PLOS partners with Einstein Foundation Berlin on Award for Promoting Quality in Research

We are delighted to announce a brand new partnership with the Einstein Foundation Award for Promoting Quality in Research. 

PLOS is a longtime advocate for quality in research. However, like the Einstein Foundation Berlin, PLOS has always sought to ensure that the definition of quality is extended beyond more reductive measures – such as venue of publication and the Journal Impact Factor – to signals and behaviors that reflect rigor, reliability, robustness, and transparency. 

We are well known for developing policies (e.g. our Data Availability Policy), adopting standards (e.g. CRediT), rolling out new features (e.g. protocols), and encouraging behaviors (e.g. preprinting) that support a more rigorous open research ecosystem. But it is always a worthwhile reminder that these activities are never openness for openness’ sake, but are ways to enhance the quality and reliability of research, and, consequently, trust in research.

By establishing a global award to honor individual researchers, as well as collaborations, institutions, and organizations, Einstein Foundation Berlin is making an important statement that rigor, reliability, and transparency are to be recognized and rewarded as they directly influence increased quality in research.

We are excited to contribute to global awareness of this award, and encourage all interested parties to nominate and/or apply in the relevant categories. 

The Einstein Foundation award website contains all the details, including the criteria, categories, eligibility, and a list of the jury and prior winners. The deadline for applications and nominations is April 30th, 2022 at 10:00 pm UTC. Winners will be announced in December, 2022.

Below are some of the other important elements that we would like to highlight, adapted from https://www.einsteinfoundation.de/en/award/:

Categories, Eligibility, and Requirements 

The award is open to any researcher or group of researchers, organizations, or institutions involved in science and research, education, and scholarship. To be eligible for the Early Career award, candidates must hold a doctorate or have equivalent research experience, and should have been an independent researcher for no longer than five years.

Individual Award: Individual researchers or small teams of collaborating researchers can be nominated. The laureate will be awarded €200,000.

Nominations of individual or small teams should include a nomination letter, a CV, and a list of relevant publications of each nominee, as well as letters of support from eminent experts and former trainees.

Early Career Award: Early career researchers or small teams of collaborating researchers can submit a project proposal that seeks to foster research quality and value for an award of €100,000.

Early career researchers or small teams of early career researchers should submit a letter of motivation, a project proposal, as well as a CV and a list of relevant publications for each team member.

Institutional Award: Governmental and non-governmental organizations, institutions, or other entities can apply or be nominated. The award-winning organization or institution will receive €200,000. If governmental organizations or institutions are the recipients of the award, they will not receive any funds in addition to the award itself. Non-Governmental organizations can be publicly funded; although government representatives may sit on an NGO’s governing board(s), governments cannot unilaterally determine the use of the organization’s funds, its structure, or its activities.

Applications or nominations of organizations and institutions should consist of a nomination or application letter, as well as letters of support from eminent experts.