Background
The ‘Shared Green Societies: Research Awards’ celebrate PhD Researchers and Early Career Researchers (ECRs) in the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH), whose work contributes to Europe’s green transition. Coordinated by Anglia Ruskin University’s Global Sustainability Institute, Fraunhofer ISI, and University of Lisbon’s Institute of Social Sciences, the awards will highlight innovative approaches at the intersection of sustainability, society, and policy.
Connection to the Shared Green Societies Forum
Building on the success of the €5m SHARED GREEN DEAL project, we will be launching the Shared Green Societies Forum, in January 2026, in Brussels. The Forum will bring together SSH researchers, policymakers, and practitioners on matters of sustainability and society. It already has the backing from network organisations representing over 4,000 NGOs and municipalities across Europe.
The Forum is running these awards to help identify and then showcase best practices in European SSH research. As such, the award categories relate directly to the three core goals of this forthcoming Forum:
- Theme 1 – Supporting citizen and/or professional participation (with a focus on participatory processes)
- Theme 2 – Promoting mutual knowledge flows (with a focus on dialogue and learning)
- Theme 3 – Advocating for inclusive public policies (with a focus on overcoming marginalisation and exclusion)
Award ceremony and prizes
- Each theme will have: one winner (€500 paid to the individual, and an expenses-paid trip to Brussels for the Shared Green Societies Forum launch, 28 January 2026); and two runners-up (book prize worth up to €85). All nine winners will be showcased on the website of the future Shared Green Societies Forum or on the SHARED GREEN DEAL website.
- The award winners will be announced at a virtual awards ceremony, on Friday 12 December 2025, at 12:00–13:00 CET. All are welcome, including non-applicants.
Award eligibility requirements
Applicants must be PhD candidates or ECRs based in Europe and focusing on European challenges, utilising SSH perspectives on one or more of the eight European Green Deal policy areas. ECRs are defined as those who have not led projects exceeding €100,000. Applicants cannot have worked on the SHARED GREEN DEAL project.
Award application procedure
- Deadline is Wednesday 12 November 2025, 2359 CET.
- Other than a small amount of applicant information, the application consists only of a one-pager overview of your work. This should be written accessibly because, if successful, it will be used as a basis for a dedicated webpage/blog that showcases your efforts.
- Applications are assessed anonymously against theme-specific criteria, with emphasis on clarity, critical reflection, and demonstrated impact.
- Application should be submitted via this link. (this requires a Google Account, but do contact us if this is a problem)
For further information
- Main webpage, including detailed descriptions of each award theme, as well as each theme’s evaluation criteria.
- Brief call document and Frequently Asked Questions
- For queries about the awards in general, contact chris.foulds@aru.ac.uk. For queries about the application form specifically, contact seprojects@aru.ac.uk.
