The Sustainability Research Award Rudi Verheyen celebrates researchers for their scientific contribution to environment and nature policy in the region of Flanders, Belgium.
The award is a tribute to the life and work, the dedication and the person of professor emeritus Rudi Verheyen for his scientific contribution to the environment and nature policy in Flanders, Belgium.
The Sustainability Research Award Rudi Verheyen is hosted at the University of Antwerp (Flanders, Belgium), endorsed by the Flemish Minister for Environment and Agriculture in cooperation with the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO). The prize winner 2025 will be awarded with the sum of EUR 10.000.
Expected candidates for the 2025 call
The focus in 2025 is on awarding junior researchers. The call is open to individuals or a group of researchers who apply jointly. Candidates shall be researchers that contribute to the Flemish environment and nature policy. Candidates demonstrate the value of interdisciplinary research to environment and nature policy. Candidates proof the relevance of their research for environment and nature policy in Flanders, and explain how their research is relevant for that policy in Flanders or already has impacted it. Any nationality can apply. Candidates shall have a PhD, granted in the period 2020-2025.
Assessment and selection
The prizewinner is nominated by an independent jury of experts. The jury members are experts in environmental sciences and/or Flemish and international environmental policy.
The jury decides upon the following criteria to assess the research and its contribution to the Flemish or European and global environmental policy:
1. Scientific added value, publications, patents, international dissemination, change agents and innovative character of the research;
2. Economic and societal applicability with impact on Flanders and the world, specific relevance for Flemish or European/global environmental policy, involvement of societal actors, and intended use of the prize;
3. Timeliness of the research subject, integration in sustainable development, and interdisciplinarity.
The jury assesses the applications and nominates a prizewinner. If no candidate meets the required standards, the jury reserves the right not to award the prize.
The candidate shall propose a use for the financial prize of EUR 10.000 associated to the award. The prize money can be used for the continuation or start-up of new policy oriented environmental research, the dissemination of scientific results, or the realization of a concrete environmental project. The proposition to use the prize money will also be taken into consideration in the selection of the winner.
Prizewinner & award ceremony
The prizewinner will be announced at an academic ceremony at the University of Antwerp on March, 10th 2026. The Sustainability Research Award Rudi Verheyen 2025 will be granted by the Flemish Minister, responsible for the Environment and Nature policy in Flanders.
Application
Candidates (individually or in group) must submit an online application form with some obligatory annexes containing all requested information. Files can be applied in English and Dutch. Previously submitted files may be taken into account. The deadline for submission is Friday December 12, 2025.
The application contains the following documents:
1. Application form
Candidates must motivate their interest and proof their qualifications and competences related to the subject of the award. They are requested to describe their doctoral scientific research and to explain their application through the criteria given in this call. They must specify the concerned scientific research, motivate the relevance to environmental policy and impact of their research, and why they are eligible to win the award. The intended use of the prize must also be specified.
2. Annexes
Candidates must include a curriculum vitae, a summary of the conducted research, a motivation for participation, and a portfolio with evidence based documents supporting the application. Therefor they have to complete their application by adding the following documents:
- Curriculum vitae of the candidate (brief summary)
For joint submission: curriculum vitae of each research member with a PhD - Summary of the scientific research (maximum 1000 words)
- Motivation of the candidate (maximum 1000 words)
- Portfolio with documents supporting the application (publications, policy documents, articles, etc.). The portfolio provides all necessary documents to support the application. It contains a number of relevant and evidence based documents that demonstrate and prove the quality of at least the scientific research and the impact on environmental policy in Flanders considered from an international perspective.
The application is send in online.
Supplementary information that cannot be delivered electronically, can be sent to the following post address:
University of Antwerp-Institute of Environment & Sustainable Development (IMDO)
Campus Groenenborger/U. 501
Groenenborgerlaan 171
Contact
Ms. Inge Willems, general coordinator IMDO, inge.willems@uantwerpen.be, +32 3 265 96 23
Members Jury Sustainability Research Award Rudi Verheyen 2025
Chair:
Prof. dr. Gudrun De Boeck (University of Antwerp, chair Institute of Environment & Sustainable Development)
Members:
- Prof. dr. Kris Bachus (University of Antwerp)
- Prof. dr. Pegie Cool (University of Antwerp)
- Prof. Dr. Walter Eevers (Flemish Institute for Technological Research VITO)
- Em. Prof. dr. Luc Hens (Free University Brussels)
- Em. Prof. dr. Luc Lavrysen (Ghent University)
- Em. Prof. dr. Pieter Leroy (Radboud University of Nijmegen)
- Prof. dr. Sandra Rousseau (Catholic University of Leuven)
- Prof. dr. Hans Van Dyck (Université Catholique de Louvain)
- Dr. Philippe Van Haver (Flemish Government-department of Environment & Spatial Development)
- Em. Prof. dr. Jaco Vangronsveld (Hasselt University)