PRISMA Award "The Future of Resources – Resources for the Future"

Goals 

The award aims to honor scientists for outstanding research presented in a peer-reviewed publication that advances the field of sustainability assessment, particularly in the context of integrated (“nexus”) approaches to resource management.

About PRISMA

PRISMA – Centre of Sustainability Assessment and Policy is an interdisciplinary competence centre of the Technische Universität Dresden, which is focused on research regarding sustainability assessment and policy, that is: measuring and assessing long-term development that is economically successful, and ecologically and socially responsible, taking into account spatial and time-related conditions which include the transfer of research results into policy, economy and society

The Award

The award includes:

• An invited presentation at DNC 2025 (online or in person),
• A certificate of excellence, and
• A grant of 2,000 EUR.

The award ceremony will take place at the Dresden Nexus Conference 2025 (DNC 2025) on 8^th April 2025 in Dresden and hybrid, a global forum for advancing sustainable resource management using integrated approaches. The conference unites experts from academia, governance, the private sector, and international organizations to discuss nexus strategies and stewarding vital resources for future generations.

Conditions

Applicants must submit a recently published paper (within the last five years) in a peer-reviewed journal. The paper should showcase the candidate’s substantial contribution to sustainability assessment and policy, particularly in the context of the Resource Nexus approach as applied to the sustainable management of interlinked resources like water, biota, soil, material, space, climate, land, waste, energy and food. The Nexus Approach to environmental resources management examines the interrelatedness and interdependencies of environmental resources and their transitions and fluxes across spatial scales and between compartments. Rather than focusing on individual components, the approach considers the functioning, productivity, and management of complex systems. The papers should align with the themes of this year's Dresden Nexus Conference: "The Future of Resources – Resources for the Future."

Key considerations include:

• The research’s originality and societal relevance, especially its impact on sustainability policy.
• Empirical findings that highlight applicability of newly developed methods.
• Patents are acceptable if the introductory sections meet the standards of a scientific publication.
• Submissions from international and interdisciplinary teams are highly encouraged.
• Exclusions: Members of PRISMA, TU Dresden, and UNU-FLORES, as well as their immediate teams, are ineligible.

All applicants must adhere to Good Scientific Practice.

Application

Applications must include:

• Contact data and details of the applicant’s research institute,
• The journal article (PDF) where the method is published.

Submit your application via the official award portal: PRISMA Application Portal.

Deadline: 14^th March 2025

Selection Process

A jury of experts will evaluate submissions based on the originality of the research and its societal relevance for advancing sustainability assessment and related policies. Decisions of the jury are final, and there is no legal entitlement to the award. Non-compliance with application conditions will result in disqualification.

Dresden, 27^th January 2025