Julien Laurat, co-founder of Welinq, is among 26 researchers nationally honored with the CNRS Silver Medal in 2026, a distinction recognizing the originality and significance of his work in quantum memory and quantum networking. This award joins a similar honor received by Welinq co-founder Eleni Diamanti in 2024, an unusual concentration of prestigious accolades for a startup’s founding team. According to the CNRS, “The Silver Medal recognizes researchers for the originality, quality and significance of their work, acknowledged at both national and international level.” Welinq is built upon this foundation of recognized leadership, leveraging advanced scientific research to develop its technologies, and the CNRS awards underscore the company’s commitment to fundamental scientific advancement.
2026 CNRS Silver Medal Recipients & Research Areas
With 26 researchers nationally recognized this year, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) has awarded its prestigious Silver Medal to a diverse cohort in 2026, acknowledging both the breadth and depth of French scientific endeavor. Laurat joins fellow Welinq co-founder Eleni Diamanti, who received the same distinction in 2024, creating an unusual concentration of CNRS Silver Medals within a single startup’s leadership team. The CNRS detailed that the 2026 recipients span a wide range of disciplines, from marine geosciences, represented by Javier Esteban Escartín Guiral, to the history of science, with Marwan Rashed’s work on ancient philosophy earning him the medal. Researchers like Sophie Houdart, focusing on the intersection of Japan, science, and disaster narratives, and Delphine Marris-Morini, advancing silicon photonics, demonstrate the CNRS’s commitment to both fundamental research and applied technologies.
Beyond Welinq’s representation, the 2026 medalists include specialists in areas such as archaeobotany, with Alexa Dufraisse’s research into past environments, and particle physics, as exemplified by Sophie Henrot-Versillé’s contributions to cosmology. The CNRS emphasized the importance of this recognition for those who “advance science,” and the awards reflect a sustained investment in diverse fields crucial to addressing contemporary challenges and expanding the frontiers of knowledge.
Julien Laurat and Eleni Diamanti: Welinq Co-founder Recognition
The field of quantum technology is increasingly defined by the achievements of a select group of researchers, and Welinq stands out as a company founded on particularly distinguished scientific leadership. Laurat’s medal acknowledges work “recognized at both national and international level,” signifying the broad relevance of his research. What makes Welinq’s situation remarkable is that both its co-founders have earned this honor; Eleni Diamanti received the CNRS Silver Medal in 2024. This concentration of such accolades within a single startup’s founding team is unusual, suggesting a unique synergy of scientific expertise driving the company’s development. This dual recognition isn’t simply a matter of prestige, but underscores the strength of Welinq’s foundational science. The company is building its future not on abstract concepts, but on research validated by one of France’s leading scientific institutions. Welinq’s leaders are not merely applying existing knowledge, but actively advancing the core science that will underpin future quantum technologies, and the CNRS awards serve as a powerful endorsement of that trajectory.
The Silver Medal recognizes researchers for the originality, quality and significance of their work, acknowledged at both national and international level.
CNRS
