Eni Award Debut in Research: Young Talents from Africa Prize 2023

The purpose of the Debut in Research: Young Talents from Africa Prize is to help new generations of African researchers to emerge, offering them the opportunity to attend a PhD course in cooperation with prestigious Italian universities and research institutes and supporting their research and innovation on the various scientific topics promoted by Eni Award.

The Eni Award Debut in Research: Young Talents from Africa Prize constitutes one of the six sections of the Eni Award, composed by the Energy Frontiers, Advanced Environmental Solutions, Energy Transition and the Young Researcher of the Year Prizes, together with the Recognition at Innovation Eni. The purpose of the Debut in Research: Young Talents from Africa Prize is to help new generations of African researchers to emerge, offering them the opportunity to attend a PhD course in cooperation with prestigious Italian universities and research institutes and supporting their research and innovation on the various scientific topics promoted by Eni Award.

About ENI

Eni is an Italian multinational oil and gas company headquartered in Rome. Considered one of the seven "supermajor" oil companies in the world, it has operations in 66 countries. The Italian government owns a 30.303% golden share in the company, 3.934% held through the state treasury and 26.369% through the Cassa Depositi e Prestiti. The company is a component of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock market index. The name "ENI" was initially the acronym of "Ente Nazionale Idrocarburi" (National Hydrocarbons Authority). ...... read more

Eni Award

Aim and Benefits of Eni Award

• Each of the four winners will be awarded with a customized plaque and a scholarship for the attendance of a 3 years PhD course to be conducted in Italy, in an Italian university or research institute with a solid reputation on the above-mentioned topics. Where authorized within the PhD course framework, it will be possible to carry out a research period outside Italy. It will be also allowed to propose a non-Italian thesis advisor, collaborating with the Italian university or research institute hosting the student.
• The Prizes will be assigned to the winning candidates, proclaimed by the Organizing Committee within June 2023.
• An Official Prize-Giving Ceremony will be held in Rome during the second semester of the year following the publication of the Official Announcement. Eni will grant hospitality for winners participating to the Ceremony plus a maximum of one accompanying person. Hospitality will include travel tickets to reach Rome, transfers, board and lodging expenses during the period of the Ceremony up to 2 overnight stays

Requirements for Eni Award Qualification

• Candidates must own a Master’s degree or any equivalent – according to the European system – academic qualification, granting access to a PhD course in an Italian university. The theses must have been defended at an African University during the same year of the annual Official Announcement, or in the precedent year.
• The Prize is awarded to students born in or after the year 1992.
• The Prize is reserved to students graduated in an African university and of African citizenship, coming from one of the 58 African countries listed in the World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision, compiled by the United Nations.
• The thesis and the curriculum vitae – which will prevail in the evaluation of the candidate – must be submitted together with a research proposal in connection with the Eni Award main topics and highlighting the potential benefits of the proposal in a country, in an African region or in the whole African continent. The main topics covered by the Eni Award are: action against water, air and land pollution, prevention of climate warming and pollution, rehabilitation and reuse of industrial sites; renewable energy and energy storage; innovative use of hydrocarbons and of the energy efficiency as a bridge to the decarbonisation of the energy system.
• The research proposal must explicit topics, methodologies and disciplinary areas suitable for the realization of the submitted project. The information provided by the candidate in the research proposal will be used in order to identify PhD courses as coherent as possible with it.

Application Deadline

How to Apply

• Applications for the Debut in Research: Young Talents from Africa must be presented and guaranteed by Professors, Directors of Department, Faculty Deans and Chancellors of universities and polytechnic universities, or by researchers of research institutes operating in the specific – or similar – fields for which the Prize is awarded.
• Self-candidatures will not be considered.
• The Candidature application forms are available on the website: : https://www.eni.com/en-IT/scientificresearch/eni-award.html, and must be sent as follows:
  1. The Candidature Proposal, the Summary of the Thesis, the CV and the Research Proposal will have to be uploaded on the Eni Award Candidates private area. The access to the private area must be requested to the Eni Award Scientific Secretariat ([email protected]) that will provide an account for the procedure.
  2. A copy of the Thesis in electronic form as well as possible recognitions, certificates, letters of reference, list of publications and the related publications must be sent by e-mail to the following address: [email protected].
  3. The Candidate will have the possibility to provide a self-made video of no more than 3 minutes describing the main aspects and applications of his/her research proposal. Such presentations will be sent as indicated during the Candidature’s registration process and will be accepted in the following formats: .MOV, .MPEG4, .AVI, .FLV.
  4. Following the safe receipt of all the application’s documents, a file named Summary of the Candidature Proposal, containing the main data of the candidature and the Completion Code, will be provided to each candidate.

The aforesaid file must be duly checked and signed by the Candidate as well as by his/her Guarantor and sent to the Eni Award Scientific Secretariat by fax (+39 0248197724) or email ([email protected]) before and no later than the deadline defined by this Official Announcement.

For more details, visit Eni website.