Katalin Karikó was elected honorary member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 2022. According to the statutes of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, all full and corresponding members of the Academy are obliged to give their inaugural lectures within one year following their election for membership, while external and honorary members may give a lecture on their life work.

Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2023 for their discoveries in the field of biochemistry. Due to the renovation of the building of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Katalin Karikó's highly acclaimed lecture entitled the "Therapeutic Application of mRNA" took place in Pesti Vigadó's Ceremonial Hall.