The Venice Foundation for Peace Research and the European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises (EURICSE) have launched a Doctoral Thesis Award in memory of Professor Carlo Borzaga, rewarding research that explores the role of cooperatives in supporting pathways to peace, with a prize of €2,500.
Prof Borzaga, who died in 2024, was a world-renowned expert on cooperatives and the social economy, whose research provided crucial insights into how cooperatives contribute to a better world.
As a Professor of Economic Policy at the University of Trento (Italy) and author of numerous books, essays, and academic articles, he served from 1997 to 2008 as President of the Istituto Studi e Sviluppo Aziende Nonprofit (ISSAN), which later evolved into the European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises (EURICSE). Professor Borzaga founded EURICSE in 2008 and chaired it until 2022. Today, the institute stands as an international reference point for research on the social economy.
The Award, under the patronage of the University of Trento, is promoted in collaboration with the Committee on Cooperative Research of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA CCR), the EMES International Research Network and CIRIEC International. Funded by the Venice Foundation for Peace Research, it aims to promote and acknowledge research that explores the role of cooperatives and social economy organisations in fostering more inclusive, democratic, and supportive societies.
In particular, it supports research that highlights the contribution of cooperatives and more broadly social economy organisations to promoting peace, social justice, and sustainable development, understood as fundamental, interconnected values of civic coexistence among people sharing similar objectives.
Interested candidates must submit their application by 30 June 2026, after which a Selection Panel composed of scholars and experts in the humanities, social sciences, economics, law, and international studies, jointly appointed by the organisations promoting the Award, will evaluate applications. The organising committee will inform the winner(s) of the Award no earlier than 1 November 2026.
For full eligibility criteria and application details, click here.
