The François Sommer Foundation partners with the Academy of Sciences to launch two high-level scientific awards focusing on terrestrial wildlife and its habitats.
Remaining true to the philosophy of its founders, François and Jacqueline Sommer, who were deeply committed to nature and wildlife conservation – particularly through the acquisition and transmission of knowledge – these awards aim to reward research work or the excellence of a research career of an experienced researcher or a research team for one prize; and to encourage a young researcher for the other.
These research projects will contribute to new insights and a better understanding of the living conditions of wildlife and its habitats, providing major contributions to understanding current and future ecological issues. They will focus on terrestrial wildlife in France: vertebrates, insects, arachnids.
The list of disciplines, not exhaustive, includes individual ecophysiology, population and community ecology, ethology, population genetics, population dynamics, biology and conservation ecology, and ethnobiology. What are the eligibility criteria? How to apply? Discover below the complete list of disciplines, the regulations, and the application process.
The Grand Scientific Prize François Sommer – Academy of Sciences is endowed with 30,000€, while the Young Researcher Prize François Sommer – Academy of Sciences is endowed with 5,000€. Applications are open until May 18. These awards will be presented under the dome of the Institut de France next fall.
The Academy of Sciences The Academy of Sciences is an assembly of scientists consisting of 400 members, chosen among the most prominent French and foreign specialists including several Nobel Prize winners and Fields Medalists. It covers all formal and experimental sciences. It provides a framework for expertise, advice, and alerting through opinions and recommendations for public policies. It supports Research, science education, and the scientific community as a whole. Its reports provide everyone with the tools to understand the scientific debate and thus help clarify societal issues. It reflects on the political, ethical, and societal challenges posed by scientific questions since its creation in 1666. The Academy is based within the Institut de France, Quai de Conti, where it annually honors the greatest scientists from around the world under the Dome. The majority of its sessions are public, and all its conferences, reports, opinions, and podcasts are available online.
The François Sommer Foundation The reconnection between humans and nature is a major challenge for the coming decades. With its unique positioning at the crossroads of life sciences, art, and land management, as well as financial, institutional, and intellectual independence since its creation in 1964, the François Sommer Foundation has been contributing for sixty years to the emergence of concrete solutions in favor of the protection of wildlife and its habitats. It focuses its activities around five interconnected areas: – culture and art to inspire, raise awareness, and question; – management of natural spaces to observe, experiment, and take action; – scientific approach to understand, know, and disseminate, through training and research; – philanthropy to support, encourage, and innovate; – conferences and publications to dialogue, share, and co-create.
Header photo: Photo credit: Academy of Sciences – Mathieu Baumer
