On 2 September Philip Cohen was presented with a Royal Medal in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Life Sciences. A Royal Medal is the highest award the Royal Society of Edinburgh can bestow and are given in recognition of intellectual endeavour that has had a profound influence of people's lives, worldwide.

Also receiving Royal Medals were Professor Sir Neil MacCormick, one of the world's leading philosophers of Law and Professor Robin Milner a leading computer scientist. The medals were presented by Lord Sutherland of Houndwood, President of the RSE.