Best Research Environment Award 2024:
Sustainable and Bio-inspired Materials Department Recognized Among the Front-Runners
Take a generous dose of curiosity, mix it with dedication, add a dollop of appropriate funding, stir—and yet, the recipe for excellent research is still incomplete. What truly makes it thrive is a harmonious research team that “cultivates individual strengths and combines them to (…) benefit everyone”.
This is the idea behind the Best Research Environment Award, launched last year by Die Junge Akademie and the Volkswagen Foundation.
The Department of Sustainable and Bio-Inspired Materials (SBM) was among the 24 teams shortlisted last week, selected from over 270 applicants.
Founded in 2023 and led by Prof. Silvia Vignolini, SBM has become home to researchers from 23 countries and many disciplines, including physics, chemistry, materials science, and engineering. The award committee recognized the department’s culture of mutual respect, where mistakes are treated not as failures but as opportunities for discussion and learning. While investigating how nature generates colour through nanoscale architectures—and using those insights to design sustainable materials—SBM fosters an inclusive, collaborative atmosphere. Hierarchies are flat, and early-career researchers are supported not only in their scientific development but also in acquiring transferable skills.
When the SBM team stepped up to receive their certificate at the award ceremony last week, they reflected the diversity and cohesion that had earned them a spot on the shortlist. In the final round, a lottery determined which ten teams received €10,000 for team-building initiatives. SBM’s name wasn’t drawn, but the department will continue to uncover nature’s strategies for a greener future, relying on collaboration to spark the next research idea.
