2023 U.S. ASPIRE Competition

In its thirteenth year running, the APEC Science Prize for Innovation, Research and Education (ASPIRE) is an annual award hosted by the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)  Policy Partnership for Science, Technology, and Innovation (PPSTI) that recognizes young scientists who have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in scientific research and cross-border collaboration.  Each APEC member economy identifies one nominee for the prize, and the State Department’s Office of Science and Technology Cooperation, in conjunction with the scientific publishers Wiley   and Elsevier , holds an annual competition to select the scientist to represent the United States on the APEC stage.

For 2023, the ASPIRE prize will promote innovative research that advances society through this year’s theme of “inclusive science, technology, and innovation for a resilient and sustainable environment.”

The theme celebrates those working on advancing environmental resiliency and sustainability through diverse perspectives, as well as promoting an inclusive scientific ecosystem.  Research surrounding this theme could include areas such as increased social connectivity of underserved and marginalized populations, the promotion of self-sustaining ecosystems, or solutions for mitigating public health risks.

Nominees’ research should represent the pinnacle of international scientific collaboration and science diplomacy.  Nominees should demonstrate a commitment to excellence in scientific research and cooperation with scientists from other APEC member economies, including inclusive and interdisciplinary collaborations, in various disciplines including biology, oceanography, chemistry, environmental science, public health, economics, data science, social science, among other fields.

Each APEC economy may nominate one individual under 40 years of age in its region for the ASPIRE Prize. The nominees will be judged on their excellence in research and cross-border collaboration with peers from other APEC economies.

The deadline for U.S. nominees to submit the application [2 MB] is May 19, 2023  Young scientists from the United States who are engaged in research and/or product commercialization in line with the theme noted above are strongly encouraged to put forward applications or nominate their peers.

Completed applications and any questions should be sent to ASPIREprize@state.gov.

If selected as the U.S. nominee or runners-up, the nominee and two runners-up will be invited to a roundtable in Summer/Fall 2023 and receive cash prizes of $3000 (nominee) and $1200 (two runners-up)

For more information please visit APEC’s ASPIRE 2023 website. More on APEC meetings, events, projects and publications can be found on the APEC website.