IRSG award to honour rubber sector economic research

Singapore – The International Rubber Study Group has launched #IRSGforResearch, an annual award designed to stimulate high-quality research on emerging economic issues in the global rubber sector.

The award is an effort to engage young economists and researchers in the assessment of economic factors that affect the global rubber sector, the IRSG said in a 15 July news release.

Submitted papers should cover a topic relevant to the broad sustainability framework and sustainable development of the rubber sector, said IRSG, adding that preference would be given to papers that address the thematic focus it chooses every year.

For 2019, the thematic focus is, "How can natural rubber (NR) smallholders achieve sustainable development through rubber farming?"

The winner will receive approximately €2,000 and an award certificate.

"The smallholders are at the very core of the rubber industry, and yet we are lacking innovative and practical solutions to alleviate their hardship,” said Sandana Dass, CEO of NR value chain company R1International.

The #IRSGforResearch award is open to all economists and researchers in social sciences who are completing their doctorates or have done so in the past five years, the IRSG said.

All papers should be in English and should not exceed 15,000 words, the group said. Submission deadline is 13 Dec. The winner will be announced 2 March.