The focus of the 2023 awards will be on initiatives and programmes that focus on intersectionality within the materials science research community.
The Materials Today Agents of Change awards will provide two grants of up to $10,000. The grants will be presented to a person or group within the materials science research community actively engaged in an initiative that encourages inclusivity and diversity.
Deadline for nominations: 10th of September 2023
Materials Today is committed to encourage diversity in materials science and believes that the future of materials science depends on a robust and diverse workforce drawn from all corners of society. Creating a truly inclusive and diverse culture requires the acknowledgement that people's identities are made up of many distinct parts, and that those parts actively create a unique contributor to each community they participate in.
We are delighted to announce the Materials Today Agents of Change awards, supported by the Elsevier Foundation. Each year the Materials Today Agents of Change awards provide two grants of up to $10,000, recognizing initiatives and programs that are taking practical steps to encourage a more inclusive materials science research community. These can include, but are not limited to:
- A series of diversity & inclusion workshops focused on the materials science research community
- The establishment of targeted initiatives for underrepresented grad students in materials sciences
- Support for travel grants for minority and underfunded researchers to attend professional conferences
- The establishment of symposia to facilitate exchange and networking among the material sciences community
Applicants from underrepresented communities and geographies are particularly encouraged to apply.
"One cannot prioritize one dimension of diversity; we must make progress in all fronts... actions that focus on multiple aspects of diversity drive change more effectively by including everybody"
Kumsal Bayazit, Elsevier CEO at EU Gender in Science Symposium
Materials Today is in a strong position to encourage diversity within the materials science community – we organize five large materials science conferences, and across our journals work with over 2,300 editors and editorial board members serving over 45,000 authors. We hope that through the Agents of Change award, and other initiatives we are undertaking, that we can help foster a more diverse materials science research community.
The Materials Today Agents of Change awards will provide two grants of up to $10,000. The grants will be presented to a person or group within the materials science research community actively engaged in an initiative that encourages inclusivity and diversity.
The Elsevier Foundation is a corporate not-for-profit, funded by Elsevier. Since 2006, the Elsevier Foundation provides over $1.5 million USD a year in grants to knowledge-centered institutions around the world, which address the UN Sustainable Development Goals through tech-enabled innovations in inclusive health and research. The Elsevier Foundation is part of Elsevier's larger corporate responsibility program which centers on our unique contributions to sustainable development in gender, health, climate and reducing inequalities.
Criteria for consideration & judging
The team of the journal Materials Today as listed at https://www.materialstoday.com/the-team/ (collectively the “Team”) will review all Contest Entries submitted during the Contest Period and will select a shortlist of top Nominees by applying the following judging criteria to each Contest Entry:
- An overview of the initiative - what it intends to achieve and what it has achieved so far (if applicable)
- Key need the initiative addresses (incl. any data and/or initial insights sources used to identify the need)
- Target audience
- Overview of the initiative
- How the award money would help to support the initiative
- Proposed budget
- Proposed timeline for implementation
- A sustainability plan outlining how the project will continue beyond the initial grant (incl. data sources and/or initial insights that will be used to evaluate the initiative)
- A supporting statement from a nominator outlining the potential impact of the initiative and why the grant of the award would be significant for the initiative.
The Contest Entries of the shortlist of top Nominees will then be reviewed by a panel of up to seven judges using the criteria listed above.
Award
- The awards will come with a grant of up to $10,000 that should be used to support and develop the initiative
- The recipient of the award will be interviewed on Materials Today to provide an oversight of their initiative and what they intend to use the award money for
- A follow up interview and webinar will be arranged one year after the grant of the award to showcase how the initiative has developed since the award was granted and what the next steps are.
Deadlines and Further Information
Award 2023
10th September 2023 - Nominations for the Materials Today Agents of Change Award 2023 should be received.
Details to include in the nomination for the award, please complete the nomination form found .
- A short biography of the people/person involved in the initiative (150 words per person)
- An overview of the initiative – what it intends to achieve and what it has achieved so far (if applicable) (500 words)
- A statement on how the award money would help to support the initiative (250 words)
- A statement on what data sources are being used to identify the need for the initiative, and what data sources will be used to evaluate the initiative (500 words)
- A sustainability plan outlining how the project will continue beyond the initial grant (500 words)
- A supporting statement from a nominator outlining the potential impact of the initiative and why the grant of the award would be significant for the initiative (500 words)
17th September 2023 - Submissions will be initially assessed for suitability by the Materials Today team (). A shortlist of candidates, with an overview of their projects, will be published on MaterialsToday.com.
The shortlist will then be sent to a team of up to seven external judges.
24th September 2023 - The recipient of the award will be announced.
End of November/Beginning of December 2023 - Award ceremony during MRS fall meeting.
For any questions relating to the Materials Today Agents of Change initiative, please email materialstoday@elsevier.com
About Elsevier
Elsevier helps researchers make new discoveries, collaborate with their colleagues, and give them the knowledge they need to find funding. We help governments and universities evaluate and improve their research strategies. We help doctors save lives, providing insight for physicians to find the right clinical answers, and we support nurses and other healthcare professionals throughout their careers.
To find out more, please visit: Elsevier.com