WiSo Sustainability Award
The WiSo Sustainability Award recognises an academic publication with a clear focus on sustainability produced within the WiSo Faculty. It aims to highlight how early-career researchers at the faculty contribute to sustainability issues through their research and provide impetus for academia, professional practice and society.
The award is embedded in the strategic positioning of WiSo and is closely linked, in particular, to the University of Cologne’s understanding of responsibility, social relevance and impact.
The WiSo Sustainability Award is presented at the WiSo Faculty’s Christmas party and is funded with €5,000.
Target group (members of the WiSo Faculty)
- research staff, in particular PhD students,
- postdocs,
- Assistant professors prior to their interim evaluation (at the time of application).
- Information on the application
Documents to be submitted:
- current CV
- publication with abstract (If no abstract is available, one must be provided.)
- The publication must have been published after 1 January 2024.
- Brief explanation of the application in relation to the assessment criteria
- Length: approx. 100–150 words each for sustainability relevance, academic contribution and practical relevance
You are welcome to use this template. - Submission by email to: sustainability@wiso.uni-koeln.de (as a PDF file not exceeding 2 MB)
Closing date for applications: Wednesday 30 September 2026
Award ceremony: Thursday 10 December 2026
Criteria
The jury, consisting of external experts and student representatives, will assess submissions based on the following three criteria:
- Sustainability (40%): This criterion assesses the connection to the University of Cologne’s approach to sustainability.
- Scientific contribution (30%): This criterion evaluates the degree of innovation and, where applicable, the visibility of the publication.
- Practical relevance/Impact (30%): This criterion assesses the significance of the research findings for decision-makers or for practical implementation.