MCAA Awards 2023

PRESENTATION OF MCAA AWARDS

Every year, the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA) highlights and rewards its members for their actions and activities within the community. Four Awards are given to the members who excelled during the year:

- MCAA Career Award to reward a member with a career of excellence

- MCAA Best Innovator Award to reward a member who presents the best innovation approach

- MCAA Social Impact Award to reward a member whose activity has a positive social impact

- MCAA Outstanding Contributor Award to reward the member who has contributed the most to the MCAA

The winners of these awards are selected by an independent jury (award committee). This committee will assess the applications received.

Through this call, the Marie Curie Alumni Association invites its members to apply for the awards and showcase their achievements.

Moreover, the MCAA Board can recommend and offer an MCAA Honorary Recognition with the objective of rewarding someone (member/non-member) and/or organisation for outstanding contributions to the development and growth of the association.

CONDITIONS AND PROFILE FOR AWARDS

Applications to the MCAA Awards are only open to Marie Curie Alumni Association members registered for at least 12 consecutive months (from the date of submission of the application), and represent a prize provided in a non-monetary form.*, as follows:

MCAA Career Award	1.500 euros
MCAA Best Innovator Award	1.500 euros
MCAA Social Impact Award	1.500 euros
MCAA Outstanding Contributor Award	1.500 euros
MCAA Honorary Recognition	Special Honorary Recognition

* Prize in non-monetary form, such as a subscription to a publication or a career development activity (attendance to the conference, training, course, etc.).

Profile for the MCAA Career Award:

The aim of this Award is to reward a member with a career of excellence.

The application shall describe the member’s career achievements and explain why they deserve to be recognised by this award. Career achievements can take different forms, such as scientific excellence, outstanding work/research experience, and quality and impact on the community. In addition, the member shall also present 2 letters of recommendation (to be uploaded with the submission of the online application form for this award).

Only members with at least four years full-time equivalent research experience (from the date of submission of the application) can apply to this award. 

Profile for the MCAA Best Innovator Award: 

The aim of this Award is to reward a member who presents the best innovation approach.

The application shall describe the member’s career achievements with innovative approaches and explain why they deserve to be recognised by this award. Achievements can take different forms, such as new approaches to research, development of new services, products and/or methodologies. In addition, the member shall also present 2 letters of recommendation (to be uploaded with the submission of the online application form for this award).  

All members can apply to this award.

Profile for the MCAA Social Impact Award:

The aim of this Award is to reward a member whose activity has a positive social impact.

The application shall describe the member’s career achievements with a positive social impact and explain why he/she/they deserve to be recognised by this award. Achievements can take different forms, such as solutions to social challenges, and initiatives with proven impact on communities/groups. In addition, the member shall also present 2 letters of recommendation (to be uploaded with the submission of the online application form for this award).

 All members can apply to this award.

Profile for the MCAA Outstanding Contributor Award:

The aim of this Award is to reward the member who has contributed the most to the MCAA community, especially to the MCAA as an organisation.

The text of the application should detail the member's efforts in promoting the growth of the Marie Curie Alumni Association. It must articulate the reasons the member is a worthy recipient of this honour. The core of these endeavours ought to be a significant commitment (for instance in terms of time and effort) to the MCAA's internal volunteering activities and volunteering functioning, aimed at fostering the development of the MCAA community. Furthermore, the applicant is required to include a minimum of two letters of recommendation, which should be attached to the online application form when submitting for this award.

All members can apply to this award.

MCAA members can nominate their colleagues. You just need to fill the form, with the information of the person you are nominating.

Exclusion criteria for all Awards

- To ensure impartiality and prevent any potential Conflict of Interest, current members of the MCAA Board, as well as any individual working for the MCAA during the year of the MCAA Awards Call (for instance, 2023 for the Awards call 2023) and until the announcement of the results, are not eligible for nomination.

- The MCAA Outstanding Contributor Award is specifically designed to honour a member whose contributions to the MCAA were made on a voluntary basis. Consequently, activities that have been compensated through a contract or similar financial support are ineligible for consideration for this Award.

- Members who have previously received a commendation from the jury (for instance as a “special mention”) in any category of the MCAA Awards, despite not winning, are ineligible for nomination in the same Award category in subsequent editions.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications from all countries are welcome.

All applications must be completed in English.

NOTE on Personal data

1. Personal data of the applicants will be administered by the the MCAA and according to the MCAA Privacy Statement  

2. Submitting personal data is voluntary, yet it constitutes a prerequisite to submit an application.

3. By submitting an application to MCAA Awards 2023, each applicant agrees that personal data may be processed, shared and otherwise used for the purposes and within the selection process by the MCAA and third parties duly authorised to cooperate in the implementation of the selection procedure.

4. Applicants have the right to access, review, rectify or cancel their personal data, through a written request submitted to support@mariecuriealumni.eu.

SELECTION PROCEDURE & DEADLINES

- Publication of the call: 19 December 2023

- Deadline for submission of applications:  08 February 2024

- Recommendations from the Award Committee to MCAA Board: 20 February 2024

- MCAA Board final decision: 25 February 2024

- Communication of Results (by e-mail to all applicants): Between 25th February to March 1

- Awarding ceremony: MCAA Annual Conference 2024 Dinner in Milan on Friday 15th of March 2024.

Selection of winners will be supported by an Award Committee composed of five/six independent persons, who will provide recommendations to the MCAA Board that will make the final decision.

Selection Criteria for the MCAA Awards 2024

The winners will be decided by consensus and details concerning how the result was reached will not be made publicly available unless otherwise agreed by the MCAA Board.

For the MCAA Honorary Recognition

This award is to be offered by the MCAA Board upon proposal by one of its members and/or ex-officio members.