretical, methodological, and substantive topics and to several closely related areas such as sociology of social science, sociology of knowledge and social epistemology.

The Award ceremony that was held at the XX ISA World Congress of Sociology, in Melbourne, Australia contains speeches of RC23 President  Nadia Asheulova, Vice-President Alice Abreu, Nominator of the Awarder, Honorary Professor of University of Sydney Fran Collyer, Lecture of the Awardee - Charles Crothers, congratulations from Professor Dr. hab. Emeritus of Jagiellonian University (Poland) Piotr Sztompka and  colleagues from RC 23.

Please find att.  below the presentation of RC23 President  Nadia Asheulova during the XX World ISA Congress "Welcome address and the History of the First Ceremony of the «Robert K. Merton Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Sociology of Science and Technology» during XIX World Congress in Toronto, 2018"