Cefic-LRI Innovative Science Award 2019 call now open!

European-based early career scientists can now apply for the 2019 Innovative Science Award, a €100.000 prize to support promising new research in the field of environmental toxicology.  This year’s call focuses on chemical substances that bind to soil and sediments very strongly, also known as non-extractable residues (NERs).

“There is uncertainty about the risks associated with NERs and their persistence in the environment. Chemicals released into the environment often end up binding strongly to terrestrial soil and aquatic sediments and remain trapped unless an event - such as degradation - significantly changes the nature of the compound or the structure of the matrix to which they are bound” says Dr Océane Albert, Long-range Research Initiative (LRI) Programme Manager.

In 2018, the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) released a Technical and Scientific Report reviewing the state-of-science on the role of NERs and identified several technical challenges and directions for future research.

“Cefic-LRI aims to contribute to the research by supporting early career scientists with out-of-the-box thinking who can advance the science in this area”, concluded Dr Albert.

Innovative science
The Cefic-LRI Award is intended for a European-based scientist with less than ten years post-doctoral experience. Active involvement in interdisciplinary research, current academic track record, and access to appropriate networks will be considered in the selection. There is no age limit for applicants. Previous award winners are not eligible to apply.

The award is offered by the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic), in conjunction with the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), the Association of European Toxicologists and European Societies of Toxicology (EUROTOX), and the International Society of Exposure Sciences (ISES). Application details are available through the Cefic-LRI website.

How does it work?
In January every year, the topic for that year's award is announced with a call for entries on the LRI website. This year, applicants must submit a  two-page proposal by 24 March 2019. Short-listed researchers are then requested to send in a more detailed description of their work, after which the three finalists are selected to present their proposal before a jury panel in Brussels. The LRI Innovative Science Award is officially presented at the LRI Annual Workshop in November, and the Awardee is invited to present the results of the research supported by the Award at the LRI Annual Workshop the following year.

Learn more about the Cefic-LRI Award by watching the video on the 2018 Award Ceremony below.



For more information on the topic and on how to apply, please visit the Cefic-LRI Award 2019 web page, or send an email to the LRI secretariat at Cefic.