One of the most important personalities of ICCBIC is its initiator Ján Gažo. Professor Gažo started his research on coordination compounds in 1956 at Slovak Technical College, a predecessor of STU, when he published two works on the formation and properties of chlorocopper(II) complexes in acetone in the journal Chemické zvesti (today Chemical Papers by Springer) and thus he became a pioneer in the field in Slovakia. Together with the House of Scientific Workers of the Slovak Academy of Sciences he organized Symposium on the Structure and Properties of Coordination Compounds on 2-4 September 1964 as a satellite meeting of the 8th ICCC in Vienna. This symposium was attended by approximately 180 scientists from 18 countries and the program of the symposium was divided into three sections: a) Crystallochemistry of coordination compounds, b) Structure of coordination compounds, and c) Theory and chemistry of coordination compounds. To honour legacy of Ján Gažo, the Organizing Committee of ICCBIC established the Ján Gažo Award, which is granted during the conference to honourable personalities of the local chemical community.

The laureates are:

Prof. Gregor Ondrejovič
Prof. Milan Melník
Prof. Roman Boča