Deadline: September 9, 2019
Applications are open for the UNESCO Avicenna Prize for Ethics in Science 2019. This year the prize will reward activities of individuals or groups in the field of advancing the “Ethics of Environment” with a special thematic focus on ethics of climate change and environmental sustainability.
UNESCO invites Members States in consultation with their National Commissions, non-governmental organizations in official partnership with UNESCO, various professional, academic and non-governmental organizations active in the field of ethics of science and technology, members of relevant UNESCO’s expert bodies and UNESCO’s partners, to propose candidates for the UNESCO Avicenna Prize for Ethics in Science 2019.
About the Prize
Established in 2003 by the Executive Board of UNESCO at its 166th session on the initiative of the Islamic Republic of Iran, this Prize, awarded every two years, is intended to reward the activities of individuals and groups in the field of ethics in science. By thus promoting ethical reflection on issues raised by advances in science and technology, it is expected to help significantly to increase international awareness and highlight the importance of ethics in science.
The Prize owes its name to the renowned 11th-century physician and philosopher of Persian origin known in Europe as Avicenna (980-1038). A healer and a humanist, Avicenna developed an exemplary holistic approach that captures the essence of ethics in science and has thus come to serve as a source of inspiration for the promotion of this concern, which is of central importance to UNESCO.
Prize
- The Prize consists of a gold medal of Avicenna along with a certificate, the sum of USD 50,000, and a one-week academic visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is to include the delivery of speeches in the relevant academic gatherings, organized for this purpose by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Eligibility
The purpose of the Prize is to reward activities in the field of ethics in science, including:
- High-quality ethical scholarly reflection and research on issues raised by recent scientific and technological advances;
major contributions to providing advice to policy-makers on ethical questions in research and development in order to establish and support science ethics policies and committees; - Activities aimed at developing education and training regarding the ethical dimensions of science;
- Outstanding contributions to fostering science communication, public awareness and debate on the ethics of science and technology.
Application
- Users with UNESCO accounts can submit candidatures online
- Other potential submitters are invited to request an account here. The account will allow online submission of the nomination.
Download the nomination form:
If the nomination has to be sent by postal services, the complete file should be sent in three ‘hard copies’, or copied on three digital supports (USB, CD or DVD). Applications should be addressed to the Secretariat of the Prize.
Dafna Feinholz
Secretary of the UNESCO Avicenna Prize for Ethics of Science
Chief of the Bioethics and Ethics of Science Section
Social and Human Sciences Sector
UNESCO
7, place de Fontenoy
75732 Paris Cedex 07 SP France
Tel.: +33 (0)1 45 68 06 54 / ext. 14 08
E-mail: avicenna.prize(at)unesco.org
For more information, visit UNESCO Avicenna Prize.
