Established during the memorial ceremony held on August 21, 2021, in honor of the late Professor Marco GARUTI, Professor Marco GARUTI Excellence Awards is a collection of two (02) Excellence Awards to acknowledge the excellent human values and the tremendous contribution of Professor Marco Garuti towards the capacity building of the next generation of African Leading Scientists, in the position of Academic Director at AIMS-Cameroon, from April 2017 till July 28, 2021, date of his sudden death. Each year, two (02) recipients are selected:
- The overall best female student of the year at AIMS-Cameroon;
- The overall best male student of the year at AIMS-Cameroon
Below is a summary of past awards in this category.
| Recipient Name | Recipient Final Grade | Sex | Award Amount (in XAF francs) | Reason of Award | Date of Award |
| Barthelemy Doba | Distinction | M | 300,000 | Valedictorian | 23 Jun. 2023 |
| Danielle Nounou Ngongang Payon | Distinction | F | 250,000 | Overall best female student | 23 Jun. 2023 |
| Kevine Meugang Toukam | Distinction | F | 300,000 | Valedictorian | 29 Jun. 2022 |
| Patrick Nyadjo Fonga | Distinction | M | 150,000 | Overall best male student | 29 Jun. 2022 |
The late Professor Marco Garuti played a vital role in advancing the reputation for quality of AIMS-Cameroon, building on the groundwork laid by Prof. Mama Foupouagnigni, the founding AIMS-Cameroon Academic Director. Upon Marco taking over, Prof. Mama was promoted to the role of Centre President.
Born on April 19, 1968, in Rome, Italy, Professor Marco Andrea Garuti graduated from the University of Rome 1 in Italy and obtained a PhD in Mathematics from the Université Paris-Sud in France. He was a Postdoc Researcher at Münster University in Germany and then Marie-Curie Fellow at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands. He was then appointed Assistant Professor at the University of Padua, Italy, before joining AIMS Cameroon in April 2017 as Academic Director. He served as the Academic Director until his passing on July 28, 2021. The AIMS community will remember Marco as a soft-spoken, efficient administrator and academic whose expertise contributed to sustaining quality training for the advancement of Africa’s youth and the emergence of the continent. May Marco’s soul continue resting in perfect peace.