Note: The following announcement was published by the East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO). PLOS is a proud partner of EASTECO…
PLOS partners with Einstein Foundation Berlin on Award for Promoting Quality in Research
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Einstein Foundation Berlin/m23
We are delighted to once again partner with the Einstein Foundation Award for Promoting Quality in Research. PLOS is a longtime advocate for quality in research, and we are especially thrilled that the Einstein Foundation Berlin honors researchers who reflect rigor, reliability, robustness, and transparency in their work. Enhancing the quality and reliability of research is essential for trust in research.
By establishing a global award to honor individual researchers, as well as collaborations, institutions, and organizations, Einstein Foundation Berlin is making an important statement that rigor, reliability, and transparency are to be recognized and rewarded as they directly influence increased quality in research.
As PLOS’ Chief Scientific Officer, Veronique Kiermer, noted at last year’s awards ceremony:
Science does not have any inherent right to be trusted…We believe that for science to be trustworthy, it must be open and by open we mean: it must be rigorous, transparent and inclusive. Science has its share of prestigious awards and prizes, celebrating scientific discoveries and breakthroughs. But it was missing a celebration of these essential elements of science: rigor, transparency, inclusivity — it was missing a celebration of quality.
The Einstein Foundation award website contains all the details, including the criteria, categories, eligibility, and a list of the jury and prior winners. The deadline for applications and nominations is April 30th, 2023 at 10:00 pm UTC. Winners will be announced in December, 2023.
Below are some of the other important elements that we would like to highlight, adapted from https://www.einsteinfoundation.de/en/award/:
Categories, Eligibility, and Requirements
The award is open to any researcher or group of researchers, organizations, or institutions involved in science and research, education, and scholarship. To be eligible for the Early Career award, candidates must hold a doctorate or have equivalent research experience, and should have been an independent researcher for no longer than five years.
Individual Award: Individual researchers or small teams of collaborating researchers must be nominated. The laureate will be awarded €200,000.
Nominators should include a nomination letter, a CV, and a list of most relevant publications of each nominee, as well as a list of eminent experts and former trainees the Award Jury can contact to request letters of support.
Early Career Award: Early career researchers or small teams of collaborating researchers can submit a project proposal that seeks to foster research quality and value. The winning proposal will be funded by an award of €100,000.
Early career researchers should submit a letter of motivation, a project proposal, as well as a CV and a list of relevant publications for each team member.
Institutional Award: Governmental and non-governmental organizations, institutions, or other entities can apply or be nominated. The award-winning organization or institution will receive €200,000.
Applications or nominations of organizations and institutions should consist of a nomination or application letter, as well as a list of eminent experts the Award Jury can contact to request letters of support.