French Institute Nordic Award – 2023 – Circular Economy

The five French Institutes of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway and Sweden launched the French Institute Nordic Award (FINA) in 2020. This award aims to promote cultural and scientific cooperation between France and the Nordic countries and to reward the outstanding achievements of young researchers.

Theme of the year 2023

According to the Circularity Gap report 2020, our planet is only 8.6% circular : much of what we consume is wasted. Our human imprint on the planet has caused increasing devastation to the natural world, thus resource effectiveness and the circular economy are crucial for a future with a greater global prosperity.

The theme of this year is Circular Economy, with a special focus on food, waste management, textiles, biobased materials, recycling and development of new crops. According to the United Nations, the circular economy is a system of production, exchange and sharing that allows for social progress, preservation of natural capital and economic development as defined by the Brundtland Commission (i.e. the UN World Commission on Environment and Development published a book in 1987 : “Our Common Future”).

This 2023 edition of the FINA Awards is part of the drive to promote the following sustainable development goals:

ODD2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.
ODD12: Responsible consumption and production. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
ODD13: Climate action. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

FINA Prize, a prize for doctoral students and young researchers

The conditions to apply are the following:

To carry out a research activity within a Finnish institution (university, research institute…).
Being a PhD student or holder of a PhD for less than 2 years.
Have a research project related to the circular economy (projects dealing with the following thematics will be evaluated on a priority basis: food, waste management, textiles, biobased materials, recycling and development of new crops).
Agree to take part in the presentation of your research work to the French Institutes that support the award.

Selection

One laureate will be selected in each of the participating countries (Estonia, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden) by a selection committee composed of the Heads of cooperation and Scientific attachés of the five French Institutes.

Selection Criteria

The selection criteria will be as follows:

The originality of the researcher’s approach.
The relevance or innovative nature of the research work in relation to the theme.
The motivation of the candidate to receive the award.
The complementarity of the selected profiles and research themes.

Award

The FINA recognises the quality and relevance of the work carried out by the laureate. It consists of scientific mobility in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region (Lyon and Clermont-Ferrand), a rising location for the circular economy in France. The objective of this scientific mobility is to enable the Nordic laureates/researchers to visit the French laboratories in their field of expertise, and to meet and develop scientific cooperation with their French counterparts. The visit will take place in autumn 2023.

More information will be available soon.

Calendar

20 February 2023: Opening of the call for applications,
30 April 2023: Closing of applications,
First week of May 2023: Announcement of the laureates,
Week 20 (starting from 22 May 2023): Webinar between the 5 Nordic winners, and award ceremony in each country,
Autumn 2023: Mobility in France and public round-table (webinar).