ESS awards to recognize academic talent in cooperativism

The Welsh Roca Foundation has opened the call for the tenth edition of the Social Economy Awardsawards that aim to recognize and value the academic research linked to the Social Economy, cooperatives and their transformative practices.

This new edition is aimed at people who have elaborated End of Degree Projects (TFG), Master’s theses (TFM), works of postgraduate or academic articles in Catalan universities, both public and private. The works presented must have been defended within the period established in the rules and have a notable minimum qualification.

Nominations may be submitted until July 20, 2026 through the portal enabled by the organization. A jury made up of experts from the academic and professional world of the Social Economy will be in charge of evaluating the proposals, taking into account the quality, innovation and social impact of the work.

The awards they will recognize several categories and have one global financial endowment which will be distributed among the winning works. The handover event is planned for autumn 2026 and will become a meeting place between the university and the Social Economy.

The awards want to promote applied and theoretical research in areas such as cooperatives, the alternative economic modelsthe democratic governance or the new forms of production and consumption. Those works that provide answers to current social and environmental challenges, such as the ecosocial transition or sustainability, will also be particularly valued.

Coòpolis highlights the importance of this type of initiative for strengthen the links between the academic world and the fabric of the Social Economyas well as to promote new generations of professionals committed to fairer and more sustainable economic models.