APEC SCIENCE PRIZE for INNOVATION, RESEARCH and EDUCATION (ASPIRE)

OVERVIEW

The deadline is: May 2, 2012

The APEC Science Prize for Innovation, Research and Education (“ASPIRE”) is an annual award to recognize young scientists who have demonstrated a commitment to both excellence in scientific research, as evidenced by scholarly publication, and cooperation with scientists from other APEC member economies.

The ASPIRE Prize supports APEC’s mission to:

• strengthen international science and technology networks;

•enhance economic growth, trade and investment opportunities in harmony with sustainable development, through policies, innovative R&D and technologies, and knowledge sharing; and

•improve linkages and efficiency between research and innovation, involving and encouraging the potential of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

2012 ASPIRE NOMINATION THEME

Each year the APEC host economy is asked to provide a theme to guide nominations for the ASPIRE Prize to be awarded in their host year. For its host year of 2012 The Russian Federation selects HEALTH INNOVATION as its theme, building on its desire that APEC actively foster cooperation among economies in major innovation areas, such as human health, to support healthy lifestyles, productivity and economic growth.

Each member economy, through its representative on the APEC Industrial Science and Technology Working Group (ISTWG), is invited to nominate one young scientist under the age of 40 to be considered for the 2012 ASPIRE Prize. Nominees should be young scientists in the biosciences (i.e., biochemistry, bioengineering, biogenetics, molecular biology) who have demonstrated a commitment to both excellence in scientific research, as evidenced by scholarly publication, and cooperation with scientists from other APEC member economies.

ELIGIBILITY

Any citizen of an APEC member economy is eligible to be nominated for the ASPIRE Prize. He/she must be living at the time of his/her nomination and be under the age of 40 as of December 31st of that year (i.e., all 2012 nominees must be under the age of 40 as of December 31, 2012).

SELECTION PROCESS

Once nominations are received ISTWG members will rank the nominees in order to select a winner, who will subsequently be confirmed by the ISTWG Lead Shepherd. ISTWG members will be asked to judge the nominees based on how well they have demonstrated:

• excellence in scientific research, as evidenced through scholarly publication;

• commitment to cooperation with scientists from other APEC member economies; and

• contribution to the year’s selected theme.

ASPIRE PRIZE SPONSORS

John Wiley & Sons and Reed Elsevier, two of the world’s leading publishers of scholarly scientific knowledge, have generously committed to funding prize money in the amount of $25,000 USD.

More information http://www.apec.org/