But it's a big cost-saver for Wasun Chantratita, chief of virology and molecular microbiology at Mahidol University in Bangkok.

FORBES: The DNA Bar Code

In the 1970s Goodfellow earned a degree in molecular microbiology at Bristol University.

FORBES: The Reductive Outsider

The prize rewards the efforts of an individual, an institution, a non-governmental organisation or another entity which, through research and development, has made an outstanding contribution to the field of microbiology (including immunology, molecular biology, genetics, etc.) and its applications.

UNESCO: Apply for UNESCO Prizes