The Dalai Lama has been awarded this year’s Templeton Prize for his life’s work in encouraging scientific research and harmony among religions.

The £1.1m prize, established in 1972, is awarded each year to a living person who has made an exceptional contribution to affirming the spiritual dimension of life “whether through insight, discovery, or practical works”. Previous prize winners include Mother Teresa, Billy Graham and Brother Roger.

Dr John M Templeton Jr, president and chairman of the John Templeton Foundation and son of the late prize founder, said: “With an increasing reliance on technological advances to solve the world’s problems, humanity also seeks the reassurance that only a spiritual quest can answer.

“The Dalai Lama offers a universal voice of compassion underpinned by a love and respect for spiritually relevant scientific research that centres on every single human being.”

The prize will be presented to the Dalai Lama during a ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral in London on 14 May.

It will be the Tibetan Buddhist leader’s first visit to the cathedral.

The Rt Rev Michael Colclough, Canon Pastor at St Paul’s Cathedral said: "A non-violent voice of peace and reason in a calamitous world, the Dalai Lama represents core values cherished by many different faiths.

“The award of the Templeton Prize to the Dalai Lama under the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral will be a reminder that working towards peace and harmony is a practical and spiritual challenge to all faith communities.”