Applications to Nutreco’s 2022 Young Researchers Prize are now open to all PhD students and postdoctorate researchers in their first and second year of study working in animal nutrition, livestock production, aquaculture and veterinary sciences research. The award challenges young academics from across the world to showcase their innovative solutions for sustainable and environmentally-conscious farming practices, with three winners receiving a total of €25,000 in prize money to further their research.
The world needs agricultural solutions that sustainably generate enough food for a growing population and this year’s prize-winning project will help deliver on this challenge to feed the future. The three winning projects will be tackling this challenge through sustainable and environmentally conscious farming practices.
All submissions will be judged on how well they address at least one of the following challenges facing the industry:
- Novel ingredients. As we work toward feeding a global population of almost 10 billion by 2050, the demand for high-quality protein is increasing. Innovative and sustainable ways to produce proteins are urgently needed – and novel ingredients will play a key role.
- Antimicrobial Resistance. It is estimated that by 2050, resistance to antibiotics will cause more deaths than cancer does today. This is one of the biggest public health challenges facing the world. The agriculture industry can play an important role in reducing the reliance on antibiotics within animal husbandry, which will ultimately have a positive impact on human health.
- Reduction of greenhouse gases. As global temperatures continue to rise at an alarming rate, the industry’s brightest minds can help to reduce agriculture’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions through precision farming methods and digital solutions.
To be considered, entrants must submit a 60-second video explaining their project and why it is a prize-winning solution to at least one of the above challenges. Entrants must also submit a presentation that summarizes their research in no more than ten slides, together with their CV and any other supporting publications.
To apply, applicants must be completing their PhD or in their first or second year of postdoctorate research. Submissions that refer to research ideas without results or implementation will not be considered. Deadline is June 24, 2022. Apply here.
The final shortlist of up to 10 candidates will then be decided by a judging panel of leading industry experts in the field of sustainable nutritional solutions, including Nutreco N.V. board member and former R&D director, Leo den Hartog, corporate sustainability and livestock feed sustainability directors, Jose Villalon and Coen Smits, alternative proteins investment manager, Susanne Wiegel, and R&D directors, John Doelman from Trouw Nutrition and Charles McGurk from Skretting, along with Jorge Díaz, global sustainability manager, also from Skretting – Nutreco’s business lines. The shortlist will be announced on August 29, 2022. Winners will be announced at a ceremony in the Netherlands in early October 2022, with the first, second and third awarded €12,000, €8,000 and €5,000, respectively.
