Students Archives

LIFT DATA | Banco Central Do Brasil in partnership with FENASBAC

Participate in the virtual innovation laboratory and transform data into solutions for the challenges of the National Financial System.

About LIFT DATA

LIFT DATA is an open innovation program that promotes the development of technological solutions based on the analysis of public data . Created by the Central Bank of Brazil (BCB) in partnership with FENASBAC, the program challenges companies, data scientists, developers and experts to create solutions for issues relevant to society, related to the dimensions of the BC# Agenda.

In its first edition, LIFT DATA focuses on data-driven solutions for sustainability and green finance challenges.

Data to Finance and Monitor Sustainability and Climate Action

The climate crisis is one of the biggest global challenges of our time, and innovation plays a fundamental role in the search for effective solutions. Public data, artificial intelligence, remote sensing and machine learning can transform the way we monitor, finance and drive sustainable action.

LIFT DATA 2025 was created with the purpose of fostering innovation and promoting the intelligent use of data to face these challenges. In its first edition, the program will be aligned with the debates and goals of COP30, the UN conference on climate change that will be held in Brazil in November 2025.

How it Works: The LIFT DATA Journey

Register your project until 04/13

The proponent must choose one of the 3 proposed categories, aligned with the central pillars of COP30: 1) Emissions Reduction and Low Carbon Transition; 2) Financing for Adaptation, Resilience and Climate Justice; and 3) Preservation of Forests and Biodiversity or the transversal challenge of Rural Credit and submit their project through this link.

IMPORTANT: The proponent must use a dataset from among the Suggested Public Databases, or other additional databases that fit the LIFT Data objective, to create a technological solution related to the chosen category.

Project Selection Will Take Place Until 04/29

Up to 5 projects will be selected to be developed per category and up to 5 projects in the transversal category, totaling a maximum of 20 selected projects.

Development of Solutions Within 3 Months

Proponents will have 3 months to develop their solutions, and may benefit from remote mentoring by interested market experts. The goal of the mentoring is to provide guidance and make the process inclusive and participatory.

Evaluation & Announcement of Winners at Event 3F, October 9th

After the development of the projects is complete, the finalist projects will be evaluated and the most outstanding ones will be chosen as winners, with up to one winner for each category and, optionally, one more for the transversal category. The winning projects may be presented at COP30.

more information and registration

Accounting for Sustainability International Case Competition (A4SICC)

We are delighted to support the Accounting for Sustainability International Case Competition: a unique opportunity for students across the world to help drive sustainable business solutions.

Today’s business and accounting students will have to manage a wide range of sustainability challenges upon entering the workforce. To succeed, and more importantly, to help shape and drive a sustainable economy, these students will require both theoretical and practical sustainability skills. Accounting for Sustainability (A4S) aims to address this knowledge gap – join us in supporting the competition!

What is the competition?

Established in 2018, A4SICC provides an opportunity for business and accounting students to develop and apply their skills to solve sustainability challenges in a commercial environment – supporting us all to transition to a sustainable economy. By engaging students in how we can solve pressing global problems, we are equipping them with the tools and skills to meet the social and environmental challenges ahead.

For the 2025 competition, students are invited to select one of the world’s 2,000 most influential companies from the World Benchmarking Alliance SDG2000 list and examine its approach to corporate decarbonization within the broader context of a fair and just climate transition.

Get your students involved

A4SICC offers your students a transformative and practical learning experience as well as the chance to:

Travel to Toronto, Canada for the face-to-face finals
Win a cash prize of CA$10,000 (winning team) or CA$5,000 (runner-up)!
Access the internships linked to the competition
Cultivate critical skills for sustainable business development
Connect with industry leaders
Contribute to the advancement of sustainable business practices

You can find an overview of the competition and links to easy-to-use templates to excite and engage your students in this A4SICC Communications Deck. Watching the video from A4SICC 2024 is a great way to get a feel for the competition.

A4S International Case Competition is running two information sessions. These sessions will be critical for students who want to enter A4SICC 2025 and will cover:

Firsthand insights from business leaders driving sustainable change about the skills they look for when hiring
How the A4SICC can support students in their professional careers
Top tips, practical insights and guidance from past ICC winners on crafting your entry and your presentation
More context and detail about this year’s case focus: internships available and the logistics of this year’s competition

The sessions will also provide a space for students to ask questions about the challenge or process.

Be sure to share these with your students – we’re looking forward to seeing them there!

Information Session 1
Date: 10 October 2024
Region: Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific
Speaker: Rishi Kalra, Executive Director & CFO, Olam Food Ingredients
Time: 08:00 BST / 09:00 CEST / 15:00 SGT / 18:00 AEDT / 20:00 NZDT
Sign up here to attend

Information Session 2
Date: 15 October 2024
Region: Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa
Speaker: Patrick Taylor, Managing Director, Brookfield Asset Management
Time: 09:00 PDT / 12:00 EDT / 17:00 BST / 18:00 CEST
Sign up here to attend

Find out more on the A4S website here, or contact the A4SICC team at a4sicc@a4s.org to get involved.

Two PhD Positions in the Governance of Natural Resources and Sustainability for a Just and Fair Energy Transition | Copenhagen Business School

Two PhD positions in the governance of natural resources and sustainability for a just and fair energy transition, at the Department of Management, Society and Communication at Copenhagen Business School

Copenhagen Business School (CBS) invites applications for two PhD positions in governance of natural resources and sustainability for a just and fair energy transition at the Department of Management, Society and Communication (MSC).

Both PhD positions (project A and project B) form part of work packages under the research project ‘Frontiers of natural resource and sustainability governance for a just energy transition’ (FRONTIERS).

At an overall level, FRONTIERS aims to advance knowledge for a just and fair transition, which involves and respects those (such as communities or individuals) who are at risk or in practice adversely affected by mining of minerals for the green transition. Comprising four complementary work packages and a focus on land-based and potential deep-sea mining as a field of natural resource exploration, we will explore effects of risk-based due diligence demands for the industry; industry and investors practices; and potentially complementary normative ideas related to the rights of nature. Ultimately, the project seeks to develop insights that may support a comprehensive assessment of eco-system impacts as an aspect of risk-based due diligence for mining of minerals for the transition and investments in the industry and the value chain, including the solar and wind power and energy storage industries. Some fieldwork in mining countries and/or with relevant industries is envisaged. Please see https://frontiers.cbs.dk/ for details.

The central objective of PhD project A is to explore and advance our understanding of the effects of legal requirements on risk-based due diligence in value chains and non-financial reporting (disclosure) with regard to transition minerals mining. As part of this, the project should explore what factors, including in legal demands and organisational practices, are conducive to adequately identifying and preventing social, environmental and wider eco-system harm or risks, including in multi-tier supply chains in complex settings for environmental and social impacts. Research can, for example, address:

An exploration of policy objectives in home or host countries for mining industry and in the European Union (EU) in regard to processes for companies to identify risks or actual societal harm and manage such risks or harm;
An exploration or mapping of legislative texts from selected countries and administrative guidance on risk-based due diligence related to social, environmental and wider eco-system risks and harm related to the mining industry and its green energy value chains;
An exploration of company needs and preferences for risk-based due diligence demands from governments and the private sector (including investors) for impact assessments of societal risks;
An exploration of risk-based due diligence uptake in one or more companies in the mining industry and/or green energy companies, and cascading of due diligence along the value chain;
Lessons that may be learnt or passed on from due diligence and responsible business conduct in land-based mining towards deep-sea mining.

The central objective of PhD project B is to explore and advance our understanding of how institutional investors apply risk-based due diligence for human rights and the environment in decisions on investment in companies involved in extracting minerals relevant for the energy transition and the supply chains for such minerals. As part of this, the project should explore how institutional investors seek to shape practices in the investment chain for land-based transition minerals and potential expansion into the deep seas to identify and prevent social, environmental and wider eco-system risks and harm.

Research can, for example, address:

how institutional investors apply risk-based due diligence demands to understand about risks of or actual societal harm related to their investments in the transition mining industry
how institutional investors seek to shape the investment chain’s conduct in order to prevent and manage harmful societal impacts, including through impact assessments and deployment of their influence/leverage;
how institutional investors seek to advance cascading of risk-based due diligence awareness and practices along mining value chains;
how institutional investors apply due diligence demands to ensure that affected stakeholders who host or live near transition minerals mines are meaningfully engaged in decision-making on the mining:
In regard to assessment of societal impacts and deployment of risk-based due diligence, what lessons may be learnt or passed on from institutional investors’ practices in regard to land-based mining towards deep-sea mining, including for comprehensive impact assessment.

PhD project B is expected to be undertaken in close collaboration with at least one Danish institutional investor with a leading role in risk-based due diligence and sustainable investing.

more information

30th Ulvön Conference on Environmental Economics – June 18-20

Ulvön Conference on Environmental Economics provides a forum for high-quality research in environmental economics. Initiated in 1993, it allows PhD students to present their work and interact with leading researchers in the field. The conference is held at Ulvön (the Wolf Island) a small, attractive old fishing hamlet located along the high coast, about 500 km north of Stockholm.

The 30th Ulvön Conference on Environmental Economics is scheduled for June 18-20.

Distinguished keynote speakers include:

– Maximillian Auffhammer from UC Berkeley (https://www.auffhammer.com/)

– Charlie Kolstad from Stanford/UC Santa Barbara (https://profiles.stanford.edu/charles-kolstad)

– Christa Brunnschweiler from NTNU (https://sites.google.com/site/christabrunnschweiler/)

Additionally, on June 17th, the afternoon before the main conference, Eric Naevdal from HVL Business School, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, will be offering a short course on ”Simple numerical recipes for solving optimal control problems”. This course will be valuable for researchers in dynamic resource economics or anyone utilizing optimal control analysis.

Submit your abstract before 2024-04-05 (Abstract submission Ulvön 2024).

The cost for the conference is €500, €300 for presenting PhD students (includes food, lodging and transportation between Umeå and the conference venue)

Registration for the conference will open shortly.

More information

Innova Europe 2024: Renewing the Challenge for Sustainability

Following the success of the first edition, Innova Europe 2024 kicks off, calling students and alumni from major European business schools to identify innovative ideas and projects within the framework of the seventeen United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Under the banner “Welcome to INNOVA Europe: Shaping tomorrow’s solutions today!” the competition was one of the standout initiatives of 2023, so much so that at the recent AMBA and BGA Excellence Awards, among the awards celebrating excellence in the business school ecosystem, it was “highly commended”.

Innova Europe’s Growth: from Three to Ten Business Schools involved

Building on these results, the lineup of business schools participating in Innova Europe has expanded from three to ten Business School involved: so alongside POLIMI Graduate School of Management our school, which led the way last year, and together with EDHEC Business School (Lille, Nice, and Paris), ESMT Berlin, we now have Aalto University School of Business (Helsinki), IE Business School (Madrid), Imperial College Business School (London), Kozminski University (Warsaw), KSE Graduate Business School (Kyiv), Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (Rotterdam) and UCD Smurfit School (Dublin). This year, the role of standard bearer falls to ESMT. The first round of the competition is a national phase, so for Italian students it will take place at our campus.

Prizes and Opportunities: from an Idea to a Concrete Project

Every winner of the national phase will be guided by their mentor to face the challenge in September against winners from other countries. The final will take place in Paris at Station F, the renowned French incubator. In addition to an Idea Stage, there is an MVP Stage with a winning prize of €20,000 and the opportunity to be mentored at a prestigious business incubator.

Sustainability is an International Challenge

Innova Europe represents a unique opportunity to transform ideas into concrete projects, actively contributing to a sustainable future. This challenge goes beyond individual entities; sustainability is a theme that concerns everyone. Therefore, it is even more significant that the challenge involves business schools from many countries. Not only does it facilitate a stimulating international exchange of ideas, but it also provides the chance to see the winning idea transformed into a tangible reality.
It’s an unmissable opportunity for those who aspire to shape the future through innovative and sustainable solutions.
Register now at Innova Europe and contribute to shaping tomorrow with your revolutionary ideas. The challenge is open, and the future is waiting to be written by brilliant minds like yours!

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WAIFC Young Academic Award 2024 – The World Alliance of International Financial Centers

General Information

The World Alliance of International Financial Centers (WAIFC) is pleased to share the launch of the 3rd edition of the 2024 Young Academic Award. WAIFC invites young academics to submit papers or essays on the future of a sustainable and inclusive financial sector, addressing one of the following topics:

The role of international financial centers in promoting collaboration and channeling climate change finance.
How financial centers can support the harmonization and proliferation of sustainable reporting standards.
The role of IFCs in financing the circular economy.
The role of the financial sector in designing products/services and due diligence practices to specifically foster social enterprises.
How financial centers can foster gender diversity in the financial industry.
The impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence on the financial sector.
The role Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC) will play in the coming years.
How financial centers can support talent development and re-skilling, particularly regarding sustainability and financial technology.
How the financial sector can remain an attractive employer for young talent.
How financial centers can foster international cooperation & peace in a tense geopolitical context.

The top three finalists will have the unique opportunity to present their research at WAIFC’s Annual General Meeting to be held in Tokyo, Japan the week of 14 October 2024. The winner of the best paper will be awarded a prize of €3,000. The runners-up will be awarded prizes of €2,000 (2nd place) and €1,000 (3rd place).

apply here

Who can enter?

WAIFC invites young academics from around the world to make a submission. WAIFC is a global organization, and we aim to make this a global competition. The Award is open to all countries, including non-WAIFC member countries. As our focus is on finance, we particularly encourage submissions from Ph.D. students in finance, economics, mathematics, computer science, or other similar fields to participate. We are, however, seeking new ideas, so a background in any field of study is welcome as long as your paper or essay relates to finance and meets our submission criteria. Submissions are welcome from those in universities, research institutes, think tanks, and other similar institutions.

Multiple authors can contribute to a paper or essay, but as we seek ideas from bright young minds, at least one author must be under 35 as of 15 June 2024.

How will the winners be selected?

WAIFC will assess the papers against the following criteria: (1) novelty, (2) topicality, (3) innovative thinking, (4) scientific merit, (5) relevance for financial centers, and (6) practical applicability.

How to apply?

Applications to submit your paper or essay may be made no later than 15 May 2024 via our submission form. Your final paper or essay must be submitted no later than 15 June 2024.

Full details on who can enter, how to enter, assessment criteria, and so on are detailed within our Award Handbook. If you have any further questions, please email award@waifc.finance.

WAIFC looks forward to receiving your submissions and hopefully meeting you in Tokyo later this year.

more information and registration

Global Academy – Insper

The Global Academy is an Insper’s portfolio of short-term courses designed for undergraduate students from Brazilian and international institutions with relevant topics in entrepreneurship, innovation, ESG, and technology, among others. In 2024 it will be the second edition of the program. Insper’s short-term program offers an enriching academic experience that equips you for new challenges and opportunities in Brazil and overseas.

Classes are intensive, full-time, taught in English, and with a minimum of 40 hours of contact per course. As a credit-bearing program, students can have equivalences for elective courses at Insper or as per the policies of their respective educational institutions.

During the program, students will visit companies and institutions to enhance their market knowledge and participate in extracurricular activities that foster international experience and sociocultural awareness.

Application

Students must be attending an undergraduate program. In addition, be at least 18 years old, over the age of majority in Brazil, and submit their university enrollment certificate.

To access more information on dates, fees and program details, go to the page for each course.

For further questions, please contact us through the email: globalacademy@insper.edu.br

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International Business Ethics and Sustainability Case Competition – Loyola Marymount University

The 2024 International Business Ethics and Sustainability Case Competition (IBESCC) will be a hybrid competition held online and on the Loyola Marymount University (LMU) campus during the week of April 8-12.

Teams of 3-5 students, graduate or undergraduate, compete in 3 competitions during the event:

The 25 Minute Competition, in which teams will present their chosen business problem, an analysis of the ethical, sustainable, legal and financial aspects of a problem, and a viable solution on all fronts.
The 10 Minute Competition, in which teams will incorporate the suggestions from judges during the 25-minute presentation to give a 10-minute presentation expanding on the ethical aspect of the problem.
The 90 Second Competition, in which teams will give an elevator pitch explaining the importance of the sustainability component of the problem.

The online divisions will compete on April 8 and 9. IBESCC staff will work with each team to find a presentation time, accommodating schedules in different time zones. The in-person competition will convene April 10-12 in Los Angeles on the LMU campus. The winners for all divisions will be announced on the evening of Friday, April 12 at the Awards Ceremony, which will be live-streamed.

Registration for graduate and undergraduate teams is open until February 19, 2024.

Registration information and fees can be found on the 2024 Registration and Deadlines page. More details about the competition can be found in the Competition Overview and Additional Information pages.

If you have questions or would like to request financial aid to reduce or waive the registration fee, please contact us at ibes@lmu.edu or call Chiray Koo at (213)-268-0789.

More information & Registration

Creative Circle Event | Food Culture Alliance

Background

Shaping narratives is about effectively words, images, sounds, body language, metaphors, symbols to tell stories about food. These stories can help envision new possibilities (e.g., what kind of food future is possible), new norms, or offer new strategies for action to achieve nutritious and sustainable consumption. We can tell these narratives through media, family life, education, religion, sports institutions.

Apply to Participate

Purpose of the Event

This is a two-hour online event, scheduled for 5 March 2024 starting at 14:30 Central European Time. The session is divided into three parts – an introduction, a fireside chat, and an interactive workshop. The students will work alongside a wide range of professionals, including writers, artists, producers and advertising strategists, to brainstorm on language, stories, and conversations. Together, we will craft new narratives that resonate across various domains spanning family life, education, media, religion, education, sports and fashion.

This is a selective opportunity reserved for top students at the masters level, who are interested in marketing (or related subjects such as advertising) and care deeply about the role it can have in health and sustainable development. Experience or demonstrated interest in the food system is also a plus. Selected students will contribute to positive impact, learn new ideas and approaches through experience, and develop new connections.

Outcome

1. Participants are inspired to use language and symbols in stories about food that directly address real-world challenges.

2. Participants co-create one story across multiple institutions that can (re)frame narratives.

Date

March 5, 2024 at 9:30am EDT/2:30pm Central Europe Time

Deadline to Apply

February 22, 2024

Format

This is an online event, 2-hour duration. It has three parts – an introduction, a fireside chat, and interactive workshop. This event is free of charge, but registration is required to save spot. Limit is 30 participants.

Apply to Participate

“Power the Community” International College Design Competition

Do you want to make a difference in future innovative community building? Are you interested in engineering, business, architecture, urban design, public policy, sustainability, or all of the above? Do you want to compete to win over $31,000 in prizes?If any of these apply to you, we invite you to register for the “Power the Community” International College Design Competition, hosted by Energy Mentors!

Energy Mentors is a 501(c) nonprofit founded by past ExxonMobil Chief Process Engineer and UConn ’81 Alum, Don Victory, who built the organization to support and inspire the next generation of rising energy professionals.Energy Mentors, along with Founding Sponsors EY, Aspen Technology, and Chart Industries, Inc., and Software Sponsor MathWorks, invite ALL college students globally to join the “Power the Community” design competition.

This competition offers a unique chance to gain valuable skills, collaborate with peers, and create a positive impact in your community. Don’t miss out on this challenge to shape a brighter future. Good luck!

The Task

Design the energy infrastructure for a community of 2,000 families, each supported by the combined salaries of a nurse and a schoolteacher. Your design must be affordable, reliable, and sustainable, aiming to enhance community lives with clean, safe, and efficient energy access. No “professional” design experience needed!

The Design Challenge

The “Power the Community” design competition challenges student teams worldwide to design a livable community for 2,000 or more families. To succeed in this challenge, teams must take an integrative, cross-disciplinary approach to community infrastructure and housing design, focusing on achieving great living underpinned by affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy supply.

The competition is about integrating innovative approaches to energy and energy infrastructure at the community level. The scope includes how the community accesses energy sources, their distribution, and how families use energy in their homes.

The competition also requires designing a prototypical residence that exemplifies the community’s energy and sustainability practices in daily living. The residence should be affordable, energy-efficient, sustainable, and meet the local community’s needs.

Additionally, teams can consider aspects of community planning, such as people transportation, water, and waste management, public spaces, etc.. Still, the primary focus should be energy use and infrastructure during daily living in the planned community.

Team Eligibility

Teams may form ad hoc and need not be officially sponsored by a university, or their university can sponsor them.
Each team should have a team name and indicate their location, such as their university.
Teams can decide on the number of teammates themselves.
Team members may include undergraduate students, graduate students, and persons who are not degree candidates.
Teams may draw on the knowledge and advice from any resources they wish. However, faculty and working professionals should not contribute to directly producing results and deliverables.

Submission Guidelines

The community should be designed for approximately 2000 or more families.
A typical family consists of around four people, plus or minus.
While the community could have a full range of income and assets, the target family should be able to afford housing and living expenses based on two employed adults: one being a nurse in a large hospital and the other a high school teacher.
Consider that a typical family may have two young children, plus or minus, who could be of different genders and who will live in the housing unit from birth through high school.
All components of the conceptual design must be available for purchase from worldwide sourcing as of the competition submission deadline.
The community design should consider access to food/groceries, drug, and other retail stores, manufacturing, offices, medical care, social meeting spaces, recreation, places of worship, etc. Such need not be provided within the new community, and if not, the design should consider people and supply chain flow.

Submission Deadline

May 15, 2024. That gives you ample time to brainstorm and refine your solution. The winning team receives a US$10,000 grand prize and the chance to showcase their design to industry experts. The total prize pool is US$31,000, rewarding the best submissions.

More information