Blue Sky Young Researchers Innovation Awards for the Global Forest Products Sector 2022-2023

THEME: Building a Lower Carbon Economy with Climate Positive Forestry and Forest Products

The Blue Sky Young Researchers Innovation Awards is a global competition for students and young researchers who are passionate about forest-based science, products using forest-based raw materials, process improvements, climate positive forestry and forest products, clean manufacturing, the forest bioeconomy or other innovations throughout the forest sector value chain.

Sponsored by the International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA), this biennial programme seeks to award three worthy recipients from around the world. These winners, selected from submissions from ICFPA member countries, will have the opportunity to share their projects at the ICFPA CEO Global Roundtable in April/May 2023 (at a location to be confirmed in late 2022).

National Competitions and the International Awards

• Each ICFPA member organisation will be asked to run their own national competition and will advance up to two candidates for the international selection.
• The Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (PAMSA) will award the top two student submissions with R15,000 and R10,000 respectively. These entries will be submitted to the international round.
• Three submissions will be shortlisted by an international judging panel to receive the awards.
• Travel and accommodation expenses for the three international finalists will be covered to present at the ICFPA CEO Roundtable in April/May 2023 (at a location to be determined in late 2022).    

Eligibility

Applicants must be students or researchers who are 30 years old or younger on
1 March 2022. Applicants must be carrying out research and innovation projects relevant for forestry, forest products, and/or forest products processing technologies – with links to academia, public or private research centers, and/or corporate research and innovation departments. Research work must demonstrate that it promotes innovation and decarbonisation in the forest products sector, either in the forest, at production facilities, along the supply chain, or via product innovation.

Schedule