The grant serves to promote student interest in sustainable development and is awarded by Dalarna University's Council for Sustainable Development (Råd för hållbar utveckling).
Here you can read about previous year's best thesis award winners (du.se)
The travel grant is intended for continued studies and professional development.
The next grant will be awarded for a thesis published in the academic year 2024-2025: as such, students whose degree project is published in DiVA between September 1, 2024 and August 31, 2025 can submit their names for the award.
Apply/Nominate
Send your entry no later than September 1, 2025, to the Council for Sustainable Development (see contact information on the right). In the email you need to 1) include a link to your thesis in DiVA; 2) explain in brief why your thesis contributes to a sustainable society; and 3) describe in brief how you would like to use the travel grant should you be awarded it.
You can also nominate the thesis of somebody else: if you do this, be sure to first ask the author; as well, you yourself must respond to point 3 above.
Application/Nomination Criteria
A decision will be made on the submitted entries that will be based on these four criteria:
- Relevance to sustainable development. This referes to the extent to which there are connections to one or more aspects of sustainable development in, for example, the background, research question, results or discussion.
- Integration of a number of different perspectives related to sustainable development. This relates to whether the work covers social, ecological and/or economic issues, and not least the extent to which any possible conflicts or synergies are highlighted between these perspectives
- Potential to benefit society. This refers to any possible benefits for society that may result from the work should the new knowledge and understanding be applied. If the work does not tie to a specific area of application, or if any application is not expected to be put into application until a later time, the applicant must nevertheless give reason for the possible benefits of the work for society
- Originality in relation to the tradition of the subject. This relates to the extent to which the work is innovative and raises new questions or comes with new ideas that aim to make sense of or solve the challenges of the future.
Decision
The Council for Sustainable Development will make its decision in October 2025.
Costs Covered by the Travel Grant
The grant is for a study trip of which the purpose is to develop competence and understanding in terms of sustainable development in a broad sense: for example, to take part in a seminar, to go on a field trip or to attend a course.
The grant is for use by the winner only and can cover costs related to, for example, course fees, transport, accommodation and literature. To receive the grant, you must be clear in your entry that it will be used for study purposes related to sustainable development. The study trip must begin at the latest by 2026.
Report
As recipient of the award, you must submit a report (maximum 1 A-4 page) to the Council for Sustainable Development at the latest six months after your study trip ends.